BURNED

Chapter 13

Weeks had passed. As time went by, I would hear from him more often. By him I meant Vinn. It was almost like being in a crazy dream, but according to family and friends my whole life had been a dream lately. Working with Orion, coming home then meeting Vinn? They almost couldn't believe it. Vinn? He was a totally different story entirely.

I liked to compare him to Orion. They were alike in so many ways yet so different. Orion was a huge mystery, emotionless, cold, distant. But Vinn was the same and yet so different. He smiled, he laughed, just a tiny bit of emotion would reach his eyes, but he was still a huge mystery. He only allowed just enough emotion to show in order to be understood.

As I sat with him, waiting for dinner to arrive I contemplated whether or not this counted as a date. It couldn't could it? I should stop myself while I'm ahead right? I had ordered blackened shrimp, a large salad, fried butterfly shrimp, and a large plate of fries with a sweet tea. I mean you could take a girl out of the south, but you couldn't take the south out of the girl.

"So have you considered my offer?" He asks, staring at me straight in the eyes in the way that he always did.

"Really that's why I'm here? You don't give up do you?" I ask as I sipped my drink.

"If I did then I wouldn't be the man that I am today, " he says lightly.

"Hmmm... That could be true, but do I really know you. Tell me something about you that I don't know," I say staring straight back.

For a moment he looks taken aback, but then he laughs heartily a deep rumble coming from his chest. It made me think about the fact that I could hardly remember if Orion ever laughed. Come to think of it, with each passing day the uncomfortable feeling that I felt in my chest was dissapating. With each passing moment it seemed much easier to just forget about Orion and move forward, but what exactly was it that I was forgetting? It had the slight remnants of a bad break up, but yet I knew we weren't together. It was strange yet I barely noticed since Vinn was now the major thing going on in my life.

"I killed my father when I was five." He says.

I burst out laughing thinking that he was being sarcastic or funny, but with each growing second that passed my smile slowly faded away. Something in me was telling me that I should end this conversation now, walk away, never speak to him again. But my curiosity was stronger than my feelings of protection towards myself, damn all of that first forty-eight I watched. I always had a thing for a good mystery. I hadn't seen anything of the sort when I looked him up, so why was he telling me this? On top of that, who tells someone that and hopes they will trust them? I look into his eyes and they bore into me. They were unwavering and I couldn't help but to trust what he was saying.

"You're serious?" I ask, continuing to look him in the eyes.

He doesn't respond, his gaze never falters, but I assume that means yes. He is very serious I am assuming since he does not break into his signature smile. I take in a huge breath, and for a moment I digest what he has said in my mind. Why would he share this with me? What could he possibly have to lose or gain? I was a complete stranger and yet he told me this chilling fact as if we had been friends all of our lives. 

       "Well then why did you do it? I am assuming you had a very good reason to have done so. I mean it is not everyday I get to meet a murderer right? I guess dreams do come true for us first forty-eight binge watchers. Okay maybe that sounded a bit insensitive I'm sorry." 

     For awhile he just studies me and I start to wonder if maybe I was too optimistic about sitting across from a potential murderer, but at least we are in public right? 

     "He was a cold man, and he was the tyrant over our small family. He never has shown any love, care, or any of the normal things that you would expect a father to. I know now that this is more common than anyone would have presumed. Of course, my mother was and still is the sweetest woman that I know. She took his abuse, torture, and rape for many years. Often she would stop him from beating me by pissing him off herself."