Dust

Chapter 7

Faith POV: I hide in the guest room closet, and cover my eyes. I blast Elvis this time, letting his songs take over my mind.

Don't think about Tim... He's just some stranger... You'll never have to see him again...

I hear Mae walk back into the house. Her footsteps carry up the stairs, and I hear my door open.

"Faith?" She calls out. She opens the closet , then kneels down to be at eye level. "He's a good guy, Faith." She insists.

"I don't know him... I don't know any of them..."

"Listen, Tim is more than accommodating... But he can only take so much. If you keep pushing him away, he's gonna give up." Mae says, sitting down in front of the closet.

"I need some air..." I say, getting up and pushing past her. I quickly run out to my truck, before Mae can come stop me. I don't know where to go, but I need to breathe...

An address pops up in my head, and I speed there. Maybe they can help me...

Rob opens the door with a bright smile on his face. It makes me feel warm inside.

"Hey baby, everything alright?" He asks. I nod, and bite my lip to refrain from smiling too brightly. "Come on in!" He says, opening the door a little wider. His house is cozy, just as I remember it. Definitely not as luxurious as Tim's different houses, but it's more my style. We walk into a small living room that is across the foyer from the dining room. The kitchen lines the back of the house, with a screened porch on the back side. We head back there, and he hands me a coffee.

"Thank you." I say, sitting down on the small loveseat, looking out onto his property. Several willows surround a small pond with a dock. The birds chirp loudly, as I take a drink. I cringe a little at the taste.

"You don't take it black anymore, do you?" He asks, sitting down beside me. He still smiles, as if having me here is the best thing he could've pictured. The thought of the coffee makes me think about Tim...

"I'm fine." I say, trying to force more down my throat. When the hell did that change? "Can you help me remember something?" I ask. Rob nods and places his hand on my knee.

"Sure thing, honey." He says, making me feel butterflies. No, Audrey... He hurt you... He's a bad guy...

"Did you hurt me? You know, back when we were together?" I ask cautiously. His smile fades a little. He clears his throat, and looks down at his coffee cup.

"I did..." He says, looking up at me with guilt. "It's my worst regret, hurting you... I just wasn't at a great place. I mean, you remember how my father was. He kept telling me that if I didn't, I would lose you, and bullshit like that. I ended up losing you anyways." He says, holding the cup up to his mouth. He swallows hard, and takes a deep breath.

"Did you quit drinkin'?" I question, knowing that if he hasn't, then I need to leave.

"Yes, I did." He says, with a bit of a proud smile. "Dad would be appalled, wouldn't he?" He laughs, revealing crowsfeet on the corners of his eyes. He looks out to the pond, and then back to me, making my heart skip a beat. The sight is sort of alarming, since we were just kids when we were together.

"Didn't you say you had a family?" I ask, remembering the first time I saw him when I was in the hospital.

"Tim told me to say that..." He grabs my hand gently, and rubs my knuckles.

"Why?" I ask, feeling sick that Tim would do that. If I wanted to go with Rob, he should've let me...

"Tim and I don't exactly have a pristine track record." he says, releasing a little laugh and massaging his jaw. "It was his condition for allowing me to see you."