Teaser Tuesday Feb 7th

From my WIP:  Gypsy's Rogue

Funny, it had been a long time since they’d thought of Rogue as ‘their ex’s brother’ rather than by name, but there it was, that label that had always been present even when they wasn’t actively trying to think of it. For a brief moment in time they’d covered it up, convinced themselves that their ex was no longer the tie that linked them, but who were they kidding, it always would be, and it would always cloud any interaction they ever had. They closed the distance between themselves and Rogue and stilled his hand, taking the broom from him.

“In the morning, I want you gone,” they told him, and they were proud of themselves, that their voice only shook a little.

“I…” he stammered, then shook his head. “Yeah, I’ll pack my shit and be gone at first light.”

Only…

When first light came, they couldn’t let him leave.

Maybe it was the fact that he’d spackled the cracks in the wall and found some plaster and mesh in the shed to patch the hole, or maybe it was the way he’d fixed their bedroom door, having to move the hinge to do it since the wood had split. Those were little things, really, when compared to the way he’d brewed them a cup of tea when he’d noticed their hands had been shaking too badly to wield the broom properly, and how he’d rubbed Festus’ ears and told the old dog what a great job he’d done jumping in when shit had hit the fan.

They was grateful that he hadn’t tried to take the broom back from them, that he hadn’t insisted on cleaning the mess up himself despite how badly they’d been spreading it around, but they were even more grateful that he’d given them privacy when they’d fallen apart at the table, tears and giant snot bubbles, cursing and great gulping sobs, a moment of utter and complete weakness that they were grateful not to have a witness to. When they were done their moment of panic and self-pity they thought about what it must have done to him, to witness what his brother had tried to do to them. More than that, they had to wonder what his brother had done to him to get him to cut ties when they’d once been so close.

It was the memory of that closeness that made them change their mind about making him go. Whatever secrets he was carrying, they were certain that they were as bad as the things they refused to share. Maybe one day they might open up to one another and make peace with the past, but the only way to make peace with the past was to face it together.  Why they were suddenly so sure of that they didn’t know, just that, as exhausted as they were, it was the one thing that they were certain about.

He accepted their change of heart with a quiet nod, a careful hug and a whispered word of thanks knowing it would take time before things were back to normal again.

                                  -Gypsy and Rogue following Gypsy's ex breaking into the house

Gypsy's Rogue is shaping up to be a story about finding one's self, coming to terms with the past, laying old ghosts to rest, and moving forward with one's true love, despite being too blind to see them for who they were until it was almost too late.