Curtis was carrying Colt and holding my hand with his free hand as we walked to the place where we were meeting Mason. Curtis was holding on to my hand pretty tight, probably scared I would run. Once we reached the dining car we sat at a table and they brought us all drinks even bringing Colt some juice. Mason showed up and smiled at me as she sat down.
"Esme dear, I almost didn't recognize you." Mason said and I gave her a small smile.
"Thank you. The clothes the ladies left had worked perfectly." I said and she smiled, then look at Colt.
"Is this the boy...?" She asked which annoyed me because she had met him a few times now.
"Yes, this is my son Colt. Colt can you say hello to Mason?" I asked. He looked up from the coloring page the waitress gave him to do.
"Hello." Colt said and smiled at her and she smiled at him.
"Hello Colt." She said. She looked back at Curtis and I.
"How is this working out?" She asked and I sighed.
"She is having some issues with getting married so soon." Curtis said and I just looked at the table.
"Do you not understand that is the stipulation of bringing you up to this car?" Mason asked.
"I didn't know it would be marriage. I thought I could get to know Curtis. This is a lot." I said and Mason sighed and looked at Curtis.
"Does she know what will happen if she doesn't go along with this plan?" Mason asked and Curtis shook his hand.
"I mean I think I could figure out that Colt and I would just be sent back to where we belong right?" I asked and Mason huffed a laugh.
"Only you my dear." Mason said and I looked at her oddly.
"Excuse me?" I asked.
"Colt would stay with me." Curtis said.
"What?! No!" I said raising my voice and everyone around us looked at me.
"Lower your voice." Curtis and Mason both growled at me.
"You can't keep my son." I said.
"We can and we will. You need to learn we are trying to populate the front of the train again and Colt would stay here while we take you to the back and let you live out your days there." Mason said.
"Mommy?" Colt asked and I looked at him as tears filled my eyes.
"What sweetie?" I asked.
"I have to go to the bathroom..." He whispered and I looked at Curtis.
"Where can I take him?" I asked.
"I'll take him." Curtis said and I shook my head.
"I would like to please." I said and Curtis said.
"End of the train car is a restroom." Curtis said and I nodded. I got up, took Colt's hand and we headed to the restroom.
***CURTIS POV***
"Curtis, you need to get her under control. You wanted her, you get her under control." Mason said and I nodded.
"I know, I'm working on it. I thought she wouldn't be this stubborn. I mean we are giving her a new life and everything. I think she is scared but I will get her to marry me, I promise. I think giving her the threat about taking Colt from her scared her enough." I said.
"It wasn't a threat, Curtis. She doesn't comply, she goes back and we keep her son." Mason said.
"You're serious about that?" I asked and Mason nodded.
"Of course, I am. It wasn't just something I told you to say to her." Mason said and I looked down at the table.
"I have a feeling she is going to run in the middle of the night. When she didn't come to bed last night, I got worried." I said.
"Where was she?" Mason asked.
"With her son. They had to sleep together in the back of the train." I said and Mason sighed.
"Because there are too many people, they won't stop procreating." Mason said and I sighed.
"Listen can we maybe just hold off for like 2 weeks on the wedding? Give me time to talk to her, give her time to talk to me and get used to see. How life can be up here." I asked. Mason said but then gave a small nod. I saw Colt and Esme come walking back.
***ESME POV***
Colt and I got back to the table and I gave a small smile.
"Sorry about that." I said and they both shook their heads.
"Curtis and I talked while you were gone and we are extending the wedding time. You will have 2 weeks to get used to the train and everything. Then we will discuss marriage." Mason said and I just half nodded.
"Okay..." I said and nothing else was said. I felt Curtis grab my hand that was on my leg under the table and interlace our fingers. He gave a gentle squeeze and I gave one back.
❄❄❄❄❄
Later that night after I put Colt to bed I went into the bedroom and saw the barrier set back up on the bed.
"Curtis, you can take the barrier down if you would like, it wasn't very comfortable last night." I said and he gave a small smile.
"I just want you comfortable Esme." Curtis said.
"Well, no barrier please." I said and he started removing it. I sat on my side of the bed and leaned on the headboard. I just looked at my hands folded in my lap. Curtis just sighed.
"I want to know about you Esme. I want to know what happened when you got on this train that made you so untrustworthy." Curtis said and I sighed.
"When we boarded it was chaos. I mean we got out of the cold so we didn't freeze to death but we didn't have time to be thankful. Wilford's soldiers came and they took everything we brought. It was a thousand people in an iron box. No food, no water. After a month we all started to think horrible things towards each other out of hunger. That was when the protein bricks started to be brought back. Things have happened...I've seen death, murder, life brought into this world, I brought life into the world myself. I have seen and been through so much in 10 years Curtis that now being told that's over and done just to become a wife again to someone I don't know. That's a lot." I said and Curtis sighed and didn't know what to say.
"What I need you to understand now Esme, is I want to make a better life for you. You are just making it so damn hard." Curtis said and I sighed. I wiped away the tears that had fallen.
"I just never thought I would get a chance at this." I said.
"At what?"
"This!" I said motioning around us. "The front of the train, Colt being about to grow up and actually have things, a husband...that's the main. When Lance died, he asked me to find happiness again, but I didn't want to." I said and Curtis sighed.
"So, bringing you here will continue to be a problem?" Curtis asked and I shrugged.
"I will have my moments Curtis, but I need you to be patient." I said and he groaned. There was a silence as we sat there. "If I refuse to get married, will you really take Colt away from me and make me go to the back of the train?" I asked.
"Yes, that's how this works now Esme. You do what we say." Curtis said and laid down. "Good night." Curtis said. I got in bed and turned my back to him turning off my bedside lamp.
"Good night Curtis." I said and closed my eyes.
There was nothing but silence in our room, only our thoughts were loud making a lot of noise in both of our heads. I did my best to fall asleep in this bed with this man I didn't know.
YOU ARE READING
Opposite Sides of the Tracks ⭐
Fanfic*~COMPLETE~* Esme Michaels and her Husband Lance had only been married 6 months when the cold name hit and they had to get on the Snowpiercer train to survive. Promised a year tops they knew it was the only way to survive. 5 years later, Esme is sti...
