“You could leave.”
He finished off his drink and I thought he’d go but instead, he turned his gaze from me.
“Have you ever been home?” he asked. “Do you visit your parents?”
That surprised me. I was waiting for more of the “Carlie, I need you” talk. There was something on his mind, that was
for sure. I poured him a whiskey without him asking for it and poured myself one too.
“Never. Not once. Not for Christmas. Not for their birthdays. I call them once in a while but I never visit.”
I didn’t mention the fears, that if I set foot in that town again, I’d be trapped there like in some nightmare. The kind where you try to run but the weeds tangle around your feet and you can’t move.
I didn’t mention it because I didn’t need to. Holden knew. He probably knew better than I did.
He ran his hand through his hair.
“I can’t, even if I want to. I’ve been told. My management have told me no contact with my family. They want the whole dirtied-up country boy image but not that dirty. They thought about changing my name when they looked into my background but figured King is common enough to avoid any connection.”
“Well, you wanted to leave them behind.”
His grin was wry. “That’s for sure. But it’s different when it’s forced on you. I got a message from Tommy the other day. Something’s stirring up back there. You know what they get like at times. It might end up being bad. Family feuds don’t end well.”
Tommy was Holden’s cousin. It surprised me that they kept in contact but he was the best of a bad bunch.
“More reason for you to stay away, I reckon.”
He nodded his head but didn’t say anymore. He just stared at his hands.
At the end of the night, I told Holden to go.
"Finish your drink, I'm closing up."
He put on his coat and left. I watched him walk out, wishing I’d been able to say more. The family thing weighed heavily on him and there was no one else he could talk to about it, I knew that much.
What did he expect, though? That I’d put an arm around him and tell him it’d be okay? I couldn’t let myself get involved.
I took my time closing up and getting everything ready for the next day. Eventually, I had to leave the bar and lock the door behind me.
"So, what are you up to now?"
As I expected, Holden waited for me outside. He moved closer and my heart pounded.
"I'm going home to sleep and so should you."
"Carlie, I know you're upset and I'm sorry about how things went in the past, I really am, but I think we should give it another shot."
I pushed him away. It made me wonder if that talk about his family had just been a ploy to get my sympathy. He didn’t seem too concerned about that now, just about getting into my pants.
"That's the most half-arsed apology I've ever heard and if you don't get away from me, I'll call the cops." I grabbed my phone out of my pocket to show I meant it. "How's that going to look in the papers? You aren't going to want that kind of publicity."
He backed away. "You wouldn't really."
If I didn’t push him away, and push him good, he’d never leave me alone.
"Like hell I wouldn't. The day you walked out of my life was the greatest day of my life. I never wanted to see you again. I didn't ask you to come back. Who do you think you are, coming into my workplace, ingratiating yourself with the staff and my friends and declaring you'll win me back?"
"I just want another chance."