Blindness Read Online Free Page B

to like you living here,” he
smiles, flashing his eyes suggestively. He nuzzles his nose on my
cheek a little before he moves to my ear, where he bites softly on
the lobe. “Mmmmmm, I get to do this anytime I want.”
    Just as I’m about to lose myself in him, and
forget about the strange conversation I’d overheard, I see his
mom’s flowing dress whisk by to the kitchen, and I immediately
scoot from his lap and straighten my shirt. Trevor laughs at me,
and stands, reaching for my hand to help me up. “They’ll give us
privacy. But I get it,” he smiles, kissing me once more on my
cheek.
    We walk into the kitchen where Shelly is
pulling some plates from the cabinet, and another woman is
assisting, prepping some food for dinner. I’m truly out of my
element now—it seems the Appletons have a cook . When it came
to dinnertime at the Hudson house, that job fell to me. I’m
probably more at home with the help here.
    “Oh, Charlotte sweetie, will you be a dear
and reach the pitcher above the stove? I’m too short,” Shelly
giggles. She’s short, quite short. I’m a good 5-foot-10, so I’m
used to being called in for tall jobs. I smile, turn, and fetch the
pitcher.
    “Here you go,” I say, handing it to her. I
notice her hand tremors a little as we make the exchange. She just
smiles, realizing I saw, and trades hands, shoving the shaky one in
a pocket briefly, pretending to reach for a tissue. The entire
thing is strange, but she doesn’t let me dwell on it long.
    “Thank you, dear. Why don’t you and Trevor go
get ready? We’re having a special dinner to welcome you,” she says.
I immediately feel bad; I don’t like to make a fuss. But I know
this means a lot to her, and Trevor’s already dragging me upstairs
to change.
    I manage to fend off his very
persuasive advances while I change into a yellow cotton
sundress. I pull my hair back into a low ponytail, and spray a dash
of my favorite perfume along my collarbone. I want to look nice,
but not so overdone that I seem out of place. I feel better when I
see what Trevor’s wearing. He changes into a pair of dress slacks
and a plain blue button-down shirt, which I am instantly imagining
unbuttoning later tonight.
    Trevor and I have always had a very physical
relationship. I trusted him quickly, and I liked the way my heart
raced when we were together. To be honest, I also liked the jealous
stares from other women when we were out. And I think part of me
felt lucky—lucky that he picked me. And I wanted to make sure he
was satisfied enough to stay.
    I trail behind Trevor as we head back down
the stairs, and I can hear his father’s voice raised. I can’t quite
make out what he’s saying, but I recognize the tone. His voice
sounds more than angry—his words are disgusted, and reflect
frustration. I’m starting to slow my steps, not sure if I should be
walking in on the conversation Trevor’s parents are having, when
Shelly comes up behind us. “You two look lovely. Dinner will be
served in just a few minutes. Go on in and grab a seat,” she says
as she steps by us and heads into another room down the hall.
    I’m more confused than ever as I follow
Trevor into a formal dining room that looks like it’s set for a
fancy Thanksgiving meal—the kind you see in old holiday movies. I
know Trevor can hear the arguing just a room or two away, but he’s
pretending not to. His mother comes in, sits down and puts her
napkin on her lap before she reaches for the decanter of wine to
fill her glass. Her face looks a little puffy, and I can tell she’s
probably been hitting the wine for a few hours.
    Just when things were about to reach
unbearably awkward, the silence making it hard to breathe without
drawing attention, the dining door from the kitchen swings open,
and Trevor’s dad walks through. He seems startled at our presence
at first, and he stops at the door to make eye contact with me and
force a smile. He must know I’ve been listening to