The fire within

Part 3 - Moment of truth

The next day was hectic, there was a blizzard. I was lost for a lot of the morning, I was panicking, I was cold, I needed shelter. The wind was so strong, I could barely walk against it. I was tired, tired of struggling through every single day of my life. I was ready to give up when I remembered the address Jamie had given me. I walked and walked, it took a fair bit of effort to get to the house. I found it eventually.

I ran up to the front door and knocked. I was relieved that Jamie answered it. "Sarah, what are you doing here?" he yelled over the loud wind. 

"Can I come in?" I yelled back. He hurriedly opened the door wide for me and shut it behind me, so he didn't let the snow or icy wind in. He led me upstairs so we could talk. He led me into his bedroom and closed the door softly.

"There are some blankets on the bed. Here," he said handing me one as I sat down. He sat down then, across from me. "I'm sorry to intrude, I just-" I stopped, not even knowing how to finish my sentence.

"Don't worry about it, if you've come here in the middle of a terrible blizzard, it must be important." I looked at him, he wasn't mad at me, not one bit.

His voice was even and his expression was calm. "So on that note, what brings you here?" Jamie asked. I realised that I had no idea what to say. Maybe it was time to tell him the truth. After all, he'd been an open book to me. "I have to tell you something," I began.

 "I'm listening," Jamie said, waiting for me to continue. I took a deep breath.

"I haven't been completely honest with you." When Jamie's expression didn't change, I continued talking.

"I came here because I needed shelter from the blizzard, and I couldn't go anywhere else, because..." I paused, still not sure if I wanted to tell him. He'd have to know at some stage, I should get it over with now.

"I am homeless." I finally said. "I don't have anywhere that's home for me, and I was alone before I met you," I finished.

Even though I was worried what Jamie would think about me not telling him, it felt good to get that secret off my chest. I hadn't realised until Jamie finally spoke that I'd been holding my breath.

"Sarah, I'm so sorry, why didn't you tell me?" he asked, voice soft.

"I didn't want you to think of me as a desperate, fragile girl," I mumbled. "I know I should have told you but..."

"It's fine, you needed to be able to trust me first," he said, understandingly. I'd done it, I'd told him the truth. I don't know why, but it kind of frustrated me a little bit that he was so understanding and calm all the time. I immediately dismissed the thought and pushed it to the back of my mind, feeling guilty for thinking of it.

"Do you want something to eat?" he asked. I nodded slightly, grateful for the change of subject.  "I'll be right back." He left the room to grab some food.

I stood up and ran my fingers along the rows of books. A lot of them were what I liked. Jamie came back into the room carrying a plate of cheeses and dips. "You have a good taste in books," I commented, not looking up from the shelves. He smiled. "Do you read a lot?" he asked, seeing me linger over his books.

"Yes, I love to read," I replied, coming over to where Jamie had sat.

"Help yourself to the food," he offered.

"Thanks," I said gratefully, reaching for a piece of cheese. My stomach churned from hunger. I popped the cheese in my mouth. Now that I didn't have to hide anything from Jamie, I felt like I could tell him anything. He somehow made me feel... better. He made me forget about my painful memories, about my parents.