Free Twisted by Dani Matthews Page A

it. Now I'm
gazing at the water lost in thought when I hear the sliding glass door open and
I look up.
    Noah steps outside, looking
casual in a pair of khaki shorts and a red tee. He catches sight of me and
walks over, pausing as he looks down at me questioningly. He's holding up an
ashtray, lighter, and cigarettes in one hand. “Do you mind?”
    “Go for it.” Honestly, I've
always had an aversion to smokers but I wasn't going to tell Noah that. I’m not
sure if he knew about my past or not, and I sure as hell wasn't bringing up the
fire and the pack of cigarettes that changed my life forever.
    He sits down next to me, his
legs sinking into the water as he slips a cigarette between his lips and lights
it. He takes a deep drag, turns his head and blows out smoke before turning
back to meet my eyes.
    “I'm a little curious about
something.”
    Noah sets the cigarette on
the ashtray before looking at me with interest. “Shoot.”
    “If you are into eating
healthy, why do you smoke?”
    Noah shrugs. “I do it more
out of habit now but not as often.”
    “Do you mind if I ask
why?” 
    He's silent for a long
moment.
    “You can tell me to mind my
own business, I don't offend easily,” I offer.
    “Nah,” he says before he
grins, flashing white teeth. “I don't mind talking about it. Most people just
automatically assume it's off limits.”
    My eyebrows arch. “Smoking?”
    “No,” he says with a laugh.
“The accident. I started smoking right after, it was a good stress releaser,”
he says lightly.
    “What happened, if you don't
mind me asking?”
    His expression turns serious.
“It was right after high school graduation. I was headed to a party when a car
in the opposite lane suddenly veered towards me and we hit head on.”
    “Drunk driver?”
    “An old man had a seizure and
couldn't control the car.”
    I study the man sitting
beside me and his demeanor stays casual and relaxed. If I thought the topic
bothered him, I'd drop it. “What happened to him?”
    Noah looks at me oddly. “You
know, you're the first person to ask that. Most people only care about what
happened to me.”
    “Does it bother you that I
asked?”
    “Not at all. The old man
didn't make it.”
    Slowly, I nod and study my
feet, which are immersed in the cool chlorine filled water. Then I turn back so
he can focus on my lips. “What about you? How severe were your injuries?”
    “Not too bad. A broken leg
and the head injury were the worst of it. I was in a coma for about three
weeks. When I woke up, my hearing was gone. The doctor's initially thought that
my hearing loss was temporary but weeks later they confirmed it was permanent.
It was a rough time,” he says with a shrug.
    “I bet. Are you originally
from around here?” I ask, deciding to switch the topic.
    Noah reaches for his
cigarette and takes another quick drag before turning back to me. “No. I'm from
a little town in Vermont.”
    “And you ended up all the way
on the opposite side of the United States? How did you come to that decision?”
I ask with interest.
    “I always wanted to move to a
warmer state, winters aren't really my thing. I started doing some research and
I found that the university here in Sacramento offered everything I was looking
for, so I applied.”
    “What about your family?”
    “I don't have much family.
All my old friends started acting awkward around me after the accident, so I
finally decided to pack up and start over,” he says simply.
    “That's too bad for them.
Their loss,” I say as I feel a slow burn of anger develop within. How could
someone let a disability affect their friendship with Noah? The guy is deaf but
here I am having a completely normal conversation with him. He'd obviously been
friends with the wrong kind of people.
    “I agree,” is all he says on
the topic.
    We both fall quiet for a long
moment.
    “Tate's told me a little bit
about your aunt and uncle. Sounds like they were tough to live with,”