Something About - Chapter Four

It was the day of Faeryn's 17th birthday, and the start of a
habit. She walked slowly into the Edge Of The World tavern,
with her boots clumping on the floor. No one even looked up
to see her come in. Old James Avery sat at the piano,
pounding out a drunken tune. There weren't any legal rules on
drinking, but it was generally accepted that young folk
avoided the taverns, young woman especially. But no one
particularly cared.
Faeryn walked over to the left hand corner, past the piano and
the bar and sat down in a shadow, at a table by herself. This
chair would be forever hers. She crossed her boots at the
ankle and leaned back into the old wood. It felt right to her.
She only had to wait patiently for a moment. Although no one
else had given her entrance any notice the owner, Ryder's
uncle, Mack Everett did. He wasn't about to let a potential
paying customer slip under his radar.
"Afternoon Ryn," he mumbled, shuffling his heavy set body to
her table, "Fancy seeing you in here. That Ryder sure did a
fine job of wrecking a nice girl like you."
"You want my money or not?" she replied gruffly to him, she
wasn't about to be spoken to like that.
He paused for a moment, maybe considering if his morals
were worth more than what she carried in her pocket. And
then decided not.
"What do you want?"
"Cold draft, please." She added the please out of common
courtesy. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a coin.
Almost as soon as it hit the table it was up into Mack's meaty
hand and then just as quickly, between his rotting teeth.
Satisfied he grunted to her and turned away to the bar. His
weight thumped loudly across the wooden floor, even with
Avery playing the keys. Mack was back in no time at all with
a tall glass of foaming beer. He slopped it down on the table
and turned back to the bar. Faeryn could hear him mumble
something as he walked away, it sounded strangely like
"Parents didn't raise a girl like you..". Faeryn shrugged it off
and wrapped her hands around the cold glass. The head
spilled over onto her hands as she raised it to her lips. It felt
just as right as the chair did.
The bat wing doors swung open as she was taking her
second sip. Even then they creaked on their hinges. Bringing
a cloud of dust in with him, Ryder came in through the doors.
Dust rose up off his boots, he had a red bandana around his
neck and his dark hair was windswept.
Faeryn fought off every urge to call out to him. Instead she sat
in silence in what she was already thinking of as her chair.
He walked behind the bar and got himself a beer. She hadn't
noticed him notice her, but all the same, he sauntered his way
over to her corner of the bar. He pulled a chair out across
from her and sat down. A grin spread wide across his face.
"What's so amusing?" she asked him.
"Nothing actually. I was just thinking how much this suits
you. Looks right." He laughed, and then took a deep drink
from his glass.
Faeryn followed suit. She set her glass down beside his and
looked up at him from across the table. Avery picked up a
heavy sounding tune on the piano, the song sounded as dusty
as the air outside.
"Happy Birthday, by the way." Ryder said, smirk firmly in
place. "Any plans?"
"Thought maybe I'd stay here for a while, see where it goes."
"What are your parents going to think?" he teased.
Faeryn laughed and shoved him playfully from where she sat.
Ryder grinned.
The night progressed and soon enough Faeryn and Ryder were
the only ones left in the bar. Even Mack had retired to bed.
Faeryn was considerably drunk now. The whole room looked
a little wobbly, but she still remained in her place. Ryder sat
at the piano now, trying to strike up a tune. When after many
attempt, he was still unsuccessful he made his way up to the
bar.
"C'mere, Ryn." He muttered, pouring two shots of whiskey. He
was surprisingly steady for the amount he had drank, it was
his job to be.
Faeryn stumbled her way up to the bar. She made her way to
one of the stools and climbed up it till she could reach the bar,
which is where she sat, right beside the shots, so she was eye
to eye with Ryder. He grabbed the shots and put one in
Faeryn's open hand. They clinked them together, spilling
whiskey down the sides of the shot glasses, and downed them
in unison.
The whiskey warmed its way down Faeryn's throat and right
into her heart, or so it felt anyway. Suddenly she was
overcome with the need to be close to Ryder, to be touching
him. She couldn't resist it anymore.
Faeryn grabbed hold of Ryder's bandana and pulled him up to
her. He dropped his glass in shock and it shattered loudly on
the floor, but it wasn't enough to deter either of them. Faeryn
kissed him roughly on the mouth, feeling her need growing
with each second. He made no move to stop her; his hands
were in her hair, pulling her closer to him. She spun around so
she was facing him and wrapped her legs around his waist.
His hands were busily exploring her body and when they
found their way, rough and callused, to her jeans, they made
quick work of unbuttoning them.
Evening the score, Faeryn made her way to his pants button
and undid it. He slid her jeans down from her legs, and they
dropped onto the floor in a heap. Ryder made love to her right
there on the bar.
She leaned back in a panting heap when they were finished.
Ryder leaned forward to her and kissed her lips, and then her
neck.
That was when the bat wing doors swung open.
Faeryn's father was standing there. And that was when
Faeryn's everything started to fall apart.
***
Faeryn opened her eyes to the dusky room of her parent's old
house, her old house. What used to be anyway. It was still
damp and musky smelling, as much as she wanted it to be the
house it was 10 years ago, or what should've been 10 years
ago anyway, depending on how time was being measured at
the moment.
She knew she should move on. Move on from everything, and
keep moving while there was still distance between her and
the travelers. So she did. She left her old house with its musty
stench and deafening memories. And she kept walking. She
didn't lay down a camp until well outside the town.