Page 48 of Absolution

“Would you like a drink?”

He whirls around, scanning the room until he finds me. “Do you have a beer?”

“I do not, but I do have a nicely chilled red wine.” I pull two glasses from the cabinet, turning to find Creed opening the bottle.

“I suppose it’s time to explain why I’m here.” He pours the wine, handing me a glass before getting his own. I brush past him and walking into the family room with him on my heels.

“Considering the fact you bolted out the door the last time I saw you… yeah!” I giggle, plopping down into the couch. Creed sits across from me, angling his body so he can face me. I follow his lead, curling my legs under my body.

“Funny,” he chuckles. “I don’t remember it that way.”

“I guarantee that had I taken a picture, there would’ve been smoke comin’ off you!”

He blushes, flashing that killer smile of his. “So not true, I wasn’t running that fast. Just a jog.”

“But you can admit, you were tearin’ up the road.”

He shakes his head, knowing I’m right and he’s never going to win. “Fine! I… might’ve… left abruptly.”

“Ha! Alright, whatever.” I sip my wine, needing to keep my wits about me. “What’s up?”

“You’ve probably already guessed, but I don’t have a ton of friends. Since I came home, everything has changed for me, and it’s been hard to work on friendships, well, any relationship actually.”

I frown, wanting to ask him everything all at once. “Why would you say that?”

“I have no memory of my life before, and now I’m not sure I want to know anything about it.” He picks at his nail, avoiding making eye contact.

“I can’t imagine not knowing who people are or what they mean to me, let alone who my loved ones are… were.” My heart clinches, throbbing to be released from this ache for him. He always appears so torn, heavily laden with strife. Maybe even a tad of regret.

Creed swirls his glass, staring at the liquid within like he’s been hypnotized. “I have a tough time with Kathryn, her face is always full of hope and love. All I can offer her is a smile that never meets my heart, nothing to tug on it, and remind me she’s my mom.”

“M-may I ask what happened?” I peek at him from lowered lids, feeling as though I’m intruding.

“Ambush,” he swallows hard, making his Adam’s apple bob. “my entire team is gone, and I was taken captive.”

I reach for him, hesitating before touching his hand. “I’m so sorry, Creed.”

“Thank you,” he lays his hand over mine. His touch sets my soul on fire. It races toward my heart, setting my veins ablaze with a frenzied desire burning in the pit of my belly. I’m fixated as I stare into the deep blue color of his gaze mixed with a stormy gray of pain.

“How long were you there?” I take a quick gasp of air when his fingers press into the back of my hand. He’s not hurting me, it’s the pain written on his face that’s gripping my soul.

“A few months,” he grinds his jaw. “long enough to never want to go back or try to remember what happened.”

I tilt my head, hoping to disrupt his thoughts. I want him to not only hear me but understand what I’m saying. It works. “You only need to do what’s best for you, Creed. Anyone that loves you… will wait.”

“It’s been two years; I still have no memory or a flicker of recollection.” I watch as tears shimmer and dance with his thoughts in his deep blue seas. My shoulders slump as a heavy feeling in my chest weighs on me.

“Not to be rude, but how do I fit into any of this?”

He contemplates my question much longer than I like, finally staring at me. I search his face, looking for the answers I know he isn’t capable of giving me right now. After a minute, a grimace distorts his features.

“It’s fairly simple,” he half shrugs. “I can’t stay away from you. I’m drawn to you; when I’m away from here, I can’t stop thinking of you. I don’t have any idea how this will work out or if it even will, but what I do know is that I have to be near you.”

My mind is pulled in a different direction, following my heart as it runs after old memories and pain. A place I’ve made damn sure I would never be lost in again. Even as I sit here thinking of walking away, I know one thing’s for sure, Creed’s right about this. I need him in my life, at least for now.

“Would you consider being friends until we can figure the rest out?”

“I can try, Scar.” His hand tightens around mine. This time, there’s no pretense in our words. Our hands' clasps, holding on to one another.