“Wait… you bought a truck?” She walked down the sidewalk to come closer.
“Wasn’t no point in wasting money on a rental if I plan on being here until Rome wakes up. It just made more sense to me.”
“It’s nice. Brand new?”
“Of course! Fresh off the lot, never been driven before now.”
She walked to the back driver side door and opened it. My eyes trailed the outline of her body. Dressed in brown leggings and an olive-green sweater with boots on her feet that were the same color as her sweater, she never had to do too much, but she was still beautiful. It made me wonder why my brother would step out on her and take her for granted. I almost brought it up the other day when we were walking Bella but I didn’t know if she was aware of my brother’s possible cheating; and if she wasn’t I couldn’t be the one to hurt her like that.
“You excited for today?” I asked, referring to rock climbing.
“Yeah, ecstatic,” she replied blandly, causing me to chuckle.
Reaching out I grabbed her hand and cuffed it in mine. “If you don’t enjoy it we can leave and do something else.” Her eyes dropped to our hands. I stroked the top of her hand with my thumb. “You know… you might end up loving it. When I first started doing it in my early twenties, I didn’t expect it to be such a good way to clear my mind.”
“I guess we’ll see.” She slowly pulled her hand out of mine and rubbed it with her other hand. “I’m going to go lock the house up and get my purse and phone then I’ll be ready.”
Nakyra turned and hurried into the house. I watched her until she was back inside. I shouldn’t be thinking about in any way other than platonic, but over the past couple weeks I seemed to be thinking about her more than I should. I kept telling myself I was staying here just to stay updated on Rome firsthand, but now, deep down, I knew there was another reason.
Minutes later Nakyra came back outside. “Ready.” She walked back my way. I followed her and grabbed the passenger door before she could touch it, opening it for her.
She glanced at me. “Thank you.”
When she got inside I closed the door behind her and walked over to the driver’s side. The place we were going was a town over, about half an hour’s drive, and I wasn’t sure if I should let the radio play between us or try to strike up a conversation. Something was up with Nakyra. I noticed it that day we took Bella on a walk. She hadn’t been able to look me in the eyes the past couple of days and was jumpy. It was the same as when we kissed. I thought things between us were good now, but it was clear to me that something else was weighing on her.
“Do you think your parents will let me see Rome if I try one last time?” she asked suddenly as we headed down the street.
My hand rubbed over the wheel and my mouth twitched. “Last time I was up there they didn’t seem like they were gonna budge.” While I didn’t want to hurt her, I also wasn’t going to give her false hope. I peeked over at her, feeling a stabbing in my chest as her face fell.
“Right.” She turned and looked out the window.
“Hey.” I reached over and placed my hand on her leg. “I know it sucks, but it’ll get better.”
“It’s been two weeks since I’ve seen him. I read that coma victims can hear those around them. He’s probably gonna wonder why he stopped hearing my voice.”
My tongue dragged over my teeth. I wasn’t sure what to tell her to assure her of anything. Her and my brother’s relationship was starting to make less and less sense to me. Thinking of the woman I saw at the hospital and the fact that my parents were clearly keeping her away for ulterior motives, I knew Rome more than likely wouldn’t be bothered about our parents’ decisions.
“Don’t think about all that right now. Today we’re going to go climb some fake rocks and enjoy ourselves.”
She snorted. “Yeah, if I don’t fall on my ass.”
“You’ll be attached to a harness. But don’t worry, I’ll catch you either way.” I squeezed her thigh before releasing it and winking at her.
Her cheeks reddened and her eyes slid back to the window.
Silence expanded between us. I pressed the button on the steering wheel to turn the radio up and let the music fill the space around us.
____
“You made it look so easy!” Nakyra’s brows furrowed as she scanned the beginner wall we were standing in front of. I had already taken my turn, allowing her to watch. Now she was up.
I wiped my brows and glanced at the wall. “Once you do it a couple times it becomes a piece of cake.”
I stepped to the guy and held my hand out. “I’ll be her belayer.” The guy nodded, handing me the rope.
“And what’s a belayer again?” Nakyra asked.
“Means I’ll be your supporter. I’ll control the rope and catch you if you fall.”
