Ten Days of Perfect (34 page)

His shoulders sank and my rage ignited unlike anything I’d ever felt before. I lun
ged
toward him with feral strength
,
and was as surprised as he when my palms connected with his chest
,
and he staggered backwards.

“
You knew it was me?
” How long did it take? Was it the second you saw me at Finnegan’s, when I sang with you on stage?” I kept pushing and pushing him until he was against the wall. When there was nowhere left to push, I clenched my fists and pounded them in to his chest and shoulders.

“Ember, fuck
, stop
!” Bo tried to grab for my arms, but I was thrashing so erratically, he couldn’t catch up.

“Was it after we kissed, after we had
sex?!
” Heavy sobs replaced desperate anger. “When was it, Bo, when did you realize that I was the scared shitless girl? Was it right away? Were you thrilled by the coincidence that I walked in to Finnegan’s so you could hold onto me as an insurance policy; that I wouldn’t say anything if I remembered who you were?” My fists pounded harder in to him and my voice was lost in my tears. Bo did nothing to stop the blows.

Suddenly, two hands gripped my shoulders from behind and yanked me away, “Ember! Get off him!” Adrian yelled as he moved one hand around my waist.

Adrian forced me down on to the bed and held his hands on my shoulders as Bo slid down the wall and buried his face in his hands.

“Will
someone, calmly
tell me what is going on?”

“When the fight behind the garage was done, I walked over to see if the guy who came by himself was OK. I couldn’t see him because of the darkness, the distance, and the fact that I was scared as
hell,
” I’d never attacked anyone before, and it left me quite breathless, “I’m now finding it quite convenient that it was
him
and he made himself so available to me.”

“November, it’s not like that, I had
no
idea it was you until-”

“Until when? Are you honestly telling me that you
didn’t
know I was the girl at the garage
before
tonight?” I stayed seated and took a deep breath, which caused Adrian to relax his defensive stance in front of my body.

“When you walked on stage at Finnegan’s you looked familiar, but I couldn’t place from where.” I started to respond but both Adrian and Bo held up their hands. “Then Monica mentioned that you saw some sort of altercation near your house, I thought it was a coincidence . . .”

I remembered Bo’s over-concerned reaction that n
ight, and more pieces fell into
place.

“You brushed it off so effortlessly that I had no reason to believe it was you,” he continued.

“When, did you know it was me?” Fresh tears formed and tumbled down my cheeks.

Bo sighed heavily as he stood and walked cautiously toward me, “Ember, that night when I came back early from my meeting here, and we walked on the beach . . .” He reached toward me but leaning back was my only response as he planted his knees in front of my feet.

“When we walked on the beach what?” I said blankly.

“We got to the parking lot, and there was a truck
. . .
”

“It
was
their truck.”

“Yes.” His head was hanging so low I could see the very top of the tattoo on his back where his collar opened.

“And
they
were in it.”

“Yes,” he mumbled, still looking at the floor.

I stood slowly, brushing off Adrian’s hand, “It’s fine, Adrian.” I paced toward Bo.

My knees were level with the top of Bo’s head as I continued, “I told you that the truck looked exactly like the one that night behind the garage
-
exactly.
So that night you had all the confirmation you needed, and you st
ill didn’t say anything to me?”

Bo lifted his head and his face was twisted in regret. “What would have been the point?”

“The point,” I snarled, “is that you
chose
not to tell me that it was you the entire time. The
point
is that the next day, and the day after that, we said we
loved
each other.”

Adrian wiped his palms on the front of his pants and headed back to the window; this conversation was sucking the life out of the room.

“Ember, I had my suspicions, sure. But, what was I supposed to do? Tell a girl I just met that I was beaten up behind some garage? At that point I couldn’t have told you about the blackmail without scaring you away or risking Rae’s safety - I didn’t know you. By the time I knew it was you, it was too late; I was in love with you.” His shaky hand trembled against my arm, but I didn’t move.

“That’s the reason you
should
have told me!” I roared as I took one step back, causing him to drop his grip.

“Ember!” Bo raked his hands furiously through his hair as he stood, “I was backed in
to
a corner! You were never supposed to find out about the blackmail, but it was all spiraling out of control so fast!”

“Holy - that’s the reason my dreams of that night didn’t start until
after
we met . . . it was your voice . . .” My eyelashes touched my eyebrows at the thought. “And even after I told you about the nightmares, nothing? Shit, that bruise you had on your stomach, that wasn’t from helping your friend-that was from that night!”

“Ember, it shouldn’t have ever happened like this! It was too late, I was so
fucking
in love with you I couldn’t think straight . . .” I answered his step forward with one back of my own.

“You were
never
planning on telling me, were you? We were talking about
forever
and you were going to leave that out - forever.”

“November-”

“Don’t! It’s too late.” I raised my hands in defense as more tears plummeted down my face.

“No!” Panic rang through the room with a deafening howl.

I turned toward Adrian to avoid Bo’s face.

“Get out,” I said as emotionless as possible.

“Come on, Ember, it was just-”

I felt a breeze behind me and turned to see him on his knees again, hands clenched in his hair. I looked back at Adrian, who had to turn away.

“November, please,
please
try to understand,” he pleaded painfully as he reached for my calves.

When his hands wrapped around my calves they slid a little under the sweatiness of his palms. He tried to stop their shaking by tightening his grip around me as he buried his face in my bloodied knees.

“Bowan when I met you. . .”
My soul shifted; my heart pulsed with fresh blood
. “Never mind, it was all a lie; I was just a pawn in some hi
gh-society bullshit blackmail.”

“No! November, no!” His fingers dug deeper in to my legs.

I bent at the knees slightly, forcing him to look at me through tears and blood. When our eyes locked I took a deep breath, aiming for clarity.

“Trust, Bo. All that keeps two people together is trust. Love isn’t enough. I don’t trust you. I don’t want to see you ever again. Get out.” My throat locked and threw away its own key against the words.

Bo reached up and pulled me to my knees by the wrist, causing Adrian to rush to my side.

“Ember, please. Calm down. We can work this out, come on!” His plea wretched through my soul, and for a split-second I wanted to concede, but couldn’t. I had been purposefully put in danger, lied to, and deceived.

I couldn’t meet his eyes. I remained on my knees, begging the floor to swallow me.

Adrian lifted me from the other side, “Everyone needs to sleep on this, I think,” he said with remarkable poise. After I was on my feet, Bo tried one more time to convince me to talk.

“Ember, can we just take a walk, or something?”

Adrian put his hand up, “Dude, tomorrow, OK? Everyone needs to sleep off tonight.”

Crestfallen, Bo followed Adrian out of the room, looking at me one more time over his shoulder before the door closed.

The water in the shower at The Centennial burned my skin. It was liquid therapy. I let the water boil over the raw skin on my face, elbows, and knees; inviting it to boil through my soul to no avail. I heard the door to the room click open and closed.

“Ember, it’s Adrian - you OK in there?” The sincerity of his voice produced fresh tears that washed away with the shower.

“Yea, I’ll be out in a minute.
Thank you.”

Turning off the shower produced an eerie silence; a foggy, suffocating silence. Not even the TV could be heard in the other room; Adrian was observing the silence as well. As I dried, I groaned at the fact that all of my belongings were still at the Cavanaugh house. Without pretense, I walked in to the room in just my towel and stared at my re
d dress, crumpled on the floor.

“Hey,” Adrian called gently.

When I looked up, I saw him lift my suitcase and a bag onto the bed.

“How did you . . .” I paced toward my things.

“When I brought Bo back to his house he had me wait so he could get your things . . .”
Adrian shrugged uncomfortably.

“Adrian, I’m so sorry for dragging you into this. I need to call Monica to come pick me up. I need to call my boss to tell her about everything. . .”
Dissolution of the relationship . . .

Adrian sat next to me and put his arm around my bare, wet shoulder, “I’ll call Monica. I’ll just give her the basics and tell her that you’ll fill her in in the morning. I’ll take you home, but you need to get some sleep first. About your boss, Bo said he was heading inside to call David Bryson to tell him about the blackmail. David and Monica will fill your boss in. Don’t worry about it tonight.

“Just like that . . .” I whispered.

“What?” Adrian lifted my chin.

“Nothing . . . I’ll get dressed. Sleep sounds divine, I’m sore as hell.”

“Here’s some ibuprofen, take it.” Adrian handed me the pills and a glass of water. “You’re
a
tough shit, November Harris, I’ve never seen anyone so . . .”

“Pissed?” I laughed as I swallowed the pills.

“Yeah, pissed. Look, I’m sorry about what happened with Bo, I can tell how much you mean to each other.” He pulled me in for a hug.

“
Meant.
And, I’m sorry you had to witness all of that.” I spoke weakly into  his chest.

“It was intense, that’s for sure. But, I’m glad to know you can hold your own, Blue, that was something.”

I stood to bring my clothes to the bathroom, but Adrian excused himself to the hallway so I’d have privacy and he could make phone calls. As I gave in to sleep, I could hear Adrian’s muffled voice in the hallway, “Hey Monica, it’s Adrian . . . yes, Adrian Turner. Look, something happened tonight. No don’t freak out, everyon
e’s
OK
for the most part . . .”

* * *

I woke early, thankful for a dreamless sleep. Stretching out in bed I could feel the pain of last night in every muscle of my body and soul. When I sat up on my elbows I smiled at the sight of Adrian Turner sleeping in the desk chair. His head rested at an awkward angle against the wall, and his arms folded in front of him. The crinkle of the comforter as I swung my legs over the bed startled him awake.

“Sorry,” I whispered.

“How’d you sleep?”
He
rubbed
his neck.

“Great, actually. Turns out being chased, and trying to kick someone’s ass really takes something out of you. Why didn’t y
ou sleep in the bed?”

“
OK, Ember, you break up with your boyfriend and I slide in to bed with you that night? I’ll pass on going
straight
to Hell, thanks,” he laughed as he stood.

“Can we get the hell out of here?” I pulled my Princeton hoodie over my head, “or do you have all kinds of DROP shit to attend to today?”

“I’m taking a personal day. So, yes, let’s go . . . Do you want to talk about last night?”

“Adrian, have I
ever
wanted to talk about
any
last night?” I smirked.

He stifled a chuckle, “I’m serious. That was some heavy shit . . .”

“I know . . . and I’m not ready to think about it again, yet. Can we get the
hell
out of here?”

The truth is, all I’d done since I woke up was think about it. I thought about love, loss, betrayal and pain. Bo trampled my trust, and I still couldn’t piece it all together in my brain. I couldn’t look at him anymore; not the same way I did that first night at Finnegan’s. It was all different now. None of it could be taken back. Adrian caught my pensive stare at the wall and proceeded to load our things in to his car.