by BJ Wane
"This is why you need me. You can't see how untrustworthy people are, especially men." Holly glared at her, not liking the desperate look on her face that replaced her earlier mien of resignation and afraid she wasn't getting through to her. "Can't you for once, think of me? You, you, you, it always has to be about you!"
Eve recognized the push towards a guilt trip and was beginning to hear Holly differently; but she still couldn't grasp the full extent of her friend's selfish response, still wanted to believe Holly wasn't putting her need to be a part of Eve's life above Eve's happiness. "Holly, please don't be mad, but I can't give him up, he's worth the risk of heartache, he's worth…"
"Our friendship!" Holly yelled.
The panic behind Holly's strident, irrational reply sent a quiver of unease through Eve. Holding out a placating hand, she tried again to get through to her. "Holly…"
"You know that's not true, Eve, can't be true. For God's sake, what do I have to do to prove to you that men, including your precious Nate, don't care about you the way I do, won't stand by you the way I have?" The angrier she got, the faster she paced and talked, her frustration bubbling to the surface, making her speak rashly. "Didn't I show you not once, but three times in college how untrustworthy they are?"
Eve froze, an ice-cold shiver crawling up her spine. "What do you mean, you showed me?" She had to be wrong, she thought tremulously, but afraid she already knew she wasn't.
"You're too gullible, Eve, believing their lies so they could get in your pants." Holly forced a calmer, more rational tone in her voice, sure she could get Eve to understand and come around. Nothing, and no one, had been able to separate them in all these years. There was no way it could happen now. "All it took was a few well-placed comments to those guys on how difficult your life was, how restrictive and how you struggled with coping. With one of them, I don't remember which now," she said with an airy wave of her hand, not seeing the look of shocked incredulity on Eve's face, "I had to go a step further and allude to us having a lesbian relationship." Holly laughed at that recollection. "You should have seen the look on his face, hon, it was priceless."
"Why? Why would you do that, sabotage my relationships? Didn't you know how badly I wanted to feel normal, how much I wanted sex like any other girl my age? Damn it, Holly," she burst out, anger pushing past her stunned disbelief. "By the time I got desperate and started meeting strangers once a year, I hadn't had sex in years, not since Bobby!"
"Bobby," Holly sneered, resuming her pacing again and rubbing at the growing pain behind her eyes. "This all began with him. Fuck, how could you have let him talk you into leaving me just so you could play the piano in New York? Did you even consider me when making that decision with him?"
Eve closed her eyes, abject despair washing over. In those brief moments of clarity, she had never seen such a clear picture of her friend, making her wonder how she could have been so ignorantly blind for so long. She was almost afraid to hear any more, but desperately needed to know about Bobby. "Holly, what about Bobby?" she whispered, her voice quivering with pain.
"It was disgusting, the way he climbed off you then stood there and shook his bare ass at you. And you were going to desert me for him? I had to do something, surely you can see that."
"You ran us off that road?" Anguish infused Eve's senses, so deep and painful her knees threatened to give out as waves of despair washed over her, threatening to drown her in a sea of emotional turmoil. She didn't know what she expected her to say, but it wasn't that she was responsible for Bobby's death and her blindness. "How could you? How…" Sudden searing heat along her back diverted her thoughts, made her cry out in startling pain and jump away from the fireplace just as the smell of smoke got her attention. "Oh, God, what's wrong with the fire, Holly?"
Holly was oblivious to the flames devouring her coat and licking along the area rug. All she saw was the accusation in Eve's eyes, all she heard was the condemnation in her voice and all she noticed was her attempt to flee past her. "No! You're not leaving me!"
Eve's throat clogged from the acrid smell of smoke, her chest burning as she attempted to inhale the scorching heat, but Holly's hands shoving her shoulders with rough force kept her from escaping and sent her falling back. Blinding pain spread through her head as she struck the edge of the fireplace then she didn't feel, smell or hear anything.
The smoke was thicker, the heat hotter when she roused to Nate's rough curses mingled with prayers as he lifted her, his familiar hard body a secure haven against the revelations of Holly's crippling betrayal. She struggled to open her eyes as he carried her out of the smoldering heat and suffocating smoke, but a blinding yellow glow and vicious pain forced them shut again. She heard Carl and Mark arguing with Holly, their voices fading as the incredible heat was soothed from the blast of cold air and even colder snow.
She quit fighting and gave in to the emotional and physical pain engulfing her, lapsing back into unconsciousness as Nate lowered her onto a gurney.
***
Eve could see. Nate paused outside her hospital door, wondering how she took that surprising result from her fall last night, wishing he hadn't been called away from her bedside early this morning at the insistence of the police so he could have been here. Although rare, the doctors told him, it wasn't unheard of for a person to regain their sight after so long a time after a head trauma to the occipital lobe, and there have been several documented cases where the return of sight was brought on by another trauma. He hated to mar her good fortune with the news of Holly's suicide and breathed a sigh of relief when he heard voices behind the door, indicating she had a lot of company and he could delay telling her a little longer.
So why wasn't he anxious to rush in there and let her get her first glimpse of him? Christ, he could still recall the throat clogging fear that had threatened to choke him when he had pulled up outside her place and saw Carl and Mark running inside, their terror filled cries of 'fire!' spurring him into action. The sight of her neighbors wrestling with Holly as she tried to keep them from reaching Eve, who lay in a crumbled heap with the fire inching toward her, sent him rushing into the room with no other thought but to get her out of there. Luckily, Carl and Mark managed to haul Holly, kicking and screaming obscenities, out right behind him.
He had followed the ambulance to the hospital and insisted on remaining by her side, guilt damn near eating him alive. By the time his own blinders had lifted and he saw what Carl and Mark had been warning him about concerning Holly, it had been almost too late. Other than the brief stirring in his arms when he picked Eve up right before the flames reached her, she hadn't woken again, not even when they ran tests on her. Apparently, right after he was called away this morning to fill the police in on what he knew about Holly and her relationship with Eve, she woke able to see blurry images and dark silhouettes. Now he wondered what Eve's good fortune was going to mean to their relationship.
He knew now, with unequivocal certainty, that she was who he wanted, that his feelings for her had nothing to do with pity for a blind woman but admiration and respect for the woman she was despite her blindness. Now that she could see to a certain degree didn't change anything for him, but did it for her? Would her new lease on life entice her to move on without him? He heard her laugh as he opened the door, and swore he'd do whatever it took to keep her with him, even if he had to take a page out of Dec and Fin's book and tie her to his bed until she agreed she belonged with him.
Epilogue
Eve could see. Not well—distances were blurry, colors were dull, and some objects were fuzzy enough to be barely distinguishable, but she could see. She still couldn't get over that stunning miracle after twelve years. Her doctors had encouraged her to have hope those first months after the accident, but as the months turned into years, she heard those positive words less and less. How ironic was it that Holly had been responsible for both robbing her of her sight then restoring it? As she looked around at the faces of her friends, she wondered how she cou
ld not have seen the difference between true friendship and obsessive behavior. There was Camille sitting next to her, who was prettier than she had imagined and was responsible for bringing her and Nate together. Carl and Mark she recognized by their body shapes as soon as they came in; Carl's tall lanky body and thinning hair exactly how she pictured him and Mark's shorter, rounder frame at odds with his gruff, over-protective personality. The three of them had been fussing over her all morning, and not once had either of the guys said 'I told you so' about Holly.
Her heart squeezed with pain as she recalled the depths of Holly's betrayal, the lengths to which her obsession with Eve had driven her. Bobby. Loving, sweet Bobby who did nothing but care enough for her to want only the best which, at the time, had been admittance into Julliard. He was the one who had pushed with relentless consistency for her to give an audition with the prestigious school a shot. She knew enough about herself that she wouldn't have been brave enough back then to pin her hopes on such a future without his encouragement, and she would have to live with the guilt of the price he paid because he had cared so much for her he wanted only the best. She didn't know how long it would take her to come to grips with all Holly had done to keep Eve to herself or how she went so long without seeing her true self. Being surrounded by true friends, people who knew the true meaning of friendship had been of immeasurable help all morning.
Nate's friends were a complete surprise. She knew the feel of both Dec and Fin's bodies and the sound of all three of their voices, but hadn't had a clue as to what they looked like. She could make out Dec's coal black hair and silver eyes, and that he looked like a lawyer, one she wouldn't want to be on the opposite side of her in a courtroom. Fin's hair was a shade lighter than Dec's, so she assumed it was brown, but she could see his eyes were green and gave away his Irish lineage, as did his occasional exaggerated brogue. Wes could pass for a California beach comber, his blond hair a direct contrast to his dark eyes. What surprised her about him was his aloof manner, noticeable despite the effort she could see he was making not to let whatever was bothering him register to anyone else in the room. Maybe she noticed it because everyone else's attention was on her. All three men were tall and exuded a sexual appeal any red-blooded woman would be hard pressed to ignore, herself included, despite their individual features remaining a blur. Their encouraging, unflagging support this morning meant the world to her, especially given their short, limited acquaintance.
But Eve wanted only one man, could envision her future with only Nate and she was trying desperately not to panic over his absence this morning. She remembered him carrying her out of her burning home, could still hear Holly's strident voice blaming him and Carl and Mark for taking Eve away from her. She had a vague recollection of hearing Nate's voice whispering to her as he crawled into the small hospital bed and held her through the night. But when she came to full consciousness this morning and opened her eyes to the shocking sight of blurry images instead of complete nothingness, he was nowhere around. After that, nurses and doctors were coming in, examining her, explaining how her sight, limited as it was, returned after all this time. By the time they completed another round of tests and announced she was well enough to go home, her room had filled with the beaming faces of everyone close to her—except Nate.
Now that she had seen Holly's true self, she realized how unjust her reticence and behavior toward Nate had been. She never should have left last night without him, never should have listened to Holly's negative remarks after he had shown and told her repeatedly he wanted more than sex from her. The difference between the two of them was now so glaringly obvious. Where Holly consistently reminded her of her limitations, Nate encouraged her to push past them. Holly insisted she not expect more from a relationship than a few nights of sex; Nate browbeat her into giving them a chance to have more. Holly took from her; Nate gave, over and over.
Had he tired of waiting for her to come around, given up on her in the face of Holly's destructive behavior? Had she waited too long to open her eyes and see what was right in front of her all along? They all insisted he would be here to take her home anytime, but no one would tell her where he went. Because Carl and Mark had the foresight to grab her some clothes before leaving this morning, she was dressed and anxious for her doctor to sign the release papers so she could get out of here. She wouldn't think about Holly anymore, or the heartache she was responsible for. With Nate's help, she would deal with Holly's betrayal and find the strength she needed to cut her out of her life completely, that was if his friends were right and he was still willing to have her in his life.
"It's about time," Dec said when Nate stepped into the room, his gaze zeroing in on Eve where she sat in a chair next to the bed. "Your girl's tired of our company and wants to get out of here."
"Is she now?" Nate murmured, eyeing her closely. She had her glasses on again, only this time he didn't mind. He imagined after so many years of seeing nothing, her eyes were sensitive to even the smallest amount of light. He would have to remember to keep the lights low and the shades drawn during the day when he took her to his place. Her look was uncertain but hopeful, which was more than he had expected.
"Dec, that's not true," Eve said, smiling, her heart picking up speed as she got her first look at the man she'd been fucking for three months. From what she could discern, he looked just like the image she formed of him in her mind. His sandy hair curled around the collar of his blue sweatshirt that did nothing to conceal the width of his shoulders and his blue eyes were looking at her with a hint of possessiveness that eased her misgivings and had her pussy dampening. The slow smile turning up his mouth made her want to drop into a puddle at his feet and beg his forgiveness. "Hi."
Her husky voice sent heat crawling through his veins. Even though her eyes were shielded, he could still see the way she looked at him with unabashed longing, could detect nothing but relief and need etched on her face as he approached her. Nate relaxed, realizing he had worried for nothing; she still wanted him as much as he wanted her, and that was all that mattered.
Crouching in front of her, he hesitated before saying, "I'm sorry I wasn't here when you woke. Eve, about Holly, I'm sorry, sugar, but…"
"She's dead?" Eve could tell by the sorrow etched on Nate's face and in his tone he hated being the bearer of that news.
"Yes, by her own hand. I don't have the details…" Her fingers pressed against his mouth, stopping him. He saw unshed tears swimming in her eyes behind the glasses, but also relief it was over.
"I don't need to know. I just want to go home, Nate." She would grieve for her friend, but mostly for whatever was wrong with her that caused her to behave as she did.
"Pumpkin, we'll have your place fixed up in no time, don't you worry about any of that," Carl said as he and Mark prepared to leave.
"In the meantime, you're coming home with me," Nate stated implacably.
"I wouldn't turn down that offer, darlin'." Fin leaned down and kissed her cheek. "He hasn't made it to any other woman."
"Take care, Eve," Wes added as the three of them turned to follow Carl and Mark out.
"Can we walk you out?" Dec asked Camille, his eyes drawn to her mouth-watering figure as she stood, a figure she couldn't hide even in the loose jeans and baggy flannel shirt she was wearing. Why a stunning woman like her wanted to downplay her looks was a question he wouldn't get the chance to ask. She hadn't given any of them much notice since they had arrived thirty minutes ago.
"Um, sure," Camille answered before she gave Eve a brief hug then gave Nate a bigger one as he rose to embrace her.
"Thanks, Camie, for everything."
"I didn't do anything. Take care, Eve. I'll see you at school as soon as you return."
"Bye. Thanks everyone," Eve called out as they all left and she was alone with Nate.
Rising, she reached a hesitant hand out to him. "Nate, I'm sorry about… everything. I should've…" His mouth stopped her stammering apology, his familiar embrace a comfort
ing haven she never wanted to leave.
"My apartment's not as homey as your condo, but it'll do until we can move back into your place. If you don't want to return there, we'll find another place. For now, let's get out of here."
She took his hand with a wide smile. "Have I ever told you how much I like that take charge attitude of yours?"
"It's a good thing, sugar, because that's one thing that's not going to change."
Two hours later, Nate was undressing Eve as she faced his floor to ceiling windows, drinking in the glittering lights of Richmond spread out below her. She shivered in longing when he pulled her top off and cupped her breasts. She could barely make out the light blanket of white snow on the rooftops, but had no trouble seeing Nate's shadowy reflection in the window, his large hands covering her breasts. There was a small lamp lit behind them, just enough glow to cast the elegant, modern living room in his penthouse apartment in muted light, but had her wondering if it was enough illumination to make them visible to anyone looking up.
"Nate," she whispered, turning her face up to his. "Someone might see us."
"Do you care?" he asked, his fingers grasping her nipples and giving them a tug.
Taking a deep breath, she relished the discomfort and ensuing pleasure zipping from her nipples down to her crotch. "No, not right now I don't."
Nate released her nipples and placed her hands on the window. "Keep them there and don't move." When she complied, he stripped her jeans off then wrapped his hands around her buttocks, kneading the soft, malleable flesh. "You know, sugar, I'm still pissed about you taking off with Holly last night without waiting to talk to me."