Blind Side Of Love

by Beth Rinyu

  I shook my head and watched her walk away, wrapping her arm around Ashton and throwing her head back and laughing.

  Becca had trusted that girl so much as her friend. The same way she had trusted me. I ran my hand through my hair and let out a deep breath. I was no better than Krista. In fact, I was beginning to feel like I was actually worse.

  Becca

  “Are you going to be okay?” Linda asked as she helped me take a seat on the couch.

  I nodded, still in shock over hearing the words you’re pregnant come from my doctor’s mouth. I had been on birth control since I was seventeen. I took them every day, faithfully even when there wasn’t a reason to, except to regulate my cycle. Unbeknownst to me that the migraine medicine my neurologist had switched me to a few months ago would weaken theeffects. I had thrown up three times at work in the past week, had been feeling light headed for the past few days, and all I wanted to do was sleep. As much as I kept telling myself it was just a stomach bug, something else was telling me otherwise, and that something else was confirmed today. This couldn't be happening. I felt like most days it was a struggle just to take care of myself. How on earth was I going to be able to take care of a baby?

  Linda placed her hand on my shoulder. “Becca, if you need anything, you know Steve and I are here for you, Honey.”

  Linda and Steve were the best neighbors that I could ask for and I was so grateful to her for being there for me today. The last thing I wanted was to ask my mother to come with me. I felt as if I had overwhelmed her and my father with enough drama after their visit yesterday when I dropped the whole Drew and Mason story on them. My mother was in shock, but my father, surprisingly, didn’t have much to say. I figured that would be the perfect opportunity for him to prove to me that he had been right all along, but instead he just told me how sorry he was to hear it. I, in turn, apologized to him for placing the blame on him all those years for Drew’s departure. My parents were just as baffled as I was by Krista’s behavior that day when she saw the picture. I had called her several times and left messages asking her why, but hadn’t received a call back. The knock on my door broke me from my thoughts.

  “I’ll get it,” Linda said.

  “Hi Becca.” I briefly closed my eyes upon hearing Liz’s voice. I knew she was here to plead Mason’s case and I just couldn’t deal with that right now.

  “I’m going to get going, Becca. If you need me, just call,” Linda said.

  I nodded as I felt Liz taking the seat next to me on the couch. “Liz, I really got a lot on my mind.”

  “Becca, please just hear me out and then I will be on my way.”

  I let out an exhausting breath. “Fine.”

  “I am not going to make excuses for him because I will be the first one to tell you that it was an asshole move on his part. He knows how I feel about it, but in his defense—”

  “I don’t want to hear it, Liz. I don’t! He deceived me not once but twice!”

  “And you have every right in the world to be pissed at him for it. But Becca, the first time he had no choice. I pulled up the case that he had been working on back then. You should have seen some of the information that Barrett confessed to the police. That son of a bitch should have been thrown in jail, too. If it weren’t for Mason, you might have been in some foreign sex trade. Simms wanted you as a form of payment for expanding the Barretts’ drug business. Mason knew this and went above and beyond to make sure that didn’t happen.”

  I shook my head, not wanting to listen to any of it. “Okay, so he just felt like it was okay to continue that same façade six years later and use my blindness to his advantage?” I snapped.

  “I will be the first to tell you, he was dead wrong with that. But if he had told you who he was right from the beginning, would you have even given him another chance?” I stared into space, already knowing the answer to that question. “It seems to me that these past few months have been pretty special to you. Just think what you would have missed if he had told you. You would have denied yourself the pleasure of falling in love again.” I sucked in my bottom lip, trying to hold back the tears. “Despite the bonehead move that he made, he really is a great guy, but I think you already know that. And I can tell you, from someone who knows him very well….he never lied about his feelings for you. He is completely in love with you.” I felt her warm hand on mine as I held back my tears with everything I had. I was so angry at him that I didn’t want to admit it to anyone that I was in love with him, especially not myself. I felt her stand up and heard her footsteps on the hardwood floor. “This picture?”

  “Which one?” I asked.

  “The one of the moon and the stars hanging over your loveseat. Did Mason give this to you?”

  “No,” I whispered. I had wanted to forget about that picture and part of me had wondered why I had even kept it after everything that had happened.

  “Mason has the same one hanging in his apartment.”

  And with that, I could no longer hold back the tears. He had kept that picture with him after all these years? “I painted one for him and one for me when we had first met. I told him that he was the one half of the moon in his and I was the other half in mine. I can’t believe he kept it.” I let out a loud sob. Liz sat down and placed a tissue in my hands. I dabbed my eyes and pulled it together as best as I could.

  “I didn’t come here to plead Mason’s case. He’s a big boy. He doesn’t need me to do that for him. I came here to try and make you realize that despite what he did, he really does love you. In two days, he has to give his answer about this job. You were the only thing that was going to make him say yes. I just don’t want both of you to pass up the life that you can finally have together.”

  I sat there silently. I knew I was going to have to tell Mason about my pregnancy and as angry as I was at myself for admitting it, I knew that I wanted to be with him. I just wasn’t ready to let go of the anger yet. “Mason needs to do what’s best for him. And if working undercover is what he wants to do then that’s what he should do.” I remained stone faced, not wanting to show my true feelings to her.

  She was silent for a moment before letting out a deep sigh and placing her hand on my shoulder. “You take care of yourself, Becca.” I nodded and felt her weight lift off the couch. Her footsteps began to fade away and I heard my apartment door open. “Everyone makes mistakes. Just don’t let one turn into another one that’s going to affect the rest of your life.”

  I closed my eyes and chased away another bout of tears. “Been there, done that, six years ago, Liz, and I am paying the price every day for the rest of my life.”

  Mason

  I was miserable with my whole existence. I hated being home and I hated being at work. Everything reminded me of her and how stupid I was for not being honest right from the beginning. I just got done with my run and sat down on the couch, flicking through the channels for about the hundredth time, totally zoned out and not paying attention to what was even on. I knew now more than ever that going back undercover would be the best possible thing for me. Becoming a new person for a while would create the perfect diversion from thinking about her every single second of the day. The knock on my door broke me from my depressive state.

  “Hung over?” Liz asked as I opened the door wider and let her in.

  “I wish.” At least if I was hung over, the way I was feeling would only be temporary, instead of the slow torturous ache in my heart every time I thought of Becca.

  “Here’s some coffee, maybe that will help.”

  “Thanks,” I mumbled, throwing myself back on the couch.

  "Well, tomorrow’s the day. Have you decided?" Liz asked.

  "Yeah, I have."

  She gave me a slight rise of her eyebrow and nodded. I was just about to tell her to spare me the lecture, but I was too late. "Well, before you go into that office and tell Knox one way or the other, there's something I think you need to know."

  "What's that?"

  "Becca's
pregnant."

  I choked on the sip of coffee that I had just taken. "How do you know that?"

  "Well, I stopped over to see her yesterday and she had a prescription for prenatal vitamins and a bunch of paperwork on her coffee table from an OBGYN….that’s a baby doctor in case you didn’t know." I ran my hand through my hair, still in shock. "You're gonna be a daddy, Mason, just in case that has any bearing on your decision." I felt a smile instantly conform to my face. The girl I loved more than anything was going to have my baby. I needed to try and make things right with her. Even if she didn’t want me in her life, I wanted her to know that I would be there for our baby. “She was still pretty bitter when I spoke to her yesterday, not that I blame her at all, but I think if you talked to her again, maybe, just maybe she can start to forgive.” I nodded. “Mason, can I just give one more suggestion and then I will butt out…..I promise?”

  “I don’t think it’s possible for you to ever butt out, but what’s that?”

  “Us women get very hormonal when it’s certain times of the month and especially during pregnancy. So I’m thinking you have a double edged sword to face here. Not only does Becca have raging pregnancy hormones, she’s extremely angry with you at present. Just handle her like a very fragile piece of glass and don’t get offended or walk away in defeat if she snaps at you. Keep at her. I could see from the look on her face yesterday that she really does love you. You hurt her bad and you deserved to be punished by her silence for what you did. If it were me, I woulda’-”

  “Alright Liz, I get it! I know, you would have resorted to violence.”

  “You got that right!” I stood up and looked at the clock. I had to be at work in a few hours for some arrests that were going down, but I needed to go see Becca right away. I was going to do whatever it took to get her back. I didn’t care if it meant camping out in her hallway until she had no choice but to talk to me. I wasn’t going to let her go this easy this time. I wasn’t going to let her go at all. “Where are you going?” Liz asked.

  “I have to go talk to Becca.”

  “Umm….Mason, just one more thing.”

  “You said you were going to butt out, remember?”

  “Yeah, I know, but since you’re going to need all the help you can get with this one, maybe you should take a shower first, instead of going over there all sweaty and gross.”

  I looked down at my tee shirt still drenched in sweat, silently admitting to myself that Liz was right. I did need a shower….bad! “Now, get yourself looking all handsome and go get your girl back. My work is done here,” she said as she stood up from the couch.

  I leaned in and placed a quick kiss on her cheek. “Thanks, Liz.”

  “Anytime, that’s what friends are for.” She flashed me a quick smile before heading out the door.

  I took a deep breath and headed into the bathroom to shower with a new found confidence. I was going to get Becca back, no matter what it took. I was going to prove to her just how much I loved her.

  Becca

  Lilly and I were just returning from our walk. It seemed to be just the thing I needed to clear my head. I couldn’t keep this from Mason any longer and I knew I had to talk to him. After getting some fresh air, I felt like I could finally tackle that. Today had been a good day so far; I hadn’t thrown up at all, which was a rarity these days, and I was starting to feel like I had a bit more energy.

  “Let’s go inside and get you some water, girl,” I said to Lilly as she led me down my hallway. She began to growl as I placed the key into the lock. "What's the matter, Lilly?" I asked as her growls suddenly turned into a deep angry bark. "Lilly?" She was starting to freak me out as I felt the presence of someone standing in the hallway.

  "Who's there?" I shouted.

  My heart started beating faster. I knew that Linda and Steve weren't home, which was only adding to my fear. My hands were trembling as I turned the key and Lilly continued to bark. Relief swept over me when the lock finally opened and I hurriedly made my way in. Just as I walked in and began to close the door, I suddenly felt the force of someone pushing it behind me. Lilly let out a loud snarling growl and then yelped loudly. "Lilly, Lilly are you okay?" I bent down, trying to find her on the ground as she whimpered, when suddenly I felt a hand gripped tightly around my arm, roughly lifting me up. "Who are you?" I cried. They were silent, clearly toying with me, knowing that I couldn't see. I had never been so scared in my life as I stood there in total darkness, clueless as to what was going on. Not knowing what had happened to Lilly and not knowing what was going to happen to me.

  "You want to know who I am, Becca?" I froze and was instantly overcome with nausea. I knew that voice; even after all these years, I couldn’t erase it from my head. "I'm the guy that helped you fuck away your precious Drew's memory. Well, I see it didn't work too well since you’re still with him, so maybe I need to do it again."

  "Ashton. What are you doing here? You have no reason to do this to me."

  "Oh but I do, sweet little Becca. You see, your boyfriend, Drew, Mason whatever the fuck his name is, is the reason my family lost everything, which means I have a score to settle with him and what better way to get back at him than to get to you?"

  "We're not even seeing each other anymore so you wouldn't be getting to him by doing this."

  He gripped his arm around my neck. "Liar! Krista told me how you were going on and on about how great Mason is. We had a really good laugh at how stupid you were."

  "Krista wouldn't do that to me." I played along, trying to find out why Krista would do such a thing.

  "Oh Becca, you really are dumb. Krista isn't your friend, she never was.”

  I tried to break free when I heard Lilly whimpering once again. "Please just let me see if she’s okay."

  "What are you going to see, Becca? Remember, you’re blind. You and I have some business to take care of first and then I'm going to let Mason know exactly how it felt to fuck his girlfriend all over again.” He lifted my hair and kissed the side of my neck. “Oh you are just as sweet as always.”

  “Please, I’m begging you, don’t do this.” I struggled to break free and he yanked on my arm.

  “Becca, don’t even think about it. I didn’t want this to get ugly, but if I have to, it will.” He still had one hand gripped tightly around me while he reached into his pocket. “You feel this, Becca?” he asked, pressing the cold metal against my head. “I don’t want to use it, but I will if I have to.”

  I felt the bile rising up in my throat when his lips touched my neck once again. His free hand moved up my shirt while his other hand held the gun that was pressed up to my head.

  I let out a loud gasp when I heard a knock on my door. He covered my mouth with his hand just as I was about to scream for help.

  “Becca, it’s Mason. Open up. I need to talk to you and I’m not leaving until I do!” he shouted from the other side of the door.

  A golf ball sized lump formed in my throat just from hearing his voice and not knowing what Ashton was going to do. He bent down and whispered in my ear, now pointing the gun into my back. “I’m going to walk you to that door. Answer it and get rid of him. I will deal with him after we are done having our fun.”

  The tears were now streaming down my face. I was useless to do anything. All I kept thinking about was my baby. I had to keep him, or her, safe and if doing exactly what Ashton said to do was the only way, then so be it.

  Mason

  My head was pressed against Becca’s doorframe, waiting for her to answer. I was in shock when I heard the door knob finally turning and the door slowly opening. She didn’t look herself; her eyes were filled with tears and her hands were trembling. “Mason, I’m really tired. Can….can it wait?” Her eyes widened. Something was definitely wrong. Lilly didn’t bark like she normally would when she heard me knocking.

  “Becca, what’s going on?”

  She let out a loud gasp and shook her head. I immediately pushed my way in. I was speechless as I stared
into Ashton Barrett’s glassy eyes. “Nice to see you again, Drew. I wondered what had happened to you and now I know.” He pressed the gun that he was holding further into Becca’s back while gripping tightly to her neck. “Now, if you are as smart as you think you are, you will hand over that gun that I know you have in your holster and put it right there on that table.”

  “Ashton, let her go. This has nothing to do with her!”

  “Put the fuckin’ gun on the table!” he shouted. I carefully reached for my gun and placed it on the table, never taking my eyes off Becca.

  “There. Now let her go. This is between me and you.”

  His eyes were dilated and his foot was nervously tapping up and down. I knew he was totally amped up on something, which was going to make reasoning with him even harder.

  “No, Drew, Mason, or whatever the fuck your name is today. This does have to do with her. Because I happen to know that she is something you care about and what better way to get back at you for fucking up my life than to fuck up something in your life?”

  “Ashton, you’re really going to sink that low? Taking your frustrations out on a blind, innocent girl?”

  “If it will get back at what you took away from me, then I have no problem with that.”

  “I didn’t take anything away from you, Ashton.”

  “You stupid mother fucker! I have to work my ass off now just to afford the one bedroom condo that I’m living in. My parents were loaded and I was set for life and then you had to go and fuck everything up.”

  I looked at Becca, trembling as he gripped her tighter. I needed to do something. I could see in his eyes that he was desperate and not caring about the repercussions of his actions. “Mason, is Lilly okay?” Becca cried.

  “Shut the fuck up about that fuckin’ dog already! Do you want me to shoot it and put it out of its misery?” Ashton shouted.