All I Have to Give

Chapter 8

The music was turned down low as Kevin slowly drove through the parking lot of the diner, choosing a spot near the entrance. Sarah sat quietly in the passenger seat as Kevin put the car in park and turned off the ignition. Frowning to herself, she shifted in her seat, wincing a little from the pain in her lower back. The pain was mostly due to standing on her feet all day but some of it was triggered by the bruise that Keith had left on her back from the night before. Having a fight with Keith was a daily occurrence, but Sarah hid the evidence well with her tough exterior and her choice of modest clothing. Nobody knew of the battles she fought every day, but over the years, she suspected that Kevin was starting to catch on. Keith wasn't Kevin's favorite person and he was never shy about his opinion. Sarah was confident that if Kevin ever found out what really went on behind closed doors, he'd want Keith dead. However, instead of adding on to her own problems, she chose to keep Kevin in the dark for as long as she possibly could.

Letting out a weary sigh, she undid her seatbelt and opened the door, grabbing her purse that sat on the floorboard. A part of herself was looking forward to hanging out with Kevin but the other part was dreading coming home late after work. His moods were unpredictable and it often varied upon how many beers he'd drank prior to his emotional outbursts. She frowned as she dug into her purse and pulled out her blue Nokia phone, glancing at the screen and contemplating on whether she should call home or not. If Keith knew who she was with, he'd be furious. Keith's jealous personality has always been a problem in their relationship and Kevin was the one person he despised the most. Sarah tightly pressed her lips together as she put the phone back in her purse, deciding against calling him. It wasn't worth the risk of ruining time with her only close friend and it certainly wasn't worth more bruises that would be left behind after the fight. Closing her eyes for a moment, Sarah sucked in a sharp breath as the muscles in her back tensed up and put pressure on her bruise. She exhaled slowly and glanced over at Kevin who was observing her from his position in the driver's seat.

"You okay?" he asked softly, creasing his brow in concern.

Sarah slowly nodded as she forced herself to look him in the eyes. "I'm good. Just worn out. It's been a really long day," she said as she jumped at the sound of her phone buzzing in her purse.

Sarah quickly opened her purse, grabbed the phone, and looked at the caller ID. She let out a breath of relief when she saw that it was a 1-800 number. It was probably a bill collector, but it was better than Keith calling. She shoved the phone back in her purse and glanced back at Kevin, who was still eyeing her suspiciously.

"Sarah?"

Sarah nodded, zipped up her purse, and frowned as she glanced over at him. "Kevin's, everything's fine. I was just checking to see if Keith called."

Kevin raised his brow as he shoved his keys into his pocket. "Did he?"

"No...he didn't call," she replied softly.

"Good," Kevin said flatly.

Sarah rolled her eyes and sank down in her seat. "Kevin, don't start."

"What? The guy's a prick and I don't understand why you're still with him.

Sarah groaned as she hung her right leg out the passenger door. "Are we going in or what?"

"Just a second," Kevin said as he leaned closer to her, opening the glove compartment. "I should probably wear my hat," he said as he dug his hand inside.

Sarah bit her bottom lip as she observed the chiseled profile of his face. The faint scent of his cologne wafted over her. The musky fragrance enticed her for a moment as he casually pressed his shoulder into hers, pulling the hat out of the glove compartment and shutting it before slipping the hat onto his head.