6. Gut

Orion’s pov

I couldn’t sleep. I felt drawn to Izzy in a way I had never felt before. Part of me felt like she needed my protection. From a very young age, I was always very aware of who needed protection. I did everything I could to protect my foster brothers and sisters, but even before that time, I would try to befriend kids who were bullied. Mom used to say I had a kind heart, but would she still think that if she knew what I had done?

Another part of me just wanted to be close to her, which was crazy. I didn’t even know her. I should just stay away. It would be safer for Izzy if I kept my distance.

I started walking around the motel, hoping to tire myself out. When I walked past Izzy’s room, I heard her scream. My instinct took over, and I used the master key Erin had given me. I used it when I needed to fix something inside one of the rooms or if one of the guests didn’t want to leave and I had to force them out. It had only happened once, though.

I ran in, seeing Izzy trashing around in her sleep. She looked like she was scared to death. I tried to wake her up, and when I finally succeeded in calming her down, I noticed what she was wearing. Izzy had fallen asleep in my hoodie and was wearing nothing else. Her legs looked amazing, and I wondered if her bare breasts were touching something that belonged to me. God, she looked good.

I left her room feeling a lot calmer. While I hated that Izzy was scared of some dickhead named Jordan, I knew she was safe here. My room was near the entrance of the motel, and prison and the psychiatric hospital had made me a light sleeper, so there was no way that bastard would get to hurt her here. I would make sure of it.

As soon as I entered my room, I dropped onto my bed and fell asleep. Thankfully, Erin let me sleep in a bit before she needed me.

The phone rang, and I picked it up, still half asleep. "I’m coming. Erin."

"It’s Izzy, actually. I’m sorry; I didn’t know you were still sleeping. I can wait."

I heard Erin talk in the background, "no, tell him to wake up and get his ass here. It’s a already past ten."

"I’ll be right out." I grunted. I quickly brushed my teeth, washed my face, and put on a clean shirt. I didn’t even look in the mirror before rushing out.

Izzy blushed when she saw me, and I put my hand through my hair nervously. Women never made me nervous, but this redhead in front of me did. "Sorry, I overslept. I couldn’t sleep."

"I hope you got some rest after, you know…."

Seeing Izzy blush again made me smile. Erin looked between us and raised an eyebrow. "Orion…"

Before I could explain that nothing happened and I hadn’t broken her rules, Izzy came to my defense. "I had a very bad nightmare, and apparently I was screaming, so Orion came in to check on me."

Erin smiled at me, "good. That sounds like our Orion. Always ready to help those in need. [Even those that are too young for him.]" She signed the last part.

Too young? You could only get a room here if you were over eighteen. I was still six years older than Izzy, so maybe Erin meant the age difference was too much? It wasn’t like we did anything anyway. Or maybe Erin just didn’t want me around Izzy because she was protecting her. I am bad news, of course. I am crazy after all.

[I didn’t do shit] I signed. Knowing Erin was right pissed me off, but I also felt offended that Erin thought so little of me. I had worked here for months trying to prove myself, and she thought I would... Sneak into some young woman’s room like a creep?

[I didn’t mean,-] but I turned my back before she could sign the rest. "Let’s go, Izzy; Luke is probably waiting for you."

Izzy giggled, and I walked out of the motel with her. "Luke? And he owns a diner?" she asked.

I nodded my head, not understanding the big deal.

"Does he have another son called Jess?" she joked, and I shook my head. "No, Ezra was already too much for him to handle. He’s an okay guy, but a shitty dad."

"What do you mean, he was too much? Ezra seemed like such a nice guy." Izzy replied. So she liked guys like Ezra? Nice ones? Of course she did; she was probably just shy around me because of the way I looked, but she would never like what was inside of me.

"Luke never wanted to bother learning sign language and wanted to send Ezra to public school because it was cheaper than letting him go to school with kids like him. He was always in denial of what Ezra needed—at least that’s what Ezra told me. They’re okay now, but not very close."

The diner wasn’t far from the motel, and as soon as we entered the diner, the stares and whispers began. That’s why I usually just hung around the motel, knowing all too well what this town thought of me.

"... that’s him. Why is that young woman hanging around him?"

"You know what he did, right?..."

"…killer."

"….crazy."

I tried not to listen to the voices and remain calm for Izzy as I walked her to Luke in the back of the diner. She seemed to hear the people as well because she kept turning her head as if she were listening.

Not a lot of people had the same hearing as I did. I knew I could hear really well; I could hear people whisper from across the room, which helped a lot when I was locked up. But Izzy seemed to pick up on sounds just as well as I did.

I waited outside the office while Izzy and Luke spoke. I could hear most of what they were saying through the thin walls, and it looked like Izzy had gotten the job. That meant she was going to hang around here a bit longer, and it made me more happy than I thought it would.

Izzy came out with a smile on her face, "I start tomorrow."

We walked out together until Izzy seemed to realize she left something behind in Luke’s office. She hurried back, and I waited, watching everyone's eyes avoid me. When Izzy came out, a woman grabbed her arm and whispered something in her ear. But with my hearing, it wasn't hard to hear what she was saying.

"Watch out for him. He’s not a good guy."

Izzy shook her head and smiled politely at the woman, saying, "thank you for the warning, but let’s agree to disagree."

Izzy probably didn’t realize I could hear her, but I couldn’t wipe this stupid smile from my face. She barely knew me, yet she defended me.

When we reached my car, I felt it was only right if I explained some things, knowing people would probably spin the story another way. People talked in this town, and I was sure if she worked at the diner, my name would come up.

"So, you probably realized the town hates me." I joked.

Izzy shrugged, "I’m used to small town gossip."

"There is some truth to what they will say, but I had my reasons, and most importantly, I am working hard on myself." I chuckled nervously. "I don’t know why I’m telling you this, but you don’t have to be scared of me."

Izzy stared out the window, "I trust my gut over what people tell me. People can act like they’re this perfect person, but indoors they’re a monster." It was obvious she was talking about this Jordan, and I wish I could find out more about him and hurt him the way he had hurt Izzy.

"And what does your gut tell you about me?" I steered the wheel, ready to drive back into the motel’s parking lot.

"That I can trust you." She paused and quickly added. "You, Erin, and Ezra, of course. I can trust you guys."

We got out of the car, and I wasn't sure what to do or say. God, I had never been this shy around women. Mostly because I stayed away from them. 

Izzy stared at her feet, "does this town have a cheap hairdresser?"

I nodded, "in town. I can drive you after lunch if you like. I have some errands to run quickly."

"Thank you." Izzy softly replied and quickly went back into the motel.

Shit, I regretted telling Izzy I could drive her immediately. If people were gossiping at the diner, they would surely gossip at the damn hairdresser. Especially since it was owned by someone I had avoided for months.