Maybe she’s right. Maybe she should go. At least then he wouldn’t be able to get his hands on her.
“Where would you go?” I have to stay open to the idea even if I don’t want to.
“I found a lady who helps women in my situation leave. I’d have a new identity, and I could start over somewhere. I’ve been planning this for a long time.” Her voice is almost too quiet for me to hear, even with our close proximity.
“But where?” I need more specifics here.
“I don’t know where I’m going yet, but when I do, I won’t be able to tell you. I can’t tell anyone. It’ll be a whole new start.”
“Where you are going? So, you’ve already made up your mind about this, haven’t you?”
Sunday is stubborn. If her decision is made, I won’t be able to sway her.
Can I let her go?
I’m not selfish enough to ask her to stay, but the thought of losing her forever tears me up.
“I have. The arrangements have already been made,” she confesses in a whisper.
“When?” For her, I try to keep it together.
“I can’t tell you that either.” Sunday throws her arms around my neck, and I tightly squeeze her back.
She’s leaving. She can’t tell me when or where she’s going. I won’t even know her new name.
This is good-bye.
Blindsided.
Crushed.
I’m losing my best friend. Maybe forever.
I fight back devastating emotion that threatens to come tumbling out.
“I’ll always want the best for you, Sun, but I wish I could have given it to you here.”
“This isn’t your fault. The only one to blame is Matt. I regret ever meeting him. I can’t live the rest of my life like this though. I need to be free.”
“I get it. I really do, but that doesn’t mean I like it.”
“I love you, Braze. You’ll always be my best friend.” Her voice is thick with heartache.
“I love you, too, Sunday.” My voice matches hers.
“Noah is good for you. I’m happy I got to meet her before I left because I’m sure she’s the one for you.”
“Is this why you pushed me toward her?”
“Duh. I needed to know you’d be okay after I was gone. Also, in case you haven’t figured it out, Noah is it for you. I’m sure of it. I see it every time you look at her. Don’t screw it up, Hale.” Sunday wipes at the tears that have heavily unleashed from her eyes.
“I don’t plan on it.”
Lately, everything is moving so fast. Noah has swiftly found a place in my life. I saw a girl on a porch, and the next thing I know, I’m falling for her. Everything about that couldn’t be better. But, now, this new particular about Sunday leaving is out of the blue, and from the sound of it, at any moment, she will most likely disappear into the night without a trace.
“I know you don’t know much or can’t tell me, but will this happen soon? Like, are our minutes numbered, or do we have a little time before you go?” I sit up on the couch and steal Sunday’s turkey sandwich. Surprises make me hungry, and I love spicy mustard almost as much as she does.
“I honestly don’t know. I’m waiting for arrangements to be made and to be given the green light.”
“And, this woman, she knows what she’s doing? Matt won’t be able to find you?”
“It’s not like I could check out her Facebook reviews, Brazen. But, yeah, my gut tells me that I’ll be okay with her. There’s no guarantee that Matt won’t ever find me if he looks hard enough, but I do know that, here, he knows exactly where I am.”
My mom is going to be devastated when she finds out Sunday is leaving. Mom has always seen her as a daughter. It’ll kill me to tell her.
“Here.” She pulls out papers from her bag and hands them to me.
“What’s this?”
“I signed over my half of the business.”
“You shouldn’t have done this. We built Brazen Sun together. I don’t want you to give it up.”
“I can’t keep the rights to a business I might never return to again.” She pauses. “Won’t return to. This is for forever.” She chews on her lip. “I’m still getting used to that. It hasn’t sunk in.”
Marriages.
Children.
Our lives.
Sunday won’t be a part in any of it, and I’ll never know what happened to her.
“We’ll make the most of the time we have left. For however long that is,” I tell her.
“Thank you for letting me go.” She leans over and snatches the last few bites of the sandwich she made for herself.
“I’m not letting you go. You’ll always be that annoying voice in my head, telling me what I’m doing wrong. You’ll always be with me.”
“You make it sound like I’m dying.” Her nose scrunches with displeasure.
“Nope, it’s not the end. It’s your fresh start, and I’m happy for you.” And I am—for her, but not for me.
“Happy? I knew you’d be glad to be rid of me.”
“Sunday, shut up.” I toss the paper plate at her head.
Noah
The sound of the doorbell wakes me.
I push my covers off and rise from the bed. Then, I throw my hair up in a mess of tangles before venturing out of my bedroom to see who is at the door.
I check through the peephole before answering, and then I blush.
I hate to jump to conclusions, but when I see the man standing outside, holding flowers, my immediate thought is that Brazen has done something sweet. I throw open the door, thankful that he would do something like this.
“I have a flower delivery. Just sign here,” the guy on my porch announces while pushing a clipboard at me.
I happily sign on the dotted line and then take the bundle of beautiful roses. My fingers can’t open the card fast enough.
SUNDAY,
YOU WILL ALWAYS BE MINE, NO MATTER WHAT.
LOVE, MATT
“You bitch! I want to wake up to a hot guy sending me flowers.” There is laughter in Madison’s voice as she steps around the corner, rubbing her eyes.
“Me, too, but these aren’t for me.” I hold the card out to Madison as I set the flowers on the coffee table. What I really want to do is throw them into the garbage.
She opens it and explodes. “Fuck him! He won’t let her fucking live. He won’t even let her fucking breathe. He’s slowly suffocating her.” She rips the card to pieces and throws it at the horrible red clusters of blooms.
“What’s going on?” Benson steps into the living room. Despite the early morning, his eyes are wide, and they flick between the two of us and the bouquet. “I’m guessing those aren’t from Brazen?”
Madison lip curls up in disgust when she utters Matt’s name while we all stare at the flowers as if they are going to attack at any moment. The left side of Benson’s face twitches as the energy in the room turns ugly.
“I want breakfast,” Benson says simply, sounding less stressed than I feel, before he turns and walks into the kitchen.
“Matt is such a coward. He knew he couldn’t send the delivery to Brazen’s, so he sent them here. He constantly has to keep reminding Sunday that he’s never far from her. We can’t tell her about this.”
Madison storms off toward the kitchen behind Benson.
I grab the flowers and pieces of the ripped up card, and then I walk outside to throw them into the garbage can.
Why couldn’t they have just been from Brazen?
When I join my roommates in the kitchen, Benson is cooking, and Madison is at the table, stewing in her contempt for Matt.
“I’m sick and tired of that psycho!” Madison slams her fist on the table.
Benson jumps and then throws her a scathing look.
“Sorry, Benny, but he’s just so infuriating.”
Without a word, Benson turns back to the stove.
Madison kicks back her chair and abruptly stands. “I’m going to take a show
er. I need to wash the anger from my skin.”
Benson sets down three plates of eggs and toast—one for me, one for him, and the last for Madison’s now empty seat. He looks down at his food and quietly digs in.
“You okay?” I ask him.
“I don’t like that word,” he tells me. “I know Matt is a bad guy, and he probably is a psycho, but Madison knows I don’t like that word. People think I’m weird, and they’ve called me names my whole life. I’m not crazy, and I’m not a psycho. I just don’t want to be caught off guard.”
“Madison didn’t mean to upset you. You know neither of us would ever call you names. Matt just has everyone all shaken up.”
“I would never hurt anyone,” he defends, admittedly rather brashly.
“I know you wouldn’t, Benson.”
He sets down his fork and looks at me like I have all the answers. Maybe I can help with a few.
“Where is this coming from?”
“Are you happy, Noah?” He folds his hands neatly in his lap.
Benson has a habit of seemingly ignoring my questions, but I think he’s working his way up to getting to them.
“I always try to be. At least in the moment, but for the first time, I think I am overall. Are you?” The question makes me nervous, but I really want my friend to be happy.
“Did you know I’m on probation? Did Madison tell you?” he answers my question with a few of his own.
“No. Do you want to tell me?” I can’t say I’m not curious about his admission.
“I got arrested about six months before you moved in. I think the judge showed me leniency because he knew I couldn’t handle jail.”
“What did you do?”
I didn’t expect that Benson had problems with the law, but I keep my tone free from judgment. He deserves my understanding since he didn’t judge me when I first got here. Sure, he thought I was a spy, but once we cleared that up, he was free of judgment.
“I had a rather bad episode. Sometimes, these thoughts get in my head, and I just can’t escape them.” He literally shakes his head, like the thoughts will fly out.
“Bad episode?”
“I thought someone was following me. They had trailed behind my car for miles and taken every turn that I did. I pulled off into a gas station and bunkered down inside after locking the door. There were other customers inside though, and I guess one of the women was really scared.”
“Oh no, Benson.”
“The lady called the police, and she told them I had a gun. Noah, I swear I didn’t, but she was just so frightened and thought I was robbing the store or something. The cops showed up, thinking they had a hostage crisis. It was all a big misunderstanding, I promise.”
“I believe you.” I can even see it unfolding in my mind.
“Things mostly got cleared up, but I still got stuck with a small charge. In a way, I’m kind of glad it happened because I think the experience and the consequence have been good for me.”
“Well, that’s good, Benny.”
“You asked me if I was happy though. I explained that because I just wanted you to understand more. It’s hard for me to know if I’m happy. My mind moves so fast, and certain things are on a continuous loop that it makes it hard for me to actively process my emotions. My brain is on overdrive so much that the only thing I can concentrate on are the intense messages.”
“That makes sense.”
The boy always looks like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders.
“I want you to be happy though.”
“Before my probation is over, I’ve been ordered to complete some therapy. I’ve been emailing with a therapist who specializes in people with obsessive tendencies in hopes that I can find someone who will truly understand my issues.”
Counselors came in and out of Golden Heights. I’ve seen a lot of them in my lifetime. Frankly, I hope I never have to see one again, but I can freely admit that the right doctor can make a world of difference in someone’s life. If Benson finds the right person for him, it could be helpful for whatever he wants to improve.
“I think that’s a great idea!”
“You do?”
“I really do.”
“Good. Then, it’s settled.”
My morning has been a lot more eventful since my head left the pillow than I anticipated. Matt is using our home to continue to get at Sunday, and Benson has a mug shot out there somewhere. I’m quickly growing tired of a man I’ve never met, but as for Benson, I’m grateful every time he shares with me. I know it’s hard for him to trust people, and his open heart means he’s comfortable in our friendship. Things like that are what I was missing in my life before I came to Bay Town.
Now, I’d like to continue my day with a hot shower and a daily dose of Brazen.
He’s the best part about my new life here.
Brazen
“How long is your lease at the house?” It’s something that’s been on my mind.
Noah adjusts her bikini bottom as she takes her last step out of the pool and squeezes the water from her hair before she answers me, “It’s month to month, but we haven’t talked about it since I moved in. Everything just kind of worked and fit after I got there. So, I think we’ve all just assumed I would stick around.”
I sit on a lounge chair by my pool in my backyard, and Noah walks toward me. She pinches the top of my knee before she sits to rest between my legs.
“I’ll have interesting tan lines from this position,” I tell her with a laugh.
“I’m okay with that.” She relaxes back and enjoys the sun against her face.
“Me, too.” I play with her wet hair, which still smells like cake mix even though she just got out of the pool. “You didn’t tell Sunday about the flowers, did you?”
“No, Madison and I agreed not to tell her, which Benson was okay with, too.” She looks at me, squinting against the harsh light. “Are you worried about her?”
“No, not really.” Why am I lying? “Okay, maybe yeah, but Sunday has that fighter quality. I’m more worried about her losing that over anything else. Other than the business, Sunday has been coasting for a long time. It’s all she’s been able to do. I just want her to find that free spirit she used to have.”
“You’re sweet when you worry,” she says, biting her lip. “I’m lucky to have found you.”
“Yeah? Back at ya.”
She really has no idea how true that is. Everything is about to change. I never saw this coming. The rest of my life will be totally different than I imagined it without Sunday being part of it.
“Can I talk to you about something?”
“Of course.”
Noah grabs the sunscreen from the table beside us, and I take it from her hands. I need the distraction, and rubbing lotion onto her skin will help me get through this conversation.
“This can’t leave my house. If Matt found out, it would ruin everything.”
“Your secrets are mine.”
I do already know that.
“In this case, Sunday’s secrets are ours.”
Some sort of understanding washes over her, and she grows more serious. Carefully, she turns on the lounger, settles her legs over my thighs, and faces me. “I’m listening.”
“Sunday is leaving. She’s found someone to help her start a new life. She’s going to disappear, and we won’t know where she is.”
“Oh, Brazen. I’m sorry.” Noah takes both my hands in hers. “Is Sunday okay?”
“She has mixed feelings about it. I don’t think she’s happy that things have come to this. She has to leave the business she’s helped build, me, us, my mom, and everything she’s ever known, but I think she has some relief, knowing she’s going to escape her ex.”
“And are you okay?” Her fingers squeeze mine.
“I can’t take this decision away from her. As much as I don’t want her to go, I can’t ask her to stay. She can’t truly live her life here the way she wants to with Matt always looming over
her.”
“What about their divorce? Won’t Sunday always be connected to him, no matter what?”
“With her new identity, Sunday will probably never be able to marry someone again since she’s still married to Matt, but at this point, that sacrifice outweighs the way things are for her now. Here, she can’t do anything, and once she leaves, there will still be sacrifices, but she’ll have her safety. Even if she can’t ever make it legal, I hope she finds someone who loves her. It just sucks that we won’t be part of it when she does.”
“It’ll be okay. I’m here for you, for both of you. Whatever you need.”
I know she is, and I can’t keep how I feel inside any longer.
This woman deserves all of me.
“Noah, I love you.”
Our relationship hit fast and hard, and my love for her won’t wane slowly or fizzle out. She’s the first girl I’ve ever said those three words to besides Sunday and my mom, but I know she’s the girl for me, and I love her completely. I have zero nerves about the declaration I just made.
She leans forward. Her fingers touch my jaw, and her lips graze mine. She takes her time and gently explores my mouth. Soft lips. Ample tongue. Wandering hands.
She finally knows how I feel about her, and the reciprocation shows in her kiss.
“You just gave me another item to check off my list.” Her voice is breathy.
“What do you mean?” I ask, confused but intrigued.
“Kiss a man I love.” Noah’s hands brace against my chest, and her white smile gleams at me with so much emotion. “I love you, too, Brazen.”
The lounge chair rocks as I stand with her in my arms, and her giggle fills my ears.
“I hope you got to enjoy some sun because our pool day is over, Noah. You won’t be leaving my bed for the rest of the day. I promise you that.”
Her hands cling on to my shoulders as we walk. Her cleavage bounces in her little bathing suit top.
“You’ll hear no complaints from me.”
Inside my bedroom, I lightly toss her onto my bed. She rises up on her knees, ready to play. Her hair is damp, and her cheeks are colored from the sun. Her pink bathing suit allows me to see a lot of her body, but I want more.
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