The Necklace Pt 02

The next morning I struggled to even get out of bed. I had the desire to stay locked in my room for the rest of the week. The fight with the crazy girl was still on my mind, especially given the close quarters. How I was going to wait out the weather with her still eluded me. It seemed like I'd sooner lose my sanity first. When I closed my eyes I relived the fight from last night and wondered if more of it was on the table for today.

I attempted to dodge my problem by staying rooted to my bed for the next couple hours. Mostly I read but even that got tiring after the first hour. So I fired up my work laptop and began to finish up where I'd left off the day before. All of this extra time on my own had gotten me close to the point where I'd be caught up. I both relished and hated the thought as once the work was finally done, it would be one less thing I could use as a distraction.

Finally, I had to face the fact that I couldn't remain in my room any longer. For one, my bladder was about to explode but I was also getting hungry. I shuffled out of bed and walked over to the door, taking a deep sigh before I went out. I wanted to be prepared for whatever attitude she was going to throw me today.

As I left the room I noticed that the main bedroom door was still closed. At least I'd be able to go to the bathroom in peace. I did my business quickly, washed my hands, and returned to the kitchen to rummage around the refrigerator. I settled on an English muffin simply because nothing else stood out to me. While I was spreading some cream cheese on it, I heard the telltale sound of a door unlocking. I began preparing myself mentally for what would come next.

Her blonde hair was the first to come into view, hanging straight down past her shoulders. I shot her a quick glance but then returned my attention to the muffin. Perhaps if I just ignored her, she'd go away on her own.

Except she didn't.

She lingered around the kitchen and then finally took a seat at the table. My brow scrunched as I wondered what exactly she was doing. Of course my back was to her as I finished my muffin but curiosity was starting to get the better of me. I turned with the excuse of dropping my knife in the sink and finally raised my eyes to hers.

She was looking right back at me. For the first time, she wasn't staring daggers at me.

"Can we talk?"

I've been around long enough to know that nothing good ever comes from those three words, but I figured with her it couldn't have been any worse than it had been already. I nodded silently and continued to eat my meager breakfast. I wasn't going to let her antics ruin my meal.

She took a deep breath and then looked down at the floor. Her eyes seemed to focus on one spot before she looked back up at me. "I'm sorry for how I've been treating you."

I nearly choked on my muffin. I pounded on my chest to emphasize my shock. "Come again?"

Her lips pursed. "You didn't deserve to be treated that way and I'm sorry. It's been a rough . . . well, it's been rough for me lately and I really just took it out on you. I'm sorry."

Was I really hearing this now? Perhaps I really was still in bed and just drifted off while I was working. I expected to wake up any moment now still locked away in my room. Try as I might, I didn't wake up and still found myself looking at the now slightly embarrassed woman in my kitchen. She was gazing at me somewhat expectantly and it was then that I realized I hadn't said a word to her since her apology.

"I wasn't expecting that," I said quite honestly. I put the rest of my breakfast down and looked at her with a softened expression.

She grabbed a handful of hair and tossed it over her shoulder. "Yeah, well, I'm sorry, okay? I don't do well with apologies so hopefully you're good with this now."

I chuckled and then gave her a genuine look. "Thank you for apologizing. Yes, you were acting like a brat. But I'm willing to put it behind us if you are."

She nodded. "I didn't mean it when I called you a pervert."

"I guess I can take back calling you a bitch as well."

To my surprise, she smiled. "You had a right to do that, unlike me. Either way, it's in the past now, right?"

I nodded once more.

"Good." She began to get up from the table and started to approach the bathroom. Halfway from the door, she turned around to look back at me. "By the way, my name is Allie."

A confused look appeared on my face.

She simply shrugged. "You said if we're stuck here, we should at least be on a first name basis. I'm Allie, short for Alexandra."

"You can call me Jim. Short for James."

Allie smiled and then nodded before she disappeared into the bathroom and closed the door.

To say that I was caught off guard would be an understatement. Where did the spiteful little spitfire go from yesterday? This version of her was almost

friendly

. Part of me wondered if it was just an act or if she might be messing with me. I quickly shook those thoughts from my head. The look in her eyes seemed genuine enough that perhaps we were turning over a new leaf. Maybe I should give her—Allie—a chance after all?

Soon enough she returned from the bathroom and walked back into the kitchen. She gave me a sheepish look, almost of embarrassment, and then continued walking toward the bedroom. I felt awkward so I had to intervene. At least now we could communicate without fighting so why not try to make the best of it?

"You can stay out here. If you want to that is," I said, earning her attention before she rounded the corner. She stopped moving and seemed to weigh her options internally.

"It's getting pretty boring locked up in the room," I said with a grin. "Believe me, I know."

She nodded and then that embarrassed smile came back to her lips. "Okay, that sounds good," she said before taking a seat back at the kitchen table.

Her eyes met mine once again but neither of us offered any words. My fingers clinked against my coffee mug and soon enough it triggered my brain. "Do you want a cup? I just made a fresh pot."

She nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, please."

I grabbed a clean mug and began to pour some coffee for her. Leaving a little room, I fished out a small bowl from the corner and began to scoop a small amount of white powder into the cup. I looked over to find she was watching me intently.

"Just a little sugar, I promise. Not like it's a ground-up roofie or anything," I said, lightly teasing her.

Allie pursed her lips in amusement but didn't look away.

I slipped the mug in front of her which she gladly took with both hands. Watching her take a sip, I asked the question that was still weighing heavy on my mind.

"So, Allie, are you going to tell me how you ended up buried in my driveway?"

Her gaze averted mine. "It's pretty complicated, Jim."

"Luckily for us, I have a lot of time to hear that story," I said in a teasing manner.

She shook her head. "Maybe another time."

I let out a small sigh of defeat. Perhaps this wasn't going to be as easy as I thought now that we were done fighting. I realized in that moment that Allie still had several walls around her, even if one set had already been brought down.

"I'm glad I found you. Only the reflection of your rooftop was visible from the cabin," I said.

She looked up at me briefly and smiled before returning to her coffee.

"I'm sure your parents will be glad you're alive. I bet you can't wait to get word to them."

She shook her head. "I doubt that."

"Why is that? Don't you want to get home?"

"What does it matter? I left there and I'm not going back." Her face assumed a painful look as if remembering things long since buried in the past.

Something was still clearly off with her and at that moment the puzzle pieces began to fall into place. The initial distrust of a stranger, the bruises on her body, and now the running away from home all seemed to point to one conclusion.

"Allie, did they hurt you? Did they give you those bruises I saw?"

Her eyes flashed up to mine. "Jim, I appreciate you asking, but I really don't want to talk about this right now. The real story is incredibly complicated and painful to retell if not live. Can we just drop it for now?" Her eyes shared the same sense of pleading as carried in her voice.

"Of course. I'm sorry to bring it up," I said, taking a sip of my coffee.

There was a moment of silence before Allie changed the subject. "This cabin is so beautiful. Is it yours?"

"It's the family cabin so you can say it kind of belongs to me. It officially belongs to my parents though."

She smiled. "Are they the ones who are on the picture in the bedroom?"

"That's them. And, of course, that's their bedroom."

Allie looked rather embarrassed. "I kind of figured that spending so much time locked up in there."

"At least it wasn't my bedroom." I grinned. "Or then I really would've kicked you out."

"I did peek into your room at one point. I saw two beds though."

I nodded somberly. "One of them belonged to my brother."

Allie didn't miss the meaning beyond my words. "Belonged? As in past tense?"

"That's right. My brother died not too long ago. Leukemia."

I dropped my gaze down to the table. Even the thought of his memory still left me choked up. To my surprise, I felt a warm hand on my own. Allie had reached out to comfort me.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"It's only been about six weeks. That wound is still very fresh."

She gently squeezed my hand. "I lost my mother when I was only fourteen. Next spring will mark ten years since she's been gone. There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about her."

"I'm sorry to hear that," I said, while choosing to comfort her own hand as she did mine.

She gave a melancholy smile. "It seems that cancer has struck both of our families."

I nodded while swallowing the lump in my throat. I'd been so consumed with my anger with her for the past day that I'd largely forgotten my real reason for being here—grieving for my brother. I felt a little guilty at so easily losing track of him but being able to talk about it out loud, even with Allie, was its own kind of therapy.

"Fourteen had to be a hard age to lose your mother," I said finally.

I watched as her fingers slipped up to her throat. They wrapped around one portion of her hidden necklace, the same one I observed yesterday, as if to reassure her it was still there. Yet she didn't pull it out and the pendant stayed hidden.

"I don't know if any age is easy to lose a parent. But being a teenager sure seems to be the hardest," she said. "Especially given the state of the rest of my family."

"Are the rest of them still alive then?"

She nodded. "They are." Allie didn't expand on the topic, and I knew we'd hit the same fault line from earlier.

My eyes flickered to her neck and then back to her face. "Did she give you that necklace?"

Allie stiffened and her eyes went wide for a moment. She made a slight movement up to her neck but then put her hands back down on the table. "Yes, she did." She pulled it out from her shirt until the infinity pendant became visible.

"It's a really beautiful pendant on there. Why do you keep it hidden?"

Her eyes flashed to mine. "Hidden?"

"You seem to keep it tucked inside your clothing. I'm just curious on why you don't want it displayed to the world to see?"

Allie looked over to the wall as if lost for words. I wondered briefly if I had asked the wrong question as I spotted a single tear slip down her cheek.

"Allie, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"It's not your fault. I do keep it hidden, you're right. But that story is for another time." She wiped the tear from her cheek and resumed her attention in my direction. I noticed her gaze take on a steely determination and the moment of weakness had clearly passed.

I cleared my throat with a muffled cough. I wanted to take this conversation in another direction. "Maybe we should take a step back."

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"We seem to have gotten really serious in a short amount of time. For barely knowing each other, you already know about my brother and I don't just tell anyone that."

Allie gave a small smile. "We did seem to go overboard right from the start."

I chuckled. "Let's pull it back just a bit. After all, we have plenty of time in here to talk about the deep things in life. Maybe we should just find something to do or watch or whatever and let's focus on more common topics."

"Like what's your favorite color?" She giggled.

"That's simple! Green."

"My eyes are green. Like that shade of green?"

I nodded. "Especially like your eyes. Very pretty." I turned slightly red in embarrassment, but thankfully I wasn't the only one.

Allie's cheeks darkened and I received a coy smile. It was the first time I felt I'd received a reaction from her that could possibly be construed as something deeper. I felt my heart beat faster at seeing such a smile and I knew I wanted to see it again frequently.

"Well, thank you for that compliment, Jim," she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

I was on the verge of saying more when we both heard a small rumbling sound. With a quick reaction, Allie clamped her hand against her stomach. "Did you hear that?"

I had to laugh. "Was that your stomach?"

She nodded. "I'm sorry but I'm so hungry!"

"Well, we can fix that! I didn't go overboard on the food that I brought here, but I have enough to get creative. How would you feel about pancakes?"

Allie's eyes sparkled. "I love pancakes."

"Who doesn't?" I chuckled at my own joke. In the next moment, we began to make a real breakfast together. I whipped out all the ingredients to form the batter and sure enough, Allie grabbed a pan and turned on the burner. As I began to dribble a spoonful of batter on the pan, she took over to do the flipping. We made a great team for two strangers and soon enough we had a large pile of pancakes waiting for us.

I watched as Allie took several of them, drizzled the stack in syrup, and then took a giant mouthful. She seemed to forget that she wasn't alone because when she next caught my eyes, her face filled with embarrassment.

"Sorry. It's been so long since I had anything real to eat. I'm not always a pig, I promise."

I laughed at her comment. "As long as you save some for me, you're alright."

She passed me the plate and I took my own generous helping.

"So I take it you don't live here full time then?" She asked before taking another bite.

"No, not really. I live in Denver most of the time. Well, a little suburb right outside the city."

She nodded. "Which one? I'm very familiar with the city."

"Do you know Lakewood? On the west side?"

Her lips split into a smile. "Of course I do. I grew up in Littleton."

"Wow, so close! I take it you don't live there now though?"

Allie's smile dropped. "No, not anymore. I haven't lived there since I was a teenager. I've spent the last few years at my grandparents place in Aurora."

I decided not to press more after seeing her smile drop. Luckily she managed to recover quickly and carry the conversation.

"It must've been real nice to have a cabin like this growing up."

I had to grin. "It was great! So many memories here. We used to go sledding right off the front porch over there. We made all kinds of snow angels and snowmen. My dad would always get a roaring fire going in the evening and my mom would make hot chocolate for us."

Allie smiled. "That sounds lovely. Especially the hot chocolate part."

"This cabin just hasn't been much of a source of enjoyment for our family the last few years. You know, with the cancer and all. You can probably tell from the layer of dust on everything that we haven't been here in a long while."

Allie nodded. "It's understandable though. It's good you were able to get back to it though."

"It does feel good to be back. I enjoy the solitude here and the time to think. It makes every trip worthwhile."

"Sorry I ruined your solitude on this trip," she said while lowering her eyes.

"I'll admit I wasn't too happy about it until this morning," I said with a small smile. "But you're making up for it now."

Allie gave me another coy smile and I found myself taking frequent glances down to her lips. They looked so kissable, soft, and inviting. I realized I was staring when she softly cleared her throat, letting me know I'd been caught.

Finally she looked up with a little twinkle in her eye. "Thank you for making breakfast with me. As you can see, I clearly hated it." She pointed to her plate where not a single crumb remained.

I chuckled. "I see that! Maybe we'll have to do the same thing tomorrow. Save the date?"

Allie giggled. "Maybe!" She then looked around the cabin while I rinsed the dishes. "So now what? I mean we're locked up in here for quite some time. What are we going to do?"

I shrugged. "There's a few things we could do. We could stay tuned to hear the next rousing weather report." I jokingly pointed to the television in a hyped-up manner.

"Pass," she said, while grinning.

"Or you can test your luck against me in a dangerous game of Uno." I tossed the pack of Uno cards in front of her. She caught it and then fixed a serious look back at me.

"You're so on. I'm going to destroy you in Uno."

"Bring it, Allie," I answered, earning simultaneous laughs from the both of us.

Allie began to shuffle the deck while I took my seat next to her. I'm not sure when it happened but I found myself unable to hold back my grin. The truth of the matter was that I was really enjoying being around her. This new version of Allie was fun and thoughtful, not to mention beautiful. The crazy thing about it was that all we'd done so far was have some conversation and pancakes. I never knew breakfast could be so much fun.

The biggest thing for me was that I wanted to know more about her. I had to be careful as her walls were still present and she had no problem letting me know when I was approaching one. I had to use some tact in getting to know her so I started simply enough.

"So are you still in school, Allie? College?" I tried to sound nonchalant while checking out my first handful of cards.

"Just graduated last year," she said while putting down her first card, a red seven.

"What did you go for?"

"Early childhood development."

I nodded slowly while picking a card to add to the pile. "Ah, I see. Teacher I'm guessing?"

She smiled. "Not quite. You're probably going to think it's lame."

"Try me."

She took a deep breath. "I want to run a day care some day."

I pursed my lips trying not to chuckle. "Why would I think that's lame? That sounds pretty cool to be honest."

Her eyes caught mine. She was wearing a confused look. "Really? You really think so?"

"Of course. Why not? You must really like kids to do that."

She assumed a faraway look and smiled. "I love them. When I was growing up my aunt, my mom's younger sister, had four children all younger than me. Three nieces and one nephew. I spent so much time near them. I cared for them, and I played with them. It just made me really love kids. It's where I first got the idea to run a day care. Draw four by the way."

I groaned as Allie slipped down the dreaded wild card plus four. Picking my the next cards off the top of the pile, I quickly filtered them into my hand. "That's a really cool story. I'm surprised you think that's lame."

Allie's smile dropped quickly. "Most people in my family have told me it's lame. My fia—I mean my friends don't care for it either."

"Some friends they are," I said with a smirk.

"Anyway, I don't know if I'll ever get to do that."

"Why not? You have the degree for it. It seems like you've already done the hard part."

Allie shrugged. "I just don't see it in my future now."