Sempre (Forever) by JM Darhower Page A

but she didn’t answer, so he knocked again and waited.
    After the third time, he walked right in.
    Haven lay across the bed on her stomach, wearing a pair of black shorts and a tank top. Carmine could see the rise and fall of her body as she breathed, deeply asleep with a smile on her lips. He wondered what she could be dreaming about to make her look so content but tried to push that thought away. The girl wouldn’t come near him, so why the hell should he care?
    The dark clothes made her appear fragile. The marks on her face were gone, but as he stood beside her bed, he could see her skin was riddled with scars. He stared at them for a moment before his eyes drifted to a crinkled piece of paper on the floor. He picked it up and straightened it out, gaping at the drawing. His own face stared back at him, so intricate it was like staring in a mirror.
    Haven sighed in her sleep as Carmine balled up the paper and put it back on the floor. Reaching out, he brushed some wayward hair from her face, not realizing what he was doing until it was too late. She stirred and he pulled his hand away, knowing he needed to get out of the room before he woke her.
     
    *  *  *  *
     
    Carmine strolled downstairs the next afternoon, still exhausted and sore from the game. Groggily, he headed toward the kitchen but hesitated in the foyer when Haven stepped into the doorway.
    He ran his hand through his messy hair, having not bothered to brush it yet. “What’s up?”
    “Nothing.” She glanced around cautiously. “Is there something I should be doing?”
    He shrugged. “I don’t know. You tell me.”
    “Are you hungry? I could make you some food.”
    “No.”
    “Do you need laundry done?”
    “No.”
    “I’ve cleaned,” she said. “I don’t think I’ve forgotten anything.”
    “I wasn’t implying you did. I was making conversation.”
    “Oh.”
    She continued to stand there, looking at him with apprehension. For a brief moment, as the tension mounted, he regretted getting out of bed. “Look, let’s watch a movie or something.”
    She seemed startled by his suggestion. “Okay.”
    “Is that an, ‘okay, I really wanna watch a movie with you, Carmine,’ or is it an, ‘okay, I’ll do whatever the fuck you say because I think I have to?’ Because you can disagree with me, you know. I’m not gonna punish you or hit you or any of that shit. You can even yell at me if it’ll make you feel better. I mean, I’ll probably yell back, but I’m not gonna get physical. So feel free to tell me to fuck off if you want me to fuck off, but don’t just say ‘okay’, because I don’t know what you mean by it.”
    “Okay.”
    He shook his head—they were getting nowhere. “I’m gonna sit my ass down on the couch. Whether or not you join me is up to you.”
    He headed for the family room when she spoke again. “Do you want something to drink?”
    His footsteps stalled. “Uh, sure.”
    “What do you want?”
    “Just a Cherry Coke will be fine.”
    “Cherry Coke?”
    Sighing, he ran his hands down his face in frustration. It was too early in his day for this. “Yeah, you know, it’s cherry-flavored Coke. Hence the name, Cherry Coke.”
    She nodded and slipped into the kitchen. Carmine went to the family room and turned on a movie. It was still for a few minutes before he saw movement from the corner of his eye. Haven stopped in front of him, purposely avoiding his gaze as she held out a glass of soda. He took it as she sat down beside him, keeping a bit of distance between them.
    He surveyed the drink with confusion, wondering why she hadn’t just brought him the can, when he caught sight of the cherries floating in the glass. He took a sip of it, realizing she’d made him a Cherry Coke.
    Dazed, he couldn’t find the words to tell her what that meant. His mom used to make them for him when he was a kid. “Thank you.”
    “You’re welcome.”
    Haven watched the movie intently, pulling her feet up on the couch