FOREVER MINE (7 page)

SLAP!  “HEY!  What the hell, Brody.  That scared me.” I sit up, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.  My ponytail did nothing to hold my hair so I just take it down.  Then blush beet red when I remember how completely naked I am. “W-What are you doing in my room?”

“Watching you sleep… naked” He smiles like he is thinking dirty thoughts.  I like it, but fane annoyance.

“Ugh, no seriously.
  I had my alarm set for 10:30.”  And like just like that, the alarm starts to go off.

Laughing we both reach over to turn it off.  I freeze when I notice something black tangled in the sheet, almost under the extra pillow I keep on the bed.  I pick it up.  It’s a black rose.  It’s wet and sticky.  I run my hand over the pillow and notice a dirty spot on the case.  I feel it and its wet and there is a congealed accumulation of…
“Oh my god!!”

I launch myself out of bed and into the bathroom barely make it to the toilet before my stomach starts to heave.  I dry heave until my insides cramp I think I popped a blood vessels in my eyes.  Brody comes in and wraps a blanket around me; I forgot I’m still naked.  As soon as he touches me I throw myself into his arms and give into gut wrenching sobs.  He holds me stroking my back and head.  I think he is crying with me.

“Please tell me what is going on?”

“When I got here your door was wide open, I was so scared. I thought Michael came back and grabbed you.  When I saw you sleeping I didn’t want to scare you.  I thought everything was ok since you were still here.  I’m so sorry this is happening to you.”  Brody wipes the tears on his cheeks.

“When I went to bed the door was locked.” I take a deep breath trying to settle my nerves and stomach, “I double checked.”

“I know you did.  You always do.”  He strokes my hair again. “Did you get up last night and have some more to eat?”

I shake my head no, as I answer, “N-N-No, Why?”

“There is a dinner sitting out on your table.” He says it through clenched teeth.  I think he is angry.  “Let’s go, you need to put clothes on, the cops will be here and we can’t touch anything.  Pack a bag, you‘re not staying here anymore.”

I clutch the blanket tightly to me.  When I stand I look down at the sink and stop moving.  “I didn’t have those lined up on the sink like that.  I had them placed all over the bathroom.”  I can hear pounding in my ears, I’m a little light headed as I voice what we are both thinking, “Brody, I think Michael was in my house, ate at my table, moved my candles,” my breath comes out in a hiccup and the room is spinning, “and jerked off on my bed.”  The seriousness of the situation is too much. I feel myself start to fall to the floor.  Then everything goes black.

“Charlie, you have to get up, I need you to get dressed.”

I hear Brody’s voice like he is at the end of a tunnel.  I want to answer him but my mouth isn’t cooperating. “I can’t” I’m not sure what it is I can’t do, get dressed, go in the bedroom, or just move my body.  Brody seems to understand anyway.  He gently places me on the couch, trying hard to hide my body, and disappears.

When he comes back he hands me clothes, “give me the blanket.  I will hold it up so you can get dressed behind it.  You can’t go in the bathroom and touch anything else.”

I stand and turn my back; I don’t care if I flash my ass. I just want to shield my front.  The front door
is
still open after all. Unraveling the blanket, I give the edge to him, getting dressed behind it.

She waits in the hall while the police and crime lab gather evidence.  Charlie has given her statement to Officer O’Connor.  Now she is waiting while Brody goes over what happened when he arrived.  She is allowed to go in and pack a bag but can’t bring herself to go in alone.  She wants to wait for Brody.

When he finishes he walks over to where she is and asks, “You ready?”

“No, I still need some things for work this week, but I don’t think I can go in there.”

“Ok” He takes her hand and walks away from the open door and all the activity.  “We can go together or I can go in for you.  It’s up to you.”

She takes a big breath, “I can do this.  Just don’t leave my side.”  She plays with her hair, twirling
a
indiscriminate curl, smiling she says, “Besides god only knows what kind of underwear you’ll pick this time.”

“You got it.”  He tries to smile but it doesn’t chase the sadness from his eyes.

They walk back the way they came, pause at the front door, Charlie grabs his hand and they go inside.  In the bedroom, she finds her duffle bag and fills it with underwear, bras, stockings for work, and casual clothes; jeans,
tee’s
, and tank tops. She grabs her swim suit on chance she may go swimming.  Then grabs a hanging garment bag and grabs enough suits, and pieces of suits, that she can mix and match for work.  She has enough clothes for awhile.  She is not taking chances.

Leaving the bedroom she has the duffle, Brody has the garment bag, “You got enough?”

“I hope so.” She’s not really sure where she’s going but she grabs her car keys off the hook by the door and says “Alright, I’m done.  Let’s go.”

“Ok.”

“I think I will just head over to that holiday inn express that is 10 minutes out of town.  Will you follow me?”

“WHAT?  DO you really think I am going to let you sleep in a hotel?”  He is looking at her like she is a three headed monster. “You are staying with me.”

“I don’t think…”

“Yeah don’t think, you’re going.”
He starts walking to the door again.

“What about Steph?”

“That won’t be a problem.  She is moving out.” They continue walking toward the stairs “She broke up with me last night.”

She stutter steps on the stairs, “Oh, I’m sorry
Brody,
I know how much you loved her.”

“Don’t worry about it; I didn’t love her as much as I thought.  Besides, you have bigger things to worry about; than my love life.”

“It helps.  You know, keep me distracted.” They reach the bottom of the stairs and he holds open the door for her.  “If all I am doing is thinking about
myself
, I will go nuts.  I’m not supposed to change my normal routine, remember?”

“Worrying about my love life is normal?” he quirks an eye at her.

“I
always
worry about your love life.  You’re such a slut.  The girls you go with are something else.” Charlie giggles a little.

“W-w-whoa, a slut?”
  He places a hand on her arm to stop her from walking.

“Yeah.
  You lost your virginity when you were in 6
^th
grade.”

“Yeah, but in my defense, she was hot.”

“She was your babysitter!!”  Talking about his sex life should have been weird, since she has developed confusing feelings for him, but it’s not.  He has always been oversexed, and it has been a constant thing to tease him.  Plus, it’s just too easy.  “What about that time in high school when your history teacher asked you out?”

“She didn’t know I was a student.”

“You’re disgusting.” She says laughing, “Well, we better get moving.  I will follow you to your house.”

“Let’s do this.”  He smiles like he just made the best joke in the world.

“You think you’re so funny, I was giving myself a pep talk and you use it as ammunition?”  Blushing, a fierce red, Charlie and her pride walk to the car, grinning like a fool.

They arrive at Brody’s house twenty-five minutes later.  Charlie has always loved it here.  It’s on the edge of the city but not quite rural.  The house is red brick, with black shutters, and a black front door.  The color combination gives it a sophisticated feel.  The large front porch has two rocking chairs, one on either side of the door, both stained black to keep with the décor. There is an old red maple tree off the front corner of the house, which is so old the trunk is all knarred with knots and hanging thick limbs.  It is the kind of tree begging for a tire swing.  There are flowers of all colors and variety in mulch beds surrounding the front of the house.  These same flowers follow a red brick walking path from the porch steps to the sidewalk.  It is so charming and warm, you would think a family lived here and landscaped frequently.  Instead, it’s just Brody.

Getting out of the car I take a deep inhale.  The air here smells better.  It cleanses. I can feel some of the stress subside.  Michael will not find me here. 

I turn and watch Brody as he gets out of the car and goes through the motions of being home.  He walks over to the mail box and gets his mail.  Still holding my garment bag I imagine how it would be to come home to him every night.  He would be the kind of husband to pick up the dry cleaning, and change the oil in my car.  He’s a perfect mix of sensitive and man.  Wait, did I just think about Brody and husband in the same sentence?

“Hey, you alright?”
Brody asks as he walks over “You look like you just remembered something you forgot, and you’re panicked.”  He waves his hand in front of her face, back and forth in front of her eyes.  “Hello?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.  I don’t know what you mean?” I’m laughing nervously, and can feel myself want to babble a way out of this conversation. To stop from doing that I say, “let’s go in.  I want to get settled.” I turn on my heel and march off to the house.

“Huh, that was weird.” Brody says to himself following after Charlie.

He gets his keys out and unlocks the door.  I sigh.  This is what a home should feel like.  I am so comfortable here.  We walk into a foyer of hard wood floors and high ceilings.  The stairs are directly ahead and split the first floor in two.  The living room is on the right and the dining room on the left.  The kitchen takes up the entire back of the house.  The staircase feels grand, like Scarlet O’Hara will be gliding down, in her green curtain dress, any minute.  The house is nowhere near the size of Tara, with only four bedrooms, but it has just as much style.

Standing at the bottom of the stairs I ask, “Can I still have my room?”  I used to stay here a lot and stay in the same room. Brody told me if I decorated it, it could be mine.  It started as a joke but I jumped in with both feet.

“You know it.  It’s yours.”  He smiles and I can tell he is remembering what I put him through getting the room prefect.

I run up the stairs like a kid getting a present.  I throw open the door, and launch myself on the queen size four poster bed with draped white gauzy curtains.  Lying on my back, looking up at the ceiling, I wait for Brody to come in.  He stands in the doorway looking at me.  I sit up and smile at him.

“I still love it here so much.  I thought since Steph was here with you for awhile she would‘ve put more of her mark on the place, but it’s still just like I remember.”

“Even if she
wanted to
change things, in here would’ve been left untouched.” He walks over to the closet and hangs up my bag.  “I am so glad I can put that down, it’s freaking heavy.  Did you leave anything in your closet?”  He turns to face me, smiling, and I hit him in his face with a pillow.  “Hey!”

“Yes, I left some things in my closet!” I laugh and pick up the other pillow “Come at me.” I am now standing on the bed.

“Oh, yeah?
 
Really?
  Everytime you challenge me…you lose” laughing he picks up the pillow from the floor and swings it at my feet.

I jump and bring the pillow down on his head.  He swings again, this time when I jump I land on his pillow; and as he pulls it away, my feet come out from under me, I fall back on the bed arms flailing.  Brody jumps up on the bed towering over me bombarding me with hit after hit.  I curl in a ball, for protection, laughing till it hurts and tears are pouring out of my eyes. 

“Say it!!”  Brody yells continuing his assault, cackling like a maniac.

“I give, I give.” I say breathlessly.  I try to catch my breath.  “One of these days I will get you.  I will win.” I uncurl from my ball and lay on my side all stretched out, propping my head in my hand.

Brody sits next to me and says, “Sweetheart, the day you win, I will give you the keys to my house.”  He sounds so cocky.

“Hmmm, that sounds like a challenge.  I do love this house.”   I stroke my chin with free hand pretending to think.  “I will think of something.”

“You can try, but you will fail.” He grabs my hip and shakes me, playfully.  Then, sitting in a big bed with his hand on my hip, the atmosphere changes, it becomes charged with electricity.  Instead of moving his hand off of me; he moves his hand up my body.  Up my side and back down past my hip to my thigh.  He moves slowly back to my hip and pushes me to my back.

He lies down next to me on his side.  His hand moves over my stomach.  He is watching my face to see how I will respond.  My eyes are closed, my breathing slow, when he moves his hand up my stomach, I stop breathing for a second and licks my lips.

He runs his hand back down and teases the skin between my jeans and tank top, with his fingers.  I remember the matching set he picked out for this morning.  He dips his finger into the very top of my jeans and fingers the lace of my thong.  My breath catches.

He pulls his fingers out and pulls me into his arms and just holds me there. He places a gentle kiss on the top of my head. I sigh and relax in his embrace.  We lie there with each other for the rest of the afternoon.