Blindness Read Online Free PDF Page A

his
argument.
    “Charlotte,” his smile is tight and forced.
He sits and places his napkin on his lap. “You look nice. Thank you
for joining us.”
    “Thank you for having me. I really appreciate
it,” I say. My voice is small, and I’m just trying to fill the
emptiness that’s swallowing us all up. I am no match though as the
quiet starts up again as soon as my words are complete. I look at
Trevor, who’s looking down at his plate, and then to Shelly, who is
swirling her now half-empty glass. I’m about to ask if, perhaps,
they’d rather do this some other night, when the door swings
open, and I see him.
    I know he recognizes me. We only hold our
gaze for two or three seconds, but it feels like hours as his eyes
reach through me and rattle my insides. I have this instant urge to
cry, which I haven’t done in years, and I choke from the surprise
of it. I reach for my water and sip on it, looking at the center of
the table just to give myself a break from the intensity of it all.
He’s standing— standing? Why would he be standing? I thought
he couldn’t? Or maybe he could?
    My mind is racing, and I’m being hammered
away with guilt, anger and the strangest sense of regret. Why is he
here? And why was he arguing with Trevor’s dad? Shelly pulls me
from my thoughts as she finally slurs out an explanation.
    “Charlotte, this is Trevor’s brother, Cody,”
she says, gesturing to our newest guest. “Cody, this is your
brother’s girlfriend, Charlotte.”
    I slowly tilt my face back to his direction
and stand, reaching for his hand. “Cody, nice to meet you.” I’m
terrified, and I don’t know why. Or maybe I do.
    He just smirks at my hand, and finally
reaches for it, giving me a firm shake but sliding his hand from
mine slowly, too slowly, lingering the touch of his fingers. I’m
hot and faint, and all I can think about is how his hand felt in
mine. “Nice to meet you, too… Charlotte?” he asks, raising
one eyebrow and teasing me, but not in a friendly way. I just nod yes in response and take my seat again.
    I try not to stare as he limps around the
table to stop at the seat directly across from me and next to
Shelly—his mother? I’m so confused. I know Trevor can feel the
tension rolling off of me, and I hope he thinks it’s only from my
confusion over the fact that I never knew he had a brother. Not
over the fact that I feel like I know Cody, I mean really know him. Or the fact that I’ve met him before, and that he
makes my stomach lurch, like an elevator dropping.
    No one is offering any explanation, and I’m
left looking around the table as bowls begin passing and drinks are
being poured. No one is looking up—no one, except Cody. I try to
avoid him, but he’s right in front of me. I’m done the second he
hands a bowl of potatoes to me. On instinct, I reach up and grab
them, my fingers reaching too far and touching his again. My heart
is rapid, and I can’t breathe.
    “So, you’re Trevor’s girl, huh?” he asks, his
voice far from the friendly one at tutoring. He sounds snarky and
accusatory, and it makes me feel instantly defensive.
    “Yes, we’ve been dating for a year,” I
respond, short and curt. Just like I mean it to sound, though I
don’t know why. Being rational seems to be long out the window.
    Trevor jumps in then, and I’m thankful at
first. “Cody isn’t around much,” he shrugs and then starts eating
again. I’m left puzzled. That’s it? No explanation? We all continue
to eat in silence, and I spend the next 20 minutes trying to avoid
Cody’s constant stare and the judgmental look on his face.
    Shelly stands finally and begins clearing
plates. She seems oblivious. Cody is still looking at me, chewing
at his bottom lip, with a half-grin, like he’s holding something
back. I look over to Trevor, willing him to save me, but instead he
stands and heads into the kitchen after his mom, telling me he’ll
“Be right back,” without as much as a glance in my