sarahawthornâ:
âOh, no, please,â Sara says, waving his apology away with her hand. She has to stop herself from once again launching into something long and ramblingâ by the looks of it, if she did, Romeo would flee into the other room and bolt the door shut behind him. âYou arenât crashing anything,â she smiles, perhaps a little too brightly, as if to prove sheâs telling the truth. âPlease,â she says it again, like this is her home and he is the guest: âStay.â
She could easily say more, but she leaves it at that, noting the unwavering look of apprehension on his face.
Sara knows virtually nothing about Romeo, the bits and pieces she gathered from Hutch revealing very little about him. Sheâs left with only two tangible pieces of knowledge: that heâs new to Blackrock, and that he keeps to himself. Of coursre, she canât really blame him for the latterâ it would be tough to be a newcomer anywhere, let alone a place like this. Imagine moving to a new place, only to find it wracked with pain and fear?â but that said, if she were in his position, she would be grateful for a friend.
âIâve been listening to Hutchâs stories for almost twenty years,â she tells him, crossing the length of the living room to settle into her usual spot on the couch. âItâd be nice to hear some new ones.â She smiles again, though this time itâs a lot less forced.Â
âSo, Romeo,â she continues, getting comfortable in her seat. âWhere are you from?â
He thought her to be thoughtful and honest, though they were complete strangers to one another. Almost... like she could know something if she looked hard enough, sought out information from the depths of his eyes and soul. But of course thatâs not how it usually went with strangers, and Romeo was far from opening up to just anyone. He was half off the sofa at that point, ready to leave Hutch and his friend alone for the night. Only after her reassurances did he scoot back again, if only a little.
The prospect of yet another chance encounter with a stranger in Hutchâs house could have had him on the floor. If he didnât know any better heâd think they were seeking him out, like he was some type of hermit creature that could see the future. âI have a couple,â although he never told them verbatim how he experienced them. âAh, Arizona. Phoenix, I was born there.â But the jump from home to home often placed him elsewhere.
Being born in Phoenix didnât mean he had much emotional attachment to it; Romeo wouldnât make the best tour guide. And to list every single place he lived over the years, legitimately or not, well, thatâd take all day â and a toll on his mind. âAre you from Blackrock?â If sheâd truly known Hutch for twenty years, but apparently people had a habit of moving away and coming back.














