"Mrs Music"

Chapter 10

Around 30 minutes later, after a quick stop at a local pharmacy for painkillers, we arrive at home and go up to my suite.
I take off my jacket and throw it on the couch, then go and get some bottled water from the fridge. I hand it to her along with the bag from the pharmacy and tell her to take 2 tablets from each box. She doesn't question me, sits on the sofa and does as I say.

After taking off her shoes she tucks her feet up onto the sofa and pulls her knees up under her chin, circling her arms around her calves, and let's out a long sigh.
I reach out and touch her right hand and she turns her head to look at me.
"It hurts?" I ask her.

She says no, and I gently pull it away from her body and turn it over so her palm is facing up. I hold it with both of my hands, and gently rub my thumb over her inner wrist. Her breath hitches in her throat.
My breath hitches in mine!!

We have so much to talk about. I have so much I need to say to her, but how to start that conversation?

"Let us talk now" I suggest.
She nods at me and sits up a little straighter, pulling her wrist from my hands.
I pour 2 glasses of the wine we left unopened on the table earlier and hand one to her. She takes it and has quite a large mouthful, then thanks me, sending me a small smile.

"So............ why don't we start with you telling me all about my 'death' and then move on to how you know about my life, my kids parentage, why I'm here, what you want from me, and then finish up with what any of this has to do with you?" She says, having another huge mouthful of wine.

I really want to tell her everything today, but I need to spend time with her before I do that. She may never want to see or speak to me again once I tell her everything. That thought actually terrifies me. I want this woman in my life!
I drink half my glass of wine in one huge gulp. It's a good one, and really deserves to be savoured, but I'm using it as 'Dutch courage' right now. I could do with a few more glasses really.
I decide that telling her about her 'death' will not be too difficult for me, but discussing her kids father and the reason I have her here are conversations for another day. I pour some more wine into my rapidly emptying glass and hold the bottle up to her and tilt it from side to side and raise my eyebrows.
"More wine?"

She declines by placing her hand over the top of her glass and shaking her head, but finishes her glass with one more big mouthful. She continues to hold the glass, twisting it at the stem, making it rotate whilst just staring at it. She looks up at me as I start to speak.

"Mackenzie. I would love to tell you everything right now, but there is just too much to say for one conversation. You did not eat properly for days, you have no memory of the last week, today has felt like the longest day ever. Look, we are both tired. I don't want have such complex discussions with you when neither of us are fully capable of it. I don't want my tired brain to give my mouth the wrong script. I know you have no reason to trust me as we barely know each other, but I want to prove to you I CAN be trusted. I want you to fully understand your situation and I want to help you with it, but I want to be of clear mind when I do fill in the blanks for you. Although, you may actually regain some of your memories of the last week, given enough time, and in  few days from now I might not have to tell you everything I know because you will have remembered it all yourself. Surely you would trust your own memories over my words, and you will see I'm not the bad guy here"

She has not taken her eyes from my face the entire time I've been speaking. That in itself has made talking tough. She makes me 'feel' things. Emotions I have never felt before and can't quite place.
She is thinking. I can see that. She is motionless on the outside, but the cogs in her head are whirring! Her face is so expressive.
I watch her closely and see fear and panic, confusion and pain cross her perfect features. Her eyes have gone glassy as if she is about to cry, and she is now reaching for the wine and pouring herself another, and tops off my glass with the last few drops. The bottle is now empty.