I’m so enraptured, I scarcely even know where I am.
Heaven. I’m in Heaven.
CHAPTER FOUR
I find out from Jana that Ronald has been fired. I’m uncertain how much my father knows, but I see him exchanging words with Brianna before firmly shaking her hand. I watch as he slips out of the kitchen area, and he grabs me in a hug before I can think to escape.
“Dad…” I groan, and he chuckles, gingerly kissing my forehead before releasing me. I feel Brianna’s eyes upon me, and glance into the kitchen, only to find her with the most amused smile. I roll my eyes, smiling to myself. “I’m fine. Thanks to Brianna, anyway…” I trail off, watching as the woman in question busies herself in the kitchen.
“And for that, I am very grateful. Still, you two seem to be spending… a lot of time together.” He says uncertainly. I stiffen, considering him from the corner of my eye.
“Well, she’s my friend.” I counter. He says nothing more, but the look in his eye makes it obvious that he knows there is more to my relationship with Brianna. However, he does not press the issue, shaking his head and walking away. Not wanting to push my luck, I shoot Brianna a text explaining my abrupt departure and slip out of the bakery. I’m certainly not ashamed of our relationship, but I know my father too well to clue him in on it just yet.
I spend the day shopping for the picnic that Brianna and I had planned for that night, buying her favorite treats. I receive a text around the middle of the afternoon, and draw my phone out of my pocket to see that Brianna has taken the rest of the day off. She says she will meet me at the park, and I breathe a content sigh. I finish paying at the grocer, and make my way to the park. It’s such a nice day that I’d decided to walk, and I’m beginning to regret that as my high heels become increasingly painful to walk in. I know what you’re thinking, but I never go anywhere without my heels.
I can feel myself grimacing, but as I spot Brianna waiting for me by the swings, it’s as if my pain falls away. I feel myself break into a wide smile, and I begin to run the short distance between us. Just as I’m about to leap into her arms, one of my heels break off and I begin to stumble. She catches me before I hit the ground, shaking with smothered laughter. I pout, slapping her shoulder admonishingly.
“Do you know the lengths I go to, to look pretty for you?” I whine, and she grins before scooping me up in her arms. I squeal as I’m lifted off the ground, struggling to balance my bags as I’m swept up.
“I’d be flattered, if I didn’t know you to wear heels twenty-four-seven before we met.” She hums, and I can’t help but giggle. “Busted.” She rumbles, and I laugh harder, burying my face in her shoulder.
“Fine, fine. But I do go the extra mile. I even bought your favorite sour candies for our picnic.” I grin, pressing a kiss to her jawline. She chuckles, carrying me to a spot at the far side of the park, where a blanket is laid across the grass. She unceremoniously dumps me on the ground, and I squawk in protest as the contents of my bags spill across the blanket. I shoot her a dirty look, and she simply smiles in return, plopping on the opposite edge of the blanket before grabbing said sour candies.
“Well, I do thank you for…” She pauses, popping one of the candies in her mouth and puckering up. “Yeesh. You know me too well. You got the extra sour.” She grins. I busy myself arranging the food on the blanket, glancing to her from the corner of my eye.
“Get back to the part where you were thanking me.” I smirk. Brianna grins, reaching out to pull me flush against her.
“Thank you, my most magnanimous princess.” She murmurs, peppering kisses across my neck. I giggle and try to squirm away, but she is reluctant to release her grip on me. Deciding to give up my struggle, I slump against her, tucking my head beneath her chin. She wraps around me, continuing to pop the sour candies into her mouth. I close my eyes, listening to the distant sounds of children playing. I’m struck by a thought, and before I can stop myself, I’m voicing it.
“I’ve not been this happy since… since my mother died.” I say softly, and her grip on me tightens. We’ve never really delved into each other’s past, though Brianna knows a considerable amount more about me than I know about her. Every time talk gets too heavy, she seems to get uncomfortable and change the subject. However, this time, she simply holds me tenderly in her arms, ghosting her lips to my ear.
“I’m sorry about your mom. Explains why your dad is so protective, I suppose. How did she…” She begins, cutting herself off. “Sorry, you don’t have to answer that.” She amends, drawing away.
“No, it’s okay. She... died in a car accident. Someone was driving drunk, and… smashed into the driver’s side of her car.” I say carefully. Brianna tenses, and it’s clear something is bothering her, but she remains silent. “I miss her every day. Do you know how that feels? To miss someone with your whole heart?” I whisper, previously buried feelings surfacing through the tears in my eyes.
“I do.” She admits. She hesitates, shifting her grip on me. “I wish I could turn back time, and… bring back the first woman I ever loved.” She confesses. I tilt my head to look at her, noticing a single tear trailing down her cheek as well. I kiss it away, making a trail from her cheeks to her lips. She embraces me tightly, and I can taste the tartness of her favorite candy on her lips. I tangle a hand in her hair, and she draws away after a moment. There’s something familiar in her eyes, and it’s obvious that the picnic is suddenly the last thing on our minds. Our kisses become more fervent, desperation obvious in every press of her lips. I’m only reminded of the fact that we’re in public when a child shrilly cries out in the distance. We part, gasping for breath. Brianna is flushed red from her neck up, and I grin, tensing a hand in her shirt.
“How about we go back to your place? A bit of privacy would be… nice.” I murmur, and smile upon realizing how closely she’s watching my lips.
“Y-yeah.” She blurts. “If you want, you can… stay at my place tonight?” She offers. It’s the first time she’s offered, and my heart swells at the adoration she considers me with.
“That sounds nice.” I murmur. We quickly pack up the picnic, and I shoot my father a text telling him that I’ll be with a friend for the night. Hoping he thinks nothing of it, I follow Brianna to her car. She opens the passenger side for me before getting in her own seat, fastening her seatbelt. Her hands tremble, and she checks her mirrors what must be a dozen times before pulling out. As we reach the building she’s renting a room in, she pulls in slowly, cutting the ignition. The fire we had felt at the park seemed to be returning in full force, and as soon as we slip out of the car, we’re tangled in each other once more. Our lips work in desperation, and she pins me against the outer wall of the building, apparently uncaring of who sees. I tangle my hands in her hair, and someone whistles as they drive by, jolting us apart once more. I’m not usually one to get so swept up in passion, and embarrassment flushes my cheeks. She simply rumbles a laugh, taking me by the hand and moving to unlock the door to the building.
“Stop! You stop right there!” A familiar masculine voice screams, and I shriek as strong arms pull me away from my lover. I look over my shoulder, both relieved and horrified to see who has me.
It’s my father.
CHAPTER FIVE
I sputter incoherently for a moment, and Brianna looks at my father and I with wide eyes.
“Dad! What on Earth!” I demand, but he simply pulls me closer to himself, staring daggers at Brianna. She shrinks away, and it’s obvious that she’s as oblivious to what has set the man off as I am.
“You should have stayed away from my daughter. History will not repeat itself, do you hear me?” My father roars. Brianna’s eyes widen, and my heart breaks at the look of sheer terror in her eyes.
“Daddy, stop! She’s my… friend!” I bite out, meeting Brianna’s gaze and trying to reassure her with my eyes alone. She averts her eyes, and my father laughs hollowly. I try to reach out to her, but she flinches away.
“Y
ou should listen to your father, Kitten.” She says dully. Anger lances through my body, and I shove away from my father, grabbing her by the arm. Her eyes widen in shock, and she stares pleadingly at me.
“Tell her the truth Brianna! You owe us that, at the very least.” My father shouts, looking as if he is fully prepared to strike the woman. I stare in confusion between the two of them, and my father waits a moment for her to speak. Hell, at this point, even I’m waiting for her to explain herself.
“You need to leave.” Brianna says, meeting my eyes reluctantly. I reach out to caress her cheek, but my father yanks me backwards and places himself between us, leveling an icy cold glare at her.
“If you won’t say it, then I will.” He says icily. “Brianna isn’t what she seems. She’s a murderer. Ronald did a bit of digging in her past, and she killed her girlfriend before coming here! She’s probably planning to kill you next!” My dad shouts, and my eyes widen in disbelief. Brianna’s eyes grow cold, and she crosses her arms defensively across her chest. At first, all I can do is laugh at the absurdity of the accusation, but as Brianna’s expression becomes angrier and angrier, my laughter dies off.
“It’s not true.” I say, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. Brianna stares at me, neither confirming or denying what I’ve said. “It’s not true, right? Bri! It’s not true, is it?” I say pleadingly. She considers me for a moment, her expression softening for half a second before she seems to steel herself again.
“Go home.” She says coldly. She turns her back to me, unlocking the door to her apartment and stepping inside. I scream after her, but she ignores me, slamming the door behind her. I stare at the door, mouth hanging agape as my father drags me away. I allow myself to be pulled, the reality of the situation settling heavily upon my shoulders. I begin to sob, the tears quaking my entire body as I slip into the passenger seat of my father’s car. He fastens me in, gently brushing my tears away before slipping into the driver’s seat.
“It can’t be true…” I sob hopelessly. My father remains silent for a long moment, starting the car’s ignition.
“I’m only looking out for your best interests, Kitten. You have to know that. I already lost your mother, I can’t lose you too…” He murmurs weakly in response. I sink into the passenger seat as we drive home, tears streaming down my faces as images of the time I’ve spent with Brianna spin through my head. She had seemed so kind. So genuine, so sincere. I was going to tell her tonight that I was in love with her, because I was so sure she felt the same. It seems so absurd, but if she was not the one who killed her previous girlfriend, why didn’t she argue the point? There has to be something more to the story, but I don’t know what it could be. I can’t shake the soul shattering thought that Brianna did not even want to fight for me. and as my father pulls into the driveway of my childhood home, I rip my seatbelt off before stumbling out of the car. He gasps, obviously concerned, before circling around the car to help me into the house. I refuse to budge from the spot I stand upon, however, fighting against his insistent grip. “Honey, I know it hurts now, but--” He says, or at least tries to say, but I will have nothing of it. I give him a mighty shove, tears spilling down my cheeks.
“It’s not true! I know her better than you could ever know her. It’s not true! I love her, daddy!” I scream, turning around with the full intent to walk back to her apartment.
“You’re not even a lesbian, Kitten! This is some foolish infatuation, with a proven murderer no less! Who knows what she planned to do to you!?” He belts out in response. I turn to narrow my eyes upon him, fury boiling my insides.
“I know she loved me too. I know there’s more to this story than Ronald told you.” I bite out coldly. My father’s expression droops, and he opens his mouth to speak, but I cut him short. “I know you don’t trust me, daddy. I know you think I’m just your silly and careless daughter. But I’ve never been more sure of something in my life. She’s the only thing that remotely numbed the pain of mom being gone. I’m sorry you can’t move on, but… I have to.” I mutter. His eyes widen in shock, and I immediately regret the words, wishing I had framed them more nicely. However, it’s too late to bother with that right now, as I know I have to find Brianna before she gives up on me altogether. My father’s expression droops, but I don’t consider him a moment longer as I bolt down the street in the direction of Brianna’s home.
I don’t know what I’ll say to her. I have no idea what she’ll say to me. I can only hope she puts an end to this stupid story about her being a murderer, and maybe… maybe we can work things out. It begins to rain as I walk the streets to Brianna’s house, my already aching feet begin to grow into agonizing pain from the roughness of the sidewalk. I should have grabbed some shoes at the very least, but admittedly this was not my brightest moment. I’ve been told that love makes you do stupid things, and my father has done nothing but prove that fact since my mother was killed. However, I can’t feel any sympathy for the older man right now. I know it’s not the same, not even remotely so, but in his desperation to keep hold of any reminders of his love, he tried to tear me away from my own true love. He had to know how absurd the idea of Brianna killing anyone was. I couldn’t be the only one who saw through Ronald’s sneaky scheme.
Most of all, I just wish she would tell me what happened. The truth. As certain as I am that the woman I so loved could not have murdered anyone, I can not reconcile that certainty with the fact that she did not deny it.
By the time I reach the outer door to her apartment, my clothes and hair are soaking wet from the rain. My feet are bleeding and blistered, but none of that matters. All that matters is making this right. I pound on the outer door, shouting out her name. When I receive no reply, I turn the knob. The door opens, and I rush upstairs to where her apartment area lies. I internally prepare what I’m going to say to her, anything to convince her that I care about her no matter what. Anything to convince her that I don’t believe this cold and callous lie about her. As I ascend the final step towards her apartment, I reach out to the final door that lies between us. I brace myself, closing my eyes as I grip the doorknob. I can only hope she does not turn me away again. Pulling the door open, I part my lips to declare my undying love for her-- as dramatic as that likely sounds. However, it seems this nightmare simply will not end as I take in what lay inside her apartment. Or more specifically, what was absent.
The whole place was cleaned out. Brianna was nowhere to be seen.
CHAPTER SIX
Unable to accept what lies before me, I bolt into the small apartment area, searching for any trace of the woman I love. Every trace of her is absent, save her lingering scent on the pillows and sheets she had slept upon the night previous. Tears spring to my eyes, and I’m stricken by what we’ve shared in this apartment. Did it truly mean nothing to her?
I trace my hands along the sheets, drawing my lip between my teeth. Perhaps I should give up. That would be the logical thing to do. Ronald’s story was beginning to seem more likely, but I couldn’t allow myself to believe it. Why else would Brianna bolt from town entirely, however? Then, it struck me. That was her plan. Leaving town. Well, how did she very well expect to do that without the very car I had seen abandoned in the parking lot? Knowing my destination, I bolt from the abandoned apartment, scrambling down the stairs. The rain is only pouring down harder, and thunder booms in the skies, but I’ve come too far to give up now. I’m already soaked, after all. I struggle to remember where the nearest bus stop is, and upon recalling, I quickly make my way down the sidewalk. Cars fly by me, water splashing from the road and soaking me even more thoroughly to the bone. I shiver, cursing my foul luck and even more fervently cursing that scumbag Ronald. In the distance, I spot the bus stop, with one long figure standing underneath the shelter.
“Brianna!” I scream, bolting towards her. She turns in my direction, eyes widening as if she can’t believe what she’s seeing. She hesitates for half a second before rushing out from under the shelte
r, shedding her coat and throwing it around my shoulders. She shields me from the rain as best as she can, and though it’s a lost cause at this point, I allow her to do so. She drags me underneath the bus stop shelter, eyes wide and wild as she takes in my dishevelled appearance.
“Kitten! What on Earth were you thinking? You’ll catch your death out in this weather and--” She pauses, taking in my blistered and bleeding feet. “Sit, sit, god, what in the world--” She continues, but before she can go any further, I interrupt her.
“I love you, Bri.” I blurt, reaching out to her. She makes no move to slip away, though the confession clearly alarms her.
“You don’t know what you’re saying.” She mutters, helping me to the bench and propping my feet up, examining them with a cringe. Tears spring to my eyes, and I grasp her by the shirt, pulling her closer to me.
“Why does everyone keep dismissing me? Don’t my feelings matter? I know what I’m saying, and I mean it, Bri. I love you. I’ve loved you since I first lay eyes upon you. If you don’t feel the same… well, of course you don’t, but… that’s fine! I just… I just want the truth.” I choke out, tears spilling down my cheeks. Out of desperation, I press my lips to hers, and she is agonizingly stiff against me. Then, slowly, she wraps her arms around me, tenderly moving her lips against my own. I sob against her, and I know this is likely the least sexy situation on earth, but at least she’s not gone. She pulls away after a moment, keeping a hand tangled in my hair. She considers me with a worried expression, pressing our foreheads together in a familiar show of affection.
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