Page 14 of Fragile hearts

“Ahh, You’re that Alexis.” There isn’t any accusation audible in his tone. It sounds more like he figured something out that has been bugging him. But from the way Carson is clenching his fists, that’s not how he interpreted those words.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Connor raises his hands in defense at the angry tone in his brother’s voice.

“Calm down, man. Killian told me about her—how she helped you yesterday at work. He said that she was your neighbor.” Carson relaxes. The blazing heat in his eyes vanishes. “Sorry.” Connor waves him off. Then stares at his son.

“You ready to go home?” Colton nods enthusiastically, sprinting into the house, turning around to yell: “Bye, Uncle Cars, bye, Ms. Sunshine!”

“Bye buddy!” I yell, feeling Carson’s heavy gaze on me as his brother and nephew enter the house. I turn around to meet his eyes when I hear the front door close. “Are you feeling better?” I ask before he can apologize again.

“Yeah. Thank you. For watching Colton, and for…” He fiddles with the ring on his finger.

“Carson.” His body stills at the sound of his name. He’s bracing himself as if I’m going to say something he won’t like.

“Look at me,” I order softly.

My chest aches at the empty look in his eyes. he’s hiding himself from me, protecting himself from my words. “You don’t need to apologize or thank me. If I didn’t want you to touch me, I would have pulled away. If I didn’t want you near, I wouldn’t have come over. But I did because I wanted to…Okay?”

His mouth drops open in shock. The soulless look in his eyes vanishes, and a mix of adoration and shock takes over. His mouth opens and closes as my words linger in the air. “Okay?” I repeat after a minute of silence.

“Okay.” His words are a whisper, but it’s enough for me. I don’t want him to hide his emotions from me, and I definitely don’t want him to think I’ll make fun of him for needing me to comfort him. Like I said. I didn’t mind him touching my hand. If holding hands helps him sleep, then so be it. He’s struggling. I’m not going to ask him what, since it’s none of my business, but if I can help him, I’ll gladly do it.

Carson breaks our eye contact to grab a pair of car keys out of his pocket.

“Come on, Sunshine,” he motions me over. I follow him as we walk over to his car. “Wait!” I say while he opens the passenger door. “I’ll be right back.” I holler toward my house, lock the doors, and grab the little present I had bought for Carson earlier. To thank him for picking me up and mowing my grass, I run outside and lock the door behind me. Carson is still standing near the passenger door, waiting patiently. I climb up the seat. Handing him the present the moment he sits down. “For me?” He stares at the neatly wrapped present curiously, then at me. I nod, eyeing the still prominent black circles underneath his eyes.

He really needs more than just a short nap. He carefully opens the present, gently, so he doesn’t rip the blue and white wrapping paper. A smile breaks free when he sees what I got him. It’s a small fireman doll with a bobbing head. It’s almost a replica of the one on his dashboard. “It’s a thank you gift,” I explain, my heart skipping a beat as he grins adorably. My lips tilt up in a grin as well. “For picking me up, and mowing my grass.”

“Sunshine, you didn’t have to do this.” He raises his head.

“Do you like it?”

He chuckles, clutching the doll to his chest protectively. “I love it. you have no idea how much this means to me.”

“It’s just a small gift. I wanted to thank you for going through all that trouble for me.”

“It was no trouble.” He swallows hard. “It was no trouble at all.”

“So when are you gonna tell me where we’re going?” The sun is blazing through the window of the car. Shining brightly on my face, I grab my pair of sunglasses, put them on, and lean my head against the headrest. The radio is playing a country song that I recognize but don’t know the name of. The two fireman heads are bobbing up and down as the car drives. Carson had unwrapped the new one and placed it next to the other, smiling at me with gratitude.

Carson chuckles, one hand on the steering wheel, the other hanging outside the window.

“You ask that now? When we have been driving for ten minutes?”

“Well, you already told me numerous times you won’t kidnap me, so it can’t be that.”

Carson cocks his head. The sad look in his eyes has dimmed. He’s happier than I have seen him before.

“You’ll never know, Sunshine. That’s something a serial killer would also say.”

“So is that what you’re doing then? I give you a gift, and you repay me by kidnapping me?”

“I would never.” He grins. “No, my dad called. He said your car was ready.”

“Really? That’s great, now I don’t have to walk anymore.”

“Walk? Don’t you have a bike?” I stare out the window, embarrassment rising in my chest. I don’t have one. It would be a waste of money, since I never learned how to ride one. “No,” I say slowly, then confess what only Ash knows. “No one ever taught me how to ride one.”

Carson stills, glancing at me with wide eyes. “You don’t know how to ride a bike?”