Free Epilogue: The Dark Duet by Cj Roberts

Considering what I’ve been through, I often think I’m
     very well adjusted. I can handle anything the world throws at me, but for
     someone who tries to plan his moves ahead of time, uncertainty about my future
     leaves me disturbed as nothing else.

    I thought finding Livvie would give me
     certainty, but I was learning that happiness also presents new ways to suffer.
     Misery, I understand. Happiness is terrifying.

    Also, Livvie’s words about “other shit”
     coming to the fore made sense to me. For the first time in my life I didn’t
     have anything to do. No one had any expectations of me. I had enough money to
     do anything and go anywhere, but I had no idea what I wanted to do or where I
     wanted to go. I had idle hands. My mind was the proverbial devil’s playground.
     It seemed as though everything I had kept tucked away in the dark recesses of
     my mind was escaping into my consciousness.

    I breathed a deep sigh of relief when
     Reed left Spain and Livvie could finally come back to me. I still had the
     nightmares, but waking up to her warm body made it easier to come back from the
     anxiety.

     
    ***

     
    It was October, and the weather was
     becoming unpredictable. On some nights it was the perfect excuse to spend hours
     in bed. Livvie and I fucked like rabbits—and a few other animals too.

    Although Livvie’s presence brought me
     solace after a nightmare, I hated how weak it made me feel to accept it.
     Instead, I took to staying up after Livvie went to sleep. I slept while she was
     out in the world of the living. I still had the dreams, but I didn’t wake up to
     darkness.

    All in all, things were good. Aside from
     the dreams, I didn’t have anything to complain about. However, I’d be lying if
     I told you I wasn’t beginning to get more than a little restless. Livvie had a
     job, she went to school and had friends. I didn’t have any of those things.
     Trust me, I wasn’t butt-hurt over it. I didn’t begrudge her those things. It
     was simply becoming obvious to me that my life was completely different from
     what I had known. What does a former kidnapper/murderer do in retirement?

    After three weeks of idle hands, I
     decided to buy a car. I bought a 5-Series BMW. It wasn’t as sexy as the
     Lamborghini, but it did the trick. I could go for long drives and avoid my
     sterile hotel room. Even when I was out, I kept to myself. Having decided I
     would be staying in Barcelona indefinitely, I didn’t need or want to draw
     unnecessary attention toward myself. It was a huge risk just being with Livvie.

    It didn’t take long for Livvie’s
     friends to realize something had changed. She’d all but abandoned them those
     first three weeks. She worked three nights a week and went to school Monday
     through Thursday. She spent most of her free time with me.

    “So,” Livvie began as we sat down to
     eat the meal room service had brought up. “Remember when we said we’d take
     things one day at a time and figure out what we were going to tell people when
     the time came?” She bit into a piece of asparagus. I swallowed the chunk of
     steak in my mouth without chewing.

    “Yes.”

    “Well, I think we should start talking
     about it. Claudia and Rubi are starting to complain about the amount of time
     I’m not spending with them.” She
     smiled at me.

    I stabbed a piece of broccoli like it
     owed me money.

    “Why is it
     their business? You’re an adult. You don’t need their permission to see me.”

    “Caleb,” she admonished. “They’re my
     friends. They’ve been there for me. If you’re going to fit into my life, you’re
     going to have to find a way to get to know my friends. I can’t keep coming over
     here every night. It’s exhausting. I have a life!”

    “And aren’t you lucky? Good for you.” I
     shoveled food into my mouth and avoided her eyes. I didn’t know why I was so
     angry. She’d made a perfectly valid argument and I’d shit on it. Her