Broken Toys

ANONYMOUS V.’s

BROKEN TOYS

“SHE NEVER LOOKS BACK”

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

THE RIVERBANK

THE FORT

THE CAMPSITE

THE RIVERBANK

The river was black and slow. Cold coming off the water like a living thing. The trees were bare — late autumn, past peak, the leaves gone gray and wet on the ground like old newspaper.

He should have known something was wrong when she told him to meet her here. She never wanted it outside. She never wanted it raw. But tonight she said come to the river and don't bring anything and I want to talk to you.

Talk. Not fuck. Not meet. Talk. That's what made him go. She never wanted to talk. She wanted his money. His connections. His car. His cock when she was bored. But talk? That was new. That felt like something real.

She was sitting on the bank when he found her. Combat boots planted in the mud. Black pantyhose — ripped. Runs up both calves. A tear across the left thigh that showed skin underneath. Grungy. Worn. Not the polished woman he knew. Something rawer. Something that looked like it had crawled through the night to get here.

A dark coat open over a black bra. Nothing else. The cold didn't seem to touch her.

He sat down next to her. Close. She turned to him and smiled — not the sharp smile she used when she wanted something. Something softer. Something that looked almost vulnerable.

"I wanted to see you," she said.

"You could have called."

"I didn't want to talk on the phone. I wanted to see your face."

She leaned in. Kissed him. Soft. Slow. Her lips were cold from the air but her mouth was warm. She put a hand on his cheek and held him there — longer than she ever had before. He tasted cigarettes and something sweet. Lip gloss. Something that made him want to stay in that kiss forever.

When she pulled back, she looked at him. Really looked. Eyes soft. Almost sad.

"I've been thinking about you," she whispered.

His heart did something stupid. Something hopeful. Something that made him lean toward her instead of away.

She pushed him gently. Down onto his back. The wet leaves soaked through his shirt. He didn't care. ...