Free Blindness by Ginger Scott Page B

wrapping them in his own. Suddenly, he’s
holding my hand. He’s holding my hand!
    I let him, and watch as his fingers slowly
lock into place with mine, the twists of ink and words along them
like black keys on a piano against my pale skin. I steal a glance
at him to see his eyes intent on our tangled hands, his gaze soft,
but guarded. He’s being so careful. My mind is betraying everything
I’m fighting to hold onto with visions of his mouth on mine, my
lips tingling at the thought of kissing him, tasting him.
    Reality slams into me hard, though, when I
hear Trevor’s booming laugh enter the foyer—along with someone
else’s. I jump from my seat and slap my hands to both cheeks to
wake myself from the dream I was just indulging in. I shake my
head, and briefly lock eyes with Cody, who’s smirking back at me,
almost amused at my harried state. Before Trevor makes it to us, I
turn to the sink and start rinsing dishes—dishes that, frankly, are
already clean.
    He’s telling the man who’s with him a story
as he enters the kitchen, and I’m grateful he’s distracted from the
redness that’s now taken up residence across my entire body.
    “I can’t believe that asshole told you that!”
Trevor says to his friend, leaning over my shoulder to kiss me
while he drops his keys and wallet on the counter. It takes him all
of three seconds to realize Cody’s here, and I can feel his insult
coming before he unleashes it. “What? Still don’t have your own
fuckin’ coffeemaker? Freeloader,” Trevor says, rolling his eyes and
turning his attention back to his friend.
    What days ago only made me uncomfortable,
today has me angry and ready to jump to Cody’s defense. I’m
squeezing the knife in my hand while I rinse off the blade then
turn to drop it in the dishwasher. I catch Cody’s eyes and mouth to
him “I’m sorry.” But he doesn’t seem to be bothered. He raises his
mug and gets to his feet, tipping his cup to take one more sip
before stopping and remembering how terrible it tastes. He spits it
back in, and I laugh quietly at him.
    Trevor is watching us. Not wanting to make a
big deal out of anything, I just smile, shrug, and turn back to the
running water. I’m half-listening to Trevor and his friend talk
when I realize he’s trying to get my attention. I turn the water
off and dry my hands while his friend is reaching his hand to me.
“Charlotte, this is Kevin. He’s Judge Sumner’s nephew,” Trevor
says, his tone subtle, but I understand what he’s trying to tell
me. Kevin’s important, and I need to make a good impression.
    “Kevin, nice to meet you. Do you live out
here? Or are you just visiting?” I ask, my mind only half paying
attention to Kevin—the rest of me completely aware of Cody’s
presence, every move and every breath. I had thought he’d run the
second Trevor showed up, and while I’m glad he stayed, it’s also
making me nervous.
    “Just visiting. We have a lot of family out
here,” Kevin says. He seems nice and genuine, a refreshing change
from a lot of the lawyer-types Trevor usually hangs around. “Hey,
Trevor tells me you golf? We just set up a tee time. We need a
pair, you two want to join us?”
    Trevor’s eyes look as though they’re about to
bulge from his face as he looks from me to Cody and back again. I’m
fighting to form words in my mouth, get my tongue unglued, when
Cody absolutely stuns me. “Sure, we’d love to,” he says, giving me
a wink, and then turning to the back door. “Just give me about ten
minutes to get ready.”
    I watch as he disappears out the door, my
tongue still rendered useless. My arms and legs are tingling with
panic. I turn back to Trevor, who’s looking out the same door Cody
just left through, with the same shock I’m feeling; though, I’m
sure, for a very different reason. He finally turns to me, his eyes
caught somewhere between confused and furious. Thankfully, Kevin
interrupts.
    “Great, can’t wait to see you on the