Paper Thin

• 33: Entwined •

Melody

"A short blurb. That was it. A tiny summation of the end of her life," I recounted. "Things weren't the same after that. They couldn't be. There was a gaping hole left inside my family."

Carson held my hands across the table and was watching me so intently; I almost didn't remember how to breathe. His gaze was intense and though I was so stuck on about keeping all these secrets about my family and my life, it was like the tea had a truth potion because I was spilling my guts. I managed to leave out my mom's last name, however. I didn't want him realizing I was related to a super model. Everything would be weird after that.

"Did they ever catch the person?" He asked.

It was so odd having him start with asking about my family, because I could tell he wanted to get straight to the point. I didn't want him to, or he'd probably get up and leave me sitting in this diner without a second glance.

I felt pathetic and I knew he didn't deserve someone like. He deserved much better. However, the least I could do was sit here and answer the questions he had before he decided that he wanted nothing to do with me.

"No," I started. "Though the police thought that someone hit the car, it's a possibility that the scratch they saw was already there. Plus, there weren't any witnesses or anything..."

I stared down at our entwined hands. They were blurred slightly by a glaze of fresh and unshed tears at the memory of my mother. I could feel that his hands were warm around my mine and it made little tingles start from there and travel up my arms and towards my torso. I blinked back the tears and looked at Carson once again.

"What was it like after that?" Carson asked. I grimaced slightly at the memory and I know he noticed because he squeezed my hands. "Never mind, you don't have to answer that."

"I just... It was just..." I felt obligated to give him some sort of explanation, but I hated thinking about the years that came after my mother's death. The first year was so dark and filled with regret, but when Margot came into the picture, it was like a slow poison.

"Melody, I promise it's okay. You can tell me another time," Carson insisted.

"Okay," I mumbled. "Well, about a year later, Margot managed to worm her way into my father's life and the rest is history I guess."

Carson picked up a carrot stick and dipped it in the Ranch dressing before snapping it in half with his teeth. I watched him eat it, but didn't reach for one, despite his earlier offer.

"Why did you change schools after in senior year?" Carson asked. I froze and then pulled my hands away from him, trying to regain some sort of control of what I actually told him. This honesty thing was becoming more and more difficult, considering that all the walls I had spent so long building were falling down. I picked up the tea I had in front of me, but the warmth it brought me was far less pleasing than Carson's hands.

"The school I was at... well, many of those students went to middle school with me and it was – um... I needed a fresh start where no one knew me," I settled on. Carson nodded and smiled at me.

"That's okay, a fresh start can be very helpful." He checked his phone suddenly and frowned slightly. "Oops, my parents got home and realized I'm not there," he told me.

"Sorry, I don't want to get you in trouble," I said looking down at the table.

"Don't be. I'm glad I was here with you tonight. If you'll let me, I'll always be there for you."

My cheeks heated and I bit back a faint smile. It was absolutely insane how he had the power to make me want to smile, even when I felt like I was falling apart.