A Light in the Dark_Survival of the Fittest

by Christina Kirby

  He caught Jessica’s eye and nodded and then with Bowie tucked in his arms, he made his way to her. If there was one person on the planet who hated him as much as Brie, Jessica was the one. Better to let her kick him while he was down.

  “I take it you’ve seen her?” Jessica’s words were clipped, but not filled with the venom he expected.

  “I did.”

  “And, how’d that go for you?”

  He inhaled deeply through his nose and gave his head a slight shake.

  “That’s about what I expected.” Jessica leaned in, “At least she didn’t kick you in the knob like I would’ve.” When he didn’t say anything, her eyes sparkled. “Wait, she didn’t, did she?”

  “No, she didn’t kick me. I’m pretty sure she wanted to though.”

  Jessica leaned back in her chair. “I’m sure, but she’s too classy for it.”

  He nodded. “Listen, Jessica, I’m sorry about missing your show and for you know, pulling Brie away. It was never my intention.”

  “I know, but it’s good of you to say so.” Jessica sighed. “Bailey, the truth is I like you. I shouldn’t. I should wish you dead, but I can’t.”

  “Thanks, I think.”

  Bowie purred loud enough that he got Jessica’s attention. Smiling, she reached for him and gave him a chin rub, one that must’ve been euphoric from the way Bowie’s eyes half-closed in appreciation.

  “So, Bailey, what’s your plan?”

  He met Jessica’s gaze and raised one eyebrow.

  “You know, to get Brie back. What’re you going to do?”

  “Considering I asked her to marry me and she said no, I’m not sure what else I can do.”

  “You asked her to marry you?” Jessica’s voice was so loud Bowie jumped off her lap and everyone else in the room stopped speaking and stared with matching shocked expressions. It was like a scene from a movie when the needle of a record player suddenly screeches to a halt and everyone goes still.

  “You asked her to marry you?” Oliver finally choked out. “Holy shit, B. I thought you were going to talk to her.”

  Bailey wasn’t immune to the looks being passed around the room. Blood heated his face.

  “I did talk to her. I talked and talked and apologized and then I asked her. I couldn’t think of a better way to make her understand that I’m not going anywhere.”

  Jessica let out a low whistle. “You yanks don’t mess around.”

  Bailey leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees while he racked his brain for another idea. How could he prove to Brie that he loved her? How could he make her see he was sorry? And, that he’d spend the rest of his life making it up to her if she’d let him?

  “I think you’re going to have to give her some time.”

  Bailey raised his eyes to meet Jessica’s and she put her hand on his shoulder. “She loves you, Bailey, but you’re going to have to be patient. Six months ago, I wouldn’t have believed she’d be willing to give up on her New York plans for anyone, but for you, she would’ve. At least she would’ve until you screwed things up. You’ve changed something in her.”

  Miserable, Bailey let his head hang. “I never meant to do that. She’s perfect the way she is—”

  Jessica waved her hands to stop him. “Of course, she is, but the change I’m talking about is good. She opened back up with you as though this light that used to be inside her flickered back to life. But, even so you’re going to have to let her come back around to you in her own time.”

  “I can do that.”

  Jessica smiled. “I know you can and when you get ready to pop the question for real, we’ll be here for you to make sure you don’t screw the pooch a second time.”

  Bailey laughed and glanced around the room at his brother, bandmates, and new friends. They were his people, his tribe and in time with their help, he’d find a way to earn Brie’s trust again.

  ~ ~ ~

  Brie stepped back from the full-length mirror and gave herself a onceover. The black gown and cap brought a level of satisfaction she could hardly describe. With tears in her eyes, she inhaled and held her head high. She’d done it. After years of hard work and determination she’d finished the DPhil program. Her thesis complete, her final interviews over—all she had left to do was accept her certificate and get on her way.

  “There you are,” Jessica burst into the room and gave her a brief hug.

  “You better get out there if you’re going to get a seat.”

  “Oh, that’s what Cohen’s for. He’s keeping your mum and brother entertained.”

  “I bet he is.”

  Jessica met her eyes in the mirror, “Bailey’s out there, too. Looking quite fit if I do say so myself.”

  “No denim jacket?”

  “Oh no, he’s still wearing the jacket, but this time, he’s wearing a tie with it.”

  They shared a laugh over Bailey’s inability to blend in. No matter how long he stayed at Oxford or picked up the traditional habits, he would continue to be his own man. A man who was meant to stand out in a crowd. An announcement signaled the ten-minute warning.

  “You’d better go.”

  “Yeah.” Jessica opened the door and paused. “You know, Bailey’s been trying really hard over the last few months, maybe it’s time to forgive him. You could invite him out to go to dinner with the rest of us after.”

  “Yeah, maybe.”

  Jessica rapped the door with her knuckles and left Brie alone with her thoughts. It was true. Bailey had been trying. True to his word, he’d stayed in Oxford and though he wasn’t allowed to pick up any classes until the summer semester, he’d been busy helping out in the music department. Thanks to Cohen, Bailey was giving extra help to those who needed it.

  And, when he wasn’t assisting at the school, or doing radio press in preparation for the upcoming release of Survival of the Fittest’s new album, he’d been romancing her. Fresh flowers each week and coffee deliveries before class, tickets to art openings, group outings with their friends where he gave her a respectable amount of space. He’d been the perfect gentleman and it was wearing thin.

  While his thoughtfulness was moving, seeing him and not being with him was torture. To know what it was like to be with him and to be kissed by him and then not being able to have him was like a knife being slipped ever so slowly between her ribs.

  Because the truth was she had forgiven him. It was no longer a matter of forgiveness, but of reality. She was leaving in a few weeks. What good would it do to give him hope now? What could come of it? Sure, they might fall back in step, but what then? She’d leave and it would be like losing him all over again and she wasn’t sure she’d survive it a second time.

  The door opened a fraction and the devil himself popped his head in.

  “Hey,” when she smiled, he took it as an open invitation and let himself the rest of the way in the room. “I just wanted to give you your graduation present and tell you how proud of you I am. I know it may not mean as much coming from me, but damn, Brie. I’m in awe of you.”

  Her throat threatened to close at his words. Of course, it meant a lot coming from him, but she refused to admit it. Refused to acknowledge how amazing he looked with his skinny tie and button up.

  He held out a small blue box, one every woman recognized as being from Tiffany & Co. and her eyes grew wide. “Bailey, you shouldn’t have.”

  “Don’t worry, it isn’t anything crazy.”

  Their gazes met as they both caught his meaning.

  “Open it.”

  Her fingers trembled as she pried off the lid and then her heart skipped a beat. Inside was a silver necklace of a paint brush surrounded by a palate of paints, each color represented by a different gemstone.

  “It’s beautiful. Thank you,
Bailey.”

  He held out his hand for it. “May I?”

  She nodded once and then held up her hair so he could put it around her neck. His fingertips brushed her skin and sent a rush of heat racing up and down her spine. She leaned back on her heel a breath away from leaning into him and letting him hold her. Her heart soared at the thought of him wrapping his arms around her and pressing his lips to her neck.

  “There.” All too soon he took a step back and took the feel of his body and his soft touch with him. “I’ll see you out there.”

  She turned, suddenly fearful she’d never feel his hands on her again. “Bailey.”

  In two steps she was against him and pressing her lips to his. The familiar heat tangled with the desperate longing after months apart as she held onto him. He was reluctant at first, cautious, but when she nudged at his lips with her tongue he took her in and threatened to devour her.

  The kiss turned into desperate groping and she couldn’t stop herself. She walked toward him, pushing him in the direction she wanted to go. She tugged at his waistband and he at her dress and when the back of his legs hit the couch, they fell together.

  As she straddled his lap, he gripped her hips and guided her until he filled her with one thrust. The pleasure was sudden and acute, cutting through the distance as though no time had passed at all. They were feverish, grinding together in a haze of desire and recklessness, uncaring that someone could walk in or that she might miss her own ceremony.

  She slowed and took in each glorious inch of him slow enough to have him forcing his face against her breast to muffle a curse. She threw her head back and moaned, his hand quickly covering her mouth as they reached the edge together.

  Footsteps sounded outside the door as other graduates headed for the ceremony. Their eyes met and held while their breaths came fast.

  “I’d better go.” She managed to move her jelly-like legs to stand, letting her dress and gown fall back into place as though nothing had happened.

  He nodded and as he was putting himself back together she left him there without another word.

  Chapter 31

  Bailey stood at the back of the audience while Brie moved across the stage to accept her certificate. As she shook hands with the head of the school, beaming with pride, he grinned along with her from his place near a large oak tree. It was true what they said about wanting the best for the person you loved. He wanted nothing more than for Brie to be happy and to have her every wish granted. And, he’d come close to accepting she was meant to do it without him.

  But, not anymore.

  When she kissed him in the dressing room, everything changed. She could keep him at arm’s length and try to convince herself otherwise, but he was sure now. Sure she loved him as much as he loved her. Whatever had happened in the past was the past and he’d paid his penance. He wasn’t going to waste any more time being apart from her. In the blink of an eye, his plans had changed.

  The ceremony concluded with laughter and pictures in a sea of black, but Bailey found the man he was looking for easy enough. Mr. Catling was shaking hands with one of the many graduates and offered Bailey a smile when he approached.

  “Mr. Honeycutt, I see you dressed up for the occasion.”

  Bailey glanced down at his attire and shrugged. “I try my best, sir.”

  “Indeed.” Though Mr. Catling was of the old school variety, Bailey saw his mouth twitch as he fought a smile. He was a good man and Bailey hoped like hell his decency would play in his favor one more time.

  “Sir, may I have a word?”

  Mr. Catling glanced around at the thinning crowd and then at his watch. “Can it wait until office hours next week?”

  “No, sir. I’m afraid it can’t.”

  Mr. Catling pursed his lips and gave one brisk nod. “Okay, then. Meet me in my office in twenty minutes.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  Bailey hurried off in search of familiar faces and thanks to the purple streaks highlighting Jessica’s braids, found the group talking animatedly in the center of the lawn. Brie saw him first, her eyes raking over him as he approached. His blood stirred at the sight of her. What he wanted was to sweep her off her feet and get her alone. What had happened earlier had been incredible, as it always was with Brie, but he wanted more. He wanted to take his time and reacquaint himself with each part of her.

  When he caught her eye, her cheeks reddened. It seemed he wasn’t the only one thinking about their last meeting.

  “I have to go see my mom and brother off. Catch you lot later, then?” Brie waved and left the group, and not two seconds later Jessica was at his side.

  “Something happened between you two,” she narrowed her eyes at Bailey, ready to cut through any bullshit answer he might throw her way.

  He simply nodded. “She’s still in love with me.”

  “No shit,” Jessica used the back of her hand to swat his bicep. “What are you going to do about it, then?”

  Bailey grinned at Jessica and then John, Freddie, Cohen and Mei. “Friends, I need your help with something.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Brie huffed out a breath and sent a loose strand of hair flying. Sitting amongst the pile of boxes made the reality of her impending move all too real. In two days, she was set to be on her way to New York thanks to some unexpected graduation gifts and more than a little frugal planning, it was happening.

  Her shoulders slumped as she stared around the small space and empty walls that had been her home for the last four years. Change was hard, but necessary. Isn’t that what her mother had always said whenever one chapter of their lives closed?

  She stood, annoyed at herself for the glum mood she couldn’t shake. She was supposed to be happy. She was getting everything she wanted, wasn’t she? Brie glanced at her checklist again and compared it to the boxes marked with thick black letters, winter clothes, summer clothes, jumpers, books—it was all there and yet the nagging feeling something was missing lurked at the corner of her subconscious.

  Jess bounded into the room, at least a few steps before her path was blocked by boxes. “Brie, you’re never going to believe what I heard on the tele.”

  “What?”

  “A man was arrested in West London for theft.” When Brie showed a lack of enthusiasm, Jessica’s eyes widened. “Brie, it was Theo.”

  Brie swallowed. It looked as though karma had come around.

  “The tosser,” Jess spat. “I hope he rots in prison.”

  “What did he supposedly steal? No, wait. Don’t tell me. It doesn’t matter.” Brie closed her eyes and exhaled, waiting for some sort of emotion to take hold, but there was nothing. She wasn’t happy about Theo’s situation, but she wasn’t sad either. When she opened her eyes, she finally accepted that he was nothing to her anymore, just a man she used to know.

  “Forget him.” Jessica tapped her hands on top of the box in front of her. “Come out with me tonight.”

  “We went out last night as I recall.” She nodded toward the aspirin bottle still sitting on her bedside table from the night before. “How much can one person’s liver take?”

  “Oh, it’s not like that. There’s this new art exhibit opening and I really want to go. Please,” she put her hands together as though in prayer and gave her puppy dog eyes, “please, please, please. One final art show together.”

  Brie laughed. “Okay, okay. Let’s go.”

  “Yes,” Jessica danced in a small circle.

  “You’re completely mental.”

  Jessica tossed her braids with in an overdramatic gesture. “But, you love me.”

  “This is true.” Unexpected tears welled in Brie’s eyes and she batted them away. “I’m going to miss you.”

  Jessica stuck out her bottom lip and leaned over a box to pull Brie into a h
ug. “Me, too, but I’ll be in New York before you know it to visit.”

  Brie held on and fought the urge to sob. Though they’d be friends for life, of that she was certain, it would never be the same. The wheels of change were turning once again.

  “Okay, now.” Jessica righted herself. “That’s enough of that. I refuse to spend my last days with you moping about.”

  “Right.” Brie sniffled. “Okay then.”

  Jessica started to leave and stopped, eyeing Brie from head to toe and then back again. “You might want to wear something a bit nicer tonight.”

  Brie glanced down at her yoga pants and loose-fitting sweatshirt. “You think?”

  When Jessica nodded, Brie threw a sock at her head and sent her running.

  ~ ~ ~

  Later that night, dressed in a flatmate-approved little black dress and heels, Brie squeezed into a taxi with Cohen and Jessica. They, too, were dressed smartly for the occasion and Brie did her best not to feel like the third wheel, while running her finger along the side of her shoe where it was already rubbing against her skin.

  “So, what’s the deal with tonight’s show? Is it one artist or several being showcased?”

  Cohen deferred to Jessica, who shrugged. “I don’t know much, but I believe there is more than one artist with work on display. I heard about it really last minute.”

  Brie nodded and stared out the window at the familiar sights of Oxford that would soon be in her rearview window. In the coming weeks, she’d be trading buildings with hundreds of years of history for structures less historically rich, but equally as fascinating. They passed The Splash Pad and the Bullingdon and continued on until they were on the edge of town. Brie opened her mouth to ask if they were heading all the way into London, when their cabbie pulled to a stop in front of a small glass-front shop with no signage out front.