Tamed and Free

Chapter 7: Deacon

Deacon woke up Sunday afternoon smiling. The first genuine smile since the accident. Her warm glow kept him warmer than the fire and her laugh was like alcohol to his lips.

He wanted to kiss her that night and didn't, he remembered. He thrashed in the bed with regrets and got up. Jumping in the shower, he heard his phone ring. He put it on speaker phone.

"Hello"

"Brother." It was Takoda, "Listen I'll be at your house in like ten minutes. I'm on my way to go get Merida. Be ready. We are going to eat. Gatlin's paying."

Takoda hung up before Deacon could speak. He finished and got out of the shower and finished up in the bathroom.

Going to his closet, he looked inside. Nothing really but t-shirts and jeans. Adding his work boots, that was almost all he brought over seas. He did buy some plaid shirts and he has a flannel coat. "What will impress her?" He whispered as he flipped through the black, white, and gray shirts. He looked over at a box in the back and then shook his head. "Not right now."

He settled on a gray shirt and jeans with his boots. After oiling his beard and adding his cologne, he smiled. His heart started racing. "What if she doesn't like my cologne? What if I'm trying to hard? What if she doesn't like me? What if...."

A knock on his front door stirred him from the doubts. He went to answer it. "Hey."

It was Takoda. "Come on. We're going to be late!"

Deacon grabbed a blue and green plaid shirt and ran out his door.

He got to Takoda's truck and saw Merida sliding in the middle, so he climbed into the passenger side. Off they went.

"Hey Deacon!" Merida sing songed, "Did you sleep good?"

"I did"

"You're all dressed up for breakfast."

"Sorry." Deacon shyly said as he felt his face turn red, "Is it to much?"

"Nah, brother. She's going to love it." Takoda answered. He turned to Merida, "Besides, you look like you're an innocent little church girl." 

Merida elbowed Takoda, "I can't help it if I have very religious Mexican parents." She looked back and forth at Takoda and Deacon, "Is this about Gatlin? Do we have a crush on my best friend?" She picked on Deacon.

Deacon's face got hotter. He wondered when they were going to pull into parking lot. He didn't want to jinx it but he knew he felt sparks, no fireworks, last night and wanted to see if it was truly true.

"She likes you too. She couldn't stop talking bout you yesterday morning." Merida was feeling giggly.

"Can I ask something?" Deacon looked at the other two sitting very close to each other, remembering what happened last night and how they acted together then and are acting now.

"Sure. Size ten feet, brother." Takoda said.

"Not that." Deacon looked down, "How long have you guys been dating?"

Takoda and Merida looked at each other. Merida put his free hand in hers, "We're not. We wouldn't do that to Gatlin."

"It's complicated." Takoda continued. "We ain't dating but we do the stuff that dating couples do."

Deacon had a confused look to his face that he didn't try to hide.

Takoda saw it, "Her parents want her to be with a white guy because 'white guys rule America and will give her a better future' or whatever."

"And my parents are super strict about it. If my dad had it his way, I would join a nunnery." Merida added. 

"Ah. So what does Gatlin have to do with it?" Deacon pushed.

"We don't want her to feel like a third wheel." Merida answered as they were pulling into Little John's.