Let Me Stitch Your Broken Heart
Colton
"And now he has a new girlfriend and I'm stuck in this bottomless rut of loving him. I don't think I'll ever climb out."
Colton's eyes widened, "Oh. Wow."
"Yeah, I know. I'm so stupid!"
"What? No! That's not what I meant." Carly looked at him quizzically. "I just meant, 'Wow. That really sucks.' I don't think what you did was stupid at all."
"I don't understand."
"You were obviously blinded by love so intensely that you couldn't make sane or rational decisions."
Carly laughed, "I don't think that's possible for me. I'm pretty sane."
"Sure it is. Take it from another sane someone who's been there."
She raised an eyebrow, "Okay, then what's your story?"
"Remind me and I'll tell you someday."
Carly stuck out her bottom lip, "I told you mine! It's only fair if you tell yours."
"You're right, but this isn't the time or place. Besides, my story isn't exactly short."
"Neither was mine."
"Trust me on this."
"I don't see why I should trust a stranger," Carly jibed playfully.
Colton shifted his eyes from the road to look at her. She was startled by their intimidating shade of onyx. He spoke slowly, "Because I told you that you should."
She picked up on Colton's dangerous tone and turned to stare out the window away from his terrifying gaze. She easily forgot it, however, when she realized the scenery was whizzing by at an outrageous speed. Everything morphed into a colorless blur. "How fast are you going!?"
"Just one-oh-five."
"One-oh-five! Are you nuts!? You're gonna get us killed!"
"You shouldn't trust strangers," he replied matter-of-factly. His mocking perturbed her.
Carly clenched her jaw, "Fine then. Let me out. I'll walk."
"What? No! I already told you: It's not safe out there!"
"Do you expect me to believe, without a doubt, that it's truly safe in here?"
"Yes! I do! I'm not pulling over until we're in town limits." Carly glared at him and pulled out her phone. "What are you doing?"
"I'm calling the police to tell them I've been kidnapped." Then her phone was gone. Disappeared. Nowhere to be seen. In the length of a millisecond. Carly's eyes grew to the size of ping pong balls.
"I don't think you'll be calling anyone right now. I'll give you your phone back when we're in town limits."
"Wh- Wh- I- You-...," Carly's speech failed her as she opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of water.
"I think it would be best if we just kept quiet until we reach the town. Agreed?"
"I- I- N- You- No!!! What did you do? Where is my phone? What are you!?!?"
Colton looked at Carly warily, "I'm a person. Same as you."
"No you aren't! You're a freak! How else would you have-"
"I am not a freak!" his voice rattled the windows and brought a stabbing pain to Carly's eardrums. She covered her ears. "Don't you call me or anyone else a freak! Ever!!!"
A few moments later, Carly carefully slid her hands away from her ears. "So that's your story."
"What?" his pained expression turned to one of pure confusion.
"Your story. Obviously someone calling you a 'freak' brings up painful memories. That must be part of your story. If it hurts so much to think about it, then I can see why you would avoid telling it."
Colton looked at her as if she was the craziest person alive, "How did you come up with that?" His voice still wasn't completely calm.
"You're not serious." This time Carly looked at him like he was insane.
"Okay, fine. I suppose your theory is plausible."
"Just plausible?"
The car slowed to a stop on the side of the road. The door locks undid themselves and Colton put the Lamborghini in park.
Carly's brow furrowed, "What are you doing?"
"We're in town limits. I thought you said you would rather walk."
"I did, but..."
"But what? Change your mind? Or are you just interested in finding out my story?"
"What? No! I just...well..." A drop of water splashed onto the windshield. "It's raining."
"That's not rain. There's a sprinkler in that person's yard."
"Oh. Umm...errr...fine! Yes, I want to know your story! Not because I'm nosy, but because I care."
"You hardly know me. Besides, I'm just some stranger who picked you up off the side of the road. Why would you care at all about me?"
"I just do. Now could you please continue to drive me home?"
"I don't think that's a good idea." Carly looked at him skeptically. "Look, I think it would be better if you just got out and forgot all about me. I really do."
"Well, I really don't. Now keep driving. Take a left at the next light and my road is the third turn on the right. My house is the blue one."
"Carly, do you feel any sort of attraction to me?" His eyes glittered.
"What kind of a question is that?"
"Please just answer it."
"If I say yes, will you take me home?"
Colton sighed and shook his head. He then unbuckled his seat belt and turned to face Carly. He put his right hand on the top of her seat and his left hand on the dashboard.He began to lean toward her. Carly's heart skipped a beat and she caught her breath. His lips were just a centimeter away from hers. She began to lean forward as well. She could taste the delicious thickness of the air that surrounded him as her eyelids fluttered shut. Just as she was sure their lips would meet, Carly felt him pull away.
"I thought so." His words were soft and sorrowful.
"What?"
"Please, just leave."
"I don't under--"
"Just go, Carly!"
Her face fell and she undid her seat belt. As she opened her own door, she whispered, "I'm sorry, Colton." She didn't turn to see if he heard her or if he had glanced up to respond. She just climbed out and shut the door.
He lifted his head and watched her walk away. "What am I doing?" Colton desperately wanted to drive up next to her and beg her to let him drive her home like in the movies, but knew that was dangerous to not only her, but to him as well. The truth was, he liked her. Sure, it was just a crush right now, but he could feel that it would become more. He had to stay away, for her sake. She was hurt enough as it was and didn't need someone like him to damage her further. "It's too risky, Colton. Don't do it. You know what happened last time." Despite his efforts to convince himself otherwise, Colton felt as if there was a rope tying him to her. As she got farther and farther away, he felt his heart following her. "I'm going to hate myself for this." And with that, Colton caught up with his heart.
Colton's eyes widened, "Oh. Wow."
"Yeah, I know. I'm so stupid!"
"What? No! That's not what I meant." Carly looked at him quizzically. "I just meant, 'Wow. That really sucks.' I don't think what you did was stupid at all."
"I don't understand."
"You were obviously blinded by love so intensely that you couldn't make sane or rational decisions."
Carly laughed, "I don't think that's possible for me. I'm pretty sane."
"Sure it is. Take it from another sane someone who's been there."
She raised an eyebrow, "Okay, then what's your story?"
"Remind me and I'll tell you someday."
Carly stuck out her bottom lip, "I told you mine! It's only fair if you tell yours."
"You're right, but this isn't the time or place. Besides, my story isn't exactly short."
"Neither was mine."
"Trust me on this."
"I don't see why I should trust a stranger," Carly jibed playfully.
Colton shifted his eyes from the road to look at her. She was startled by their intimidating shade of onyx. He spoke slowly, "Because I told you that you should."
She picked up on Colton's dangerous tone and turned to stare out the window away from his terrifying gaze. She easily forgot it, however, when she realized the scenery was whizzing by at an outrageous speed. Everything morphed into a colorless blur. "How fast are you going!?"
"Just one-oh-five."
"One-oh-five! Are you nuts!? You're gonna get us killed!"
"You shouldn't trust strangers," he replied matter-of-factly. His mocking perturbed her.
Carly clenched her jaw, "Fine then. Let me out. I'll walk."
"What? No! I already told you: It's not safe out there!"
"Do you expect me to believe, without a doubt, that it's truly safe in here?"
"Yes! I do! I'm not pulling over until we're in town limits." Carly glared at him and pulled out her phone. "What are you doing?"
"I'm calling the police to tell them I've been kidnapped." Then her phone was gone. Disappeared. Nowhere to be seen. In the length of a millisecond. Carly's eyes grew to the size of ping pong balls.
"I don't think you'll be calling anyone right now. I'll give you your phone back when we're in town limits."
"Wh- Wh- I- You-...," Carly's speech failed her as she opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of water.
"I think it would be best if we just kept quiet until we reach the town. Agreed?"
"I- I- N- You- No!!! What did you do? Where is my phone? What are you!?!?"
Colton looked at Carly warily, "I'm a person. Same as you."
"No you aren't! You're a freak! How else would you have-"
"I am not a freak!" his voice rattled the windows and brought a stabbing pain to Carly's eardrums. She covered her ears. "Don't you call me or anyone else a freak! Ever!!!"
A few moments later, Carly carefully slid her hands away from her ears. "So that's your story."
"What?" his pained expression turned to one of pure confusion.
"Your story. Obviously someone calling you a 'freak' brings up painful memories. That must be part of your story. If it hurts so much to think about it, then I can see why you would avoid telling it."
Colton looked at her as if she was the craziest person alive, "How did you come up with that?" His voice still wasn't completely calm.
"You're not serious." This time Carly looked at him like he was insane.
"Okay, fine. I suppose your theory is plausible."
"Just plausible?"
The car slowed to a stop on the side of the road. The door locks undid themselves and Colton put the Lamborghini in park.
Carly's brow furrowed, "What are you doing?"
"We're in town limits. I thought you said you would rather walk."
"I did, but..."
"But what? Change your mind? Or are you just interested in finding out my story?"
"What? No! I just...well..." A drop of water splashed onto the windshield. "It's raining."
"That's not rain. There's a sprinkler in that person's yard."
"Oh. Umm...errr...fine! Yes, I want to know your story! Not because I'm nosy, but because I care."
"You hardly know me. Besides, I'm just some stranger who picked you up off the side of the road. Why would you care at all about me?"
"I just do. Now could you please continue to drive me home?"
"I don't think that's a good idea." Carly looked at him skeptically. "Look, I think it would be better if you just got out and forgot all about me. I really do."
"Well, I really don't. Now keep driving. Take a left at the next light and my road is the third turn on the right. My house is the blue one."
"Carly, do you feel any sort of attraction to me?" His eyes glittered.
"What kind of a question is that?"
"Please just answer it."
"If I say yes, will you take me home?"
Colton sighed and shook his head. He then unbuckled his seat belt and turned to face Carly. He put his right hand on the top of her seat and his left hand on the dashboard.He began to lean toward her. Carly's heart skipped a beat and she caught her breath. His lips were just a centimeter away from hers. She began to lean forward as well. She could taste the delicious thickness of the air that surrounded him as her eyelids fluttered shut. Just as she was sure their lips would meet, Carly felt him pull away.
"I thought so." His words were soft and sorrowful.
"What?"
"Please, just leave."
"I don't under--"
"Just go, Carly!"
Her face fell and she undid her seat belt. As she opened her own door, she whispered, "I'm sorry, Colton." She didn't turn to see if he heard her or if he had glanced up to respond. She just climbed out and shut the door.
He lifted his head and watched her walk away. "What am I doing?" Colton desperately wanted to drive up next to her and beg her to let him drive her home like in the movies, but knew that was dangerous to not only her, but to him as well. The truth was, he liked her. Sure, it was just a crush right now, but he could feel that it would become more. He had to stay away, for her sake. She was hurt enough as it was and didn't need someone like him to damage her further. "It's too risky, Colton. Don't do it. You know what happened last time." Despite his efforts to convince himself otherwise, Colton felt as if there was a rope tying him to her. As she got farther and farther away, he felt his heart following her. "I'm going to hate myself for this." And with that, Colton caught up with his heart.