La Resistance

2: 2

As it turned out, Eric was a good cook. He made pasta for dinner and even told me not to do the dishes. Was he trying to get me killed?

The phone rang and he left the kitchen to answer it in his office. Turns out, there was a room under ours that held a TV along with several chairs and a couch. And an office that Eric told me was for his eyes only. I didn't argue but inside, I was angry. I hated when people kept things from me. I was his wife. Didn't I have a right to know what was in the room? It not like I'd ever see anyone to tell them anything.

I watched him leave the room before I left the room myself, heading toward the front door. I opened it and stepped out onto the porch. There were several metal chairs with a glass coffee table beside them. It was nice and cozy but I didn't think Eric used it. It was just for show.

It was almost too dark to see, the sky a dark blue shade that turned everything else blue. The grass was nice and green and well kept. My previous home had brown grass that was nearly dead. The sidewalks were torn up and the roads held no cars. It was desolate and sad. I missed it.

I missed my mother. She tried to smile and make me feel better, even when she knew our situation would only get worse. Even when she knew there were men coming for me, she stayed positive, telling me everything would be okay. I needed her tell me that again.

"Summer, are you okay?"

I looked behind me and Eric was watching me from the doorway. His hands were in the pockets of his pants, making him look completely at ease. My anxiousness grew as the night went on.

At my silence, he walked up to me and put his hands on my arms, rubbing up and down to soothe me. "I'm not expecting anything, if that's what you're wondering. I know what some husbands do and I'm not putting you through that."

"Why?" I mumbled, completely unaware that I had spoken aloud.

"Do you know why I asked you to marry me?"

"You didn't want me to screw things up."

"I didn't want you to get hurt. Some guys just want something they can... play with. They don't find someone to love."

"Love doesn't exist anymore."

"I'd like to think it does. Somewhere, somehow."

I shook my head. "You won't love me."

"Why do you say that?"

"I don't follow the rules, I don't listen, I-I can't cook, I've never done..." I took a deep breath and shut my eyes. "You said it yourself. I'm not wife material."

"I'm not asking for any of that, Summer. I promise you this isn't going to be miserable. I want you to trust me."

I sat down on the steps and he sat beside me. "What happens when you don't want me anymore?"

Eric wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "That won't happen. I promise."

I stayed silent, afraid to say too much. I didn't want to be so pessimistic and gloomy but I couldn't see why he wanted me to be his wife. He knew what I was capable of so why would he go to all the trouble to be with me?

"I have some work to do if you want some time to yourself."

I nodded. "Okay."

He kissed my forehead and left me alone. Did he really trust me enough to not run away? Didn't he know what I was capable of?

Without looking back, I walked down the steps and the driveway. It was made up of white rocks, not black top. The grass was neatly cut in the large yard. It looked like it had been cut twice. There were several small flower beds surrounded by bricks. It was welcoming which I wasn't expecting from Eric. The driveway was eventually met with trees on either side of the rocks where the road became black top and headed toward the highway.

I followed the wooden fence along the yard, my hand trailing over the roughness. It looked more like a farm fence than a picket fence, which wasn't Eric's style. Or so I thought. I went to a spot in the yard where the view of the sky was good and kicked my shoes off. I laid down and ran my fingers through the blades of grass. My hair splayed out around me and I felt like a little kid again. Like I had no worries. Before the world changed drastically.