Page 16 of Split You Open

Then he smiles.

It’s small, a tug of one side of his mouth inching up just a bit. His lip piercings glitter in the pale light of the room.

Rhett doesn’t smile for just anyone. This smile is solely for me.

Any residual terror from my dream melts. The emotions I boxed away rattle around, feeling the hold I have on them loosen. I watch the way Rhett’s throat convulses as he swallows hard. Vulnerability flares to life in his eyes as they search my face.

“Do you…” He clears his throat then pushes on. “Do you really think that?”

“I wouldn’t lie to you, Rhett,” I promise him.

A flame flickers to life in his dark brown eyes, and it burns away the vulnerability. The heat that radiates from them now is smoldering. To my surprise, it’s Rhett that reaches up to touch my face. The move is hesitant. I’m not sure if it’s to gauge my reaction or he’s unsure if he wants to commit but when he finally brushes his knuckles across my cheek, an unexpected rabble of butterflies take flight in my stomach.

“I think you’re incredible too,” he admits, his voice gruffer than normal.

Heat blossoms in my cheeks at the compliment.

“Let me help lighten your load, Blair.” His brows pinch together with concern. “I can’t promise that I’ll say or do the right things—I’m no Wes—but I can listen. I can be here, be present. If you want to talk about anything, like Ledger or your dad, or whatever—I’m here.”

Oh… I didn’t realize Rhett had a sweet side.

Giving him a half smile, I nod. “Thanks Rhett. I’ll keep that in mind. If I talk about that pain now, I’ll be swallowed up by it—so let’s just cork this conversation for a later date.”

Rhett nods and his hand drops away from my face. I feel the loss of warmth from it instantly.

“Alright,” he concedes. “I’m here, Blair, when you’re ready. I can handle it.”

My heart swells in my chest at the sincerity in his eyes and the warmth in his voice. I want to throw my arms around him. The only reason I don’t is because I’m not sure he’d be okay with it and I don’t want to shatter this moment by making him uncomfortable.

That and because of the stitches in my arm.

Instead, I simply return his smile.

With a deep breath, I force myself to turn around and refocus on our current situation. “Before we leave, we’re going to take as many supplies as we can. Guns, food, water, first aid—we’re going to take it all.”

“Alright, let’s get packing.”

Five

Santiago

It’s been five fucking days without Rhett and Blair.

How do you eat or sleep when someone you love is in the wind with no idea if they’re okay or not? How does someone do this when it’s more than one person? It’s been five days since they left Caddawalk, but it might as well be five decades with how desperately I miss them.

I’m going fucking insane.

It’s actually starting to affect work. I don’t know why Wes thought it was smart for us to keep Gnarly Pines open. With the owner of the business out of his goddamn mind and two of the employees running for their lives, it feels a bit ridiculous to me. But here I am, standing behind The Shop’s counter, bagging the items Mr. Shaw wants to purchase.

“You know something, Santi? My daughter was right. They have everything on that tube thing online. Any video I want, it’s right there. That’s why I decided to tackle building my own deck,” Mr. Shaw says.

Typically, I’d smile and tell him good luck or give him some advice, but right now all I can picture is slamming my axe down through his skull. I can see it now. Pieces of bone and brain going everywhere, splattering across the counter. The other people in the store probably wouldn’t notice right away, too absorbed in their own shopping experience. But when they did, there would be screaming. Lots of fucking screaming.

But I’d make it stop. None of them would make it to the door. I could chop everyone to pieces and bathe in their blood. And for a moment, maybe I wouldn’t feel this agony ripping me apart inside.

Loss—everyone experiences it in their life at some point or another. I’ve already gone through it with my parents. I lost my family and the pain it inspired sent me on a murderous rampage. The only reason I managed to get it under control was because I had Ledger, Wes, and eventually Rhett to love. They became my family and that murderous rage in me became less insistent.

All that’s gone now.