Atonement(65)
Colin poured himself another plastic-cup full of wine. “Well I have tried them…Bath Salts, I mean…and…they’re okay in small doses. I’d heard the horror stories about people becoming zombie-like…remember that homeless guy who had his face bit off by some freak? Turned out the guy was on Bath Salts. It started off as a European phenomenon a few years ago and it finally worked its way to the States about two years ago. A lot of the incidents have been ‘hush-hush’ so to speak but it’s only because there is no way to detect it. Drug dogs can’t smell it and usually it is smuggled in with fertilizer. It can be smoked, snorted, injected or just dropped into one’s drink and you wouldn’t be any wiser. It’s tasteless, odorless…it’s a drug that could cause a lot of problems in the near future or perhaps it will be like ecstasy and kind of go out of fashion.”
I lay down on the blanket though my eyes never left Colin’s. “So what are you trying to tell me?”
“Well, the whole experience was intense. I didn’t realize I had tried Bath Salts at all until Colin told me the next day. I honestly only remember just a few fleeting memories of the night and the problem is…it continues to come back to me in bits and pieces. For a long time, I honestly didn’t remember that night until Liam told me and over the months, the night has come back and I wonder if we…I don’t know…if we passed the point of no return?”
“I still don’t understand what the hell you’re talking about. You did Bath Salts that were slipped in your drink and you had a crazy night. Something happened and it’s haunted you all this time. How bad could it have been, Colin? What did you do?”
“I didn’t do anything…that’s the problem, Deirdre. I was messed up but I was less f*cked up than Liam and I should have driven. He claimed I passed out so he had to drive but as the night comes back to me, I remember being sober enough to think Liam shouldn’t have been driving. He’d done Bath Salts too but he was out of it and he was a danger not only to himself but everyone around him, including me.”
I crawled to Colin and sat on his lap before I kissed him passionately. “You don’t have to tell me. I know something bad happened and it’s killing you to tell me so don’t…not now. Not here while we are surrounded by all this lush scenery. Look where we are, sweetheart. Look at the view. We have a lake in front of us and behind us is Versailles Chateau. Let’s go for a walk.”
We both stood at the same time. A group of French people who were from the local chapter of Couchsurfers were hosting a picnic of their own and I kindly asked a pretty blonde, Magali, if she would watch our stuff while we took a walk around the lake.
The whole place was shrouded with large trees and overhanging branches but there was a wide, clear path for walkers, joggers and bikers alike. We walked to the right and held hands as we slowly made that large round circle around the lake at a leisurely pace.
“Listen, just because we have been going out for a few weeks doesn’t mean your life has to become an open book. I know you have skeletons, just like I do, but I don’t expect to hear them all in the first few months. You’re allowed to have secrets and just know that when you are truly willing to share them I will be here for you. That’s all you have to know, okay?”
Colin squeezed my hand in his and pulled my arm closer to him before his lips met my hand. “You are too good to be true. Tell me, what did I do right in another life to deserve a woman as beautiful and perfect as you?”
“Ha!” I exclaimed out loud. “Perfect? Are we talking about the same chick here? In case you haven’t noticed, I had a slight weight problem when I was a young girl. We were able to get a handle on it before puberty and since then I’ve had no issues but if you look close enough, I have cellulite.”
He rolled his eyes in an exaggerated tone. “Few women don’t have a cellulite. Once it occurs, it’s impossible to get rid of and it’s not obvious. Not unless I take a microscope to your body. What’s next? Are you going to fill me in on the fact that you have bowel movements and periods too? Quelle horreur!”
“You’re a regular Cheech and Chong, aren’t you? Okay, so I admit, there is nothing abnormal about me except the whole ‘Wendy’ complex but you knew about that already. When we go back to Seattle, I start working for uConnect and that should be an interesting experience none-the-less. I’m sure your brother will be a lot more professional since he is dating my sister.”