Page 47 of The Other Side of Green

“So did you!” Her eyes lit up.

“A bad one, until Pastor Clarke got rid of me.”

“So church was a two fingers up at Clarke?”

“No. Church was because I missed the space where I used to think, used to believe there was a reason for it all.”

“Really?”

“Why are you so surprised?”

“Because the only thing I ever focused on in church was you.” Her gaze met mine, her cheeks blooming with dots of pink.

I couldn’t help the smile. “But I disgust you because the way we felt back then was ‘so very wrong’.” I air quoted. I had no shame.

A drawbridge between her tower of grief and me standing on the outside, started to lower. I could feel it in the marrow of my bones, the same way I’d always felt her, like an invisible string tied us together in pretty little knots.

A chain she’d described it as, but to me, it had always been a string with a bow on top.

Call me a pussy.

“So how did you become a teaching aide? I’m guessing the Collins family organized that too?” She asked, gaze sharp.

Okay, so maybe the thread between us had frayed a little.

“Well, maybe I’ll tell you that another day.” Just so I can stand here with you, breathe your air, and look into those blue eyes that somehow soothe my troubled soul.

Yeah. I was a goddamn pussy all right.

“Jack—” She held up her hand and as quick as a stroke of lightning I grabbed it and turned it palm up, pressing my thumb into the center. “I promise. I’m not going anywhere, Lyra.”

Her face broke, blue eyes glinting with droplets of saltwater. “That’s what I’m scared of.”

“You don’t need to be scared of me. I promised I would always protect you.”

We met one another’s steady gaze. A single droplet rolled down her cheeks, glistening a path of heartbreak. “And I’ll protect you.”

Ah, she was kinda cute. “No need, Lyra Bird.”

She turned her hand, squeezing my fingers, her gaze turning intense and mouth drying. “Yes. Yes, there is.”

Hating the way my chest tightened, I turned for the bar. “So. we going in?”

She glanced up, a smile chasing away her darkness. “You brought me to a two-dime jazz bar.”

“Hey, I know how to show a lady a good time.”

She shook her head. “Okay, but if I get carded it’s on you.”

Chuckling, I grasped her elbow and guided her toward the door. Just on the cusp of the threshold she turned, whispering in my ear. “Thank you.”

“For what?” My heart pounded.

“For sharing. I can’t wait to hear the next bit.”

I knew then I had her on the ropes. No matter how long it took, I’d still be waiting. Waiting for my Lyra Bird to fly right back.

We walked into the bar and I blinked, adjusting my eyes to the dim light. I mean it was dark outside, but this was another level. Proper gin joint this one, hadn’t been decorated since the twenties either by the looks of it. I lifted my chin at the barman, the same dude from the other night and he nodded back.