Small Town Big Man

After she picks the stuff she wants, Dustin and I load a couple of boxes into the back of my truck. Covering it with a tarp, I tie it down and open her door.

“Your escape vehicle is ready,” I say, opening the door and bowing.

That earns me a small giggle from her as she climbs inside. I'm about to close the door, when she stops me. Leaning over, Laney kisses my cheek.

“Thank you, Anders,” she says, resting her hand on my cheek and rubbing it softly with her thumb. “I can't thank you enough for everything. No one has ever been this good to me before.”

Every inch of my body ignites from my head to my toes as the kiss she placed on my cheek sends electricity through my veins. And that's when it hits me like a tsunami.

I never believed in love at first sight, I swore off love forever. But this girl has shattered everything I believe in.

I don't need to know her for years to understand what I'm feeling.

I love her.9LaneyI watch the trees as Anders drives us back to the cabin. Back to the cabin that I don't own. Back to the cabin that isn't my home.

Resting my head against the window, my mind is roaring with thoughts. I feel empty and lost. Like the world has been ripped out from under my feet, and I'm hanging on by a thread.

Did Marc do this on purpose to punish me? Does he know I slept with someone else?

That's stupid, Laney.

I know the thought doesn't make sense. But it sticks with me for some reason, as if all of this is a repercussion to my actions. Did sleeping with this giant cause the ultimate downfall? The complete destruction of everything I know?

Where are my friends? Where are the people on my side?

No one has reached out to me at all since Marc left me. Beth is right, they weren't my friends to begin with. But that's what happens when your world is consumed by one person. Their friends become your friends, but only for that brief moment in time.

Once it's over, it's over. All of it.

I really am all alone. . .

Tears bubble up over my eyes, and I'm afraid to blink. I don't want to cry. I've cried enough over that asshole. But this isn't just about him. It isn't just about the man Marc became, and what he did to me.

This is about the life I thought I had, and about the life I no longer live.

The warmth of Anders hand wraps around mine, and he gives it a squeeze. It's like he can sense my pain, as if his hand and the squeeze he's giving it will absorb all the hurt and take it away for me.

Who is this kind giant beside me?

I'm beginning to realize that I know literally nothing about him. But I do know one thing. I know how he makes my body feel. I know how he makes every inch of my body come alive in ways it never has before.

As much as I don't understand how a stranger can affect me so much, I can't lie, I like it.

Squeezing his hand back, I let my eyes connect with his and he gives me a tender smile. A smile that calms my nerves for the moment, and makes me wonder if he's right. Maybe things do happen for a reason.

Is it possible that all of this was to bring me here? To find this man?

No, life doesn't work this way. Fairy tales aren't real.

This is nothing more than an escape I found. A distraction. Period.

Back at the cabin, Anders brings the last box inside and sets it on the floor.

“That's it,” he says.

“This is weird,” I say, picking up my mother's knitting basket. “This thing has been at the end of my couch since she passed away. It's so strange to see it some place different.” Placing it on the floor, I drop to my knees beside.

God damn it, I loved that couch! I loved that couch more than I loved Marc. . .

Sucking in a breath of air, I don't even realize that I'm crying until Anders is kneeling behind me and holding me tight.

I let him hold me, I welcome it, I need someone to comfort me. Leaning back as he curls his arms tighter around me, I sink into his body.

He strokes a palm up and down my back as I soak his shirt in my tears. Tipping my head up to look at him, he uses his thumb to wipe under my eyes.

“Don't cry, things will look better in the morning.” His eyes drift between mine, and I feel the urge to kiss him.

Lifting my face, I slowly bring my lips to his, they're so close, just about to touch, when I realize I can't do this again. I can’t rely on a man to make my life better. I can't fall for someone to only be let down in the end.