Forever and Always

by E. L. Todd

  Ryan poured a cup of coffee then handed it to her. He kissed her on the head before he made his own and drank it black. I’d never seen Ryan so attentive to a woman before. When that other girl came to the apartment, Ryan blatantly ignored her until she left. With Janice, Ryan was a whole new man, tender and gentle. Cortland caught the exchange from his seat at the kitchen table.

  “Did you have fun last night?” Cortland smiled.

  Ryan smiled and Janice blushed. “A lot of fun,” Ryan answered.

  I fixed my hair in the mirror then turned to them. “Let’s go,” I said.

  Janice sighed and placed her purse over her arm. It was obvious that she was nervous and frightened about the plan. I didn’t blame her. We left her apartment and took a cab to the front of R and R. We stopped when we were outside the doors.

  I looked at my brother. “You can’t hurt him, Ryan. Just pull him off and keep Janice safe—that’s it.”

  “As much as I enjoyed Sean beating the shit of him, I don’t want you to get in trouble for assault either,” Janice said to Ryan.

  Cortland raised an eyebrow. “Sean attacked your boss?”

  “What is she talking about, Scar?” Ryan asked.

  I sighed. “Long story short, when Sean found out what that creep did to me, he beat Carl up in his own office and sent him to the hospital for a week. Sean didn’t tell me anything—Janice did.”

  “Sean just snapped—he was livid,” Janice said.

  Ryan said nothing for a moment. “Well, I respect him for that, despite what he did to you, Scar.”

  Cortland nodded. “Me too.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” I said. I turned to Janice. “Are you nervous?”

  “Yes,” Janice said. “I’m scared.”

  “My brother would never let anything happen to you.”

  “I know,” she said.

  “Let’s get this mother fucker,” I said as I walked into the building. Because it was the weekend, the lobby was deserted, and we had no trouble getting into the elevator and to the twentieth floor. When we stepped out of the elevator, Janice checked to make sure the office was empty before she ushered us in. Cortland made a hole in the wall of the cubicle that was across from Janice’s desk and had the camera ready for Carl to make his move. Ryan and I hid in a cubicle on the other side of the room so we could hear everything without being seen.

  Ryan was breathing heavily next to me. I knew he was angry that this was happening to Janice and had already happened to me. The relationship between him and Janice was still in a gray area, but I could tell that he cared about her in a profound way. She wasn’t just a fuck-buddy. Ryan would never hurt my best friend and make it awkward between us, despite the fact that I had done it to him when I slept with Cortland. Even though I hurt Ryan more than once, he would never betray me in any way. I didn’t deserve his love.

  Janice was typing on the keyboard, working like any other day, when I heard the sound of heavy footsteps thud down the hall. Without looking, I knew it was Carl by the shuffle of his lazy feet.

  “You are here late,” I heard Carl say to Janice in a sleazy voice. It sounded like he was trying to be flirtatious but he was failing miserably. Ryan locked his gaze to mine and I nodded, silently confirming Carl’s voice. Ryan clenched his fists together and his veins popped on his hands.

  “I like a woman who works hard for her money,” Carl said as he stepped closer to her. The anger rushed through my body at his words. I had heard him say those very words to me on countless occasions. The fucker was too lazy to come up with new lines. “You look beautiful this evening.”

  “Thank you,” Janice said calmly. “I’m just finishing my work and I’ll be out of your way.”

  “I don’t want you to leave,” he snapped. His voice turned suddenly cold and hard, like he was trying to control her with his words alone. “I think you have another responsibility that you’re forgetting.”

  The sound of a belt coming loose could he heard as it dropped to the floor. Ryan tried to sit up, but I steadied him. “Not yet,” I said. “She’ll be fine.”

  “I love working here, Mr. Rogers, but I feel uncomfortable by the sexual advances that you continue to make at me and the rest of the staff. Please let me finish my work. I already said I’m not interested.”

  Janice kept her voice calm and strong, and I was mesmerized by her strength. I would have already been crying at that point. The sound of a struggle could be heard and I knew Carl was advancing on her. Ryan tried to get up again, but I held him back.

  “Wait,” I said.

  “Stop it,” she screamed. “You’re hurting me! I said get off of me!”

  I released Ryan’s arm and he bolted from the cubicle, running down the walkway as he charged Carl. I stood up and looked over the wall as Ryan grabbed him and kneed him right in the testicles.

  “Get off of her!” he said as pushed Carl.

  Carl was on the ground with his knees to his chest and his dick still hanging out. He started moaning in pain. Ryan turned to Janice and grabbed her arm. “Are you okay?”

  She nodded, too frightened to speak.

  “Let’s go,” he said.

  Ryan and Janice walked away and I followed behind them. Cortland emerged from the office a moment later and we left the building quickly. I was certain Carl hadn’t seen us because he was still paralyzed by the pain in his groin. We jumped into a cab and returned to the apartment.

  “Did you get it?” I asked Cortland when we walked into the living room.

  “Yes.” He smiled. “I got the whole thing. The audio came out perfectly. I can hear every word they said. Cortland opened his computer and sat on the couch, watching the video again. I sat next to him and smiled when I saw the footage. It was perfect.

  The sound of Janice sniffing caught my attention. I looked up to see Ryan cupping her cheek as he kissed her tears away. He grabbed her face and kissed her gently, and I was moved by his affection. It reminded me of Sean. When I realized I was intruding on their privacy, I looked away. Ryan’s gentle touch amazed me. I had never seen him that way with anyone—ever. Now that I knew they were serious, I wasn’t sure what it would mean for their relationship because they lived three thousand miles apart.

  14

  The next morning, we took a cab to the office and stood outside for a moment. Ryan was holding Janice and whispering to her, and Cortland and I were standing beside them awkwardly, waiting for them to finish their goodbye. It was obvious that Ryan was in love with Janice. I could hear it through her bedroom wall.

  “He won’t touch you,” Ryan said to her. “There will be too many people around.”

  She nodded. “You’re right.”

  “And if he does, I’ll kill him.” He smiled. “Then the problem will be solved.”

  She smiled. “Okay.”

  Ryan kissed her for a long moment then pulled away. “I’ll be in the lobby the whole time.”

  She nodded. “Okay,” she said. “Thank you so much.”

  Ryan kissed her again. “Now go to work.”

  Janice turned away and walked into the building. We waited for her to disappear in the elevator before we went inside. We sat in a chair behind a pillar and Cortland opened his laptop.

  “I have to get onto their server, but I don’t have a username. What’s your boss’s full name?”

  “Carl Rogers.”

  “Okay,” he said as he typed quickly. “Are you assigned a password here?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay,” he said again.

  Ryan and I sat beside Cortland while he worked for the next half hour. He insisted that uploading the video as a virus would ensure Carl was dismissed and there were legal consequences if it was broadcast in such a public way. Also, it humiliated him, which was a bonus for me.

  “They will realize where the virus came from eventually, but at that point, it won’t matter,” he said. “We’ll be gone.” He clicked on a few screens then eventually removed his hand from th
e keyboard. “It’s ready.” He smiled. He turned the laptop towards me. “Scarlet, will you do the honors?”

  I smiled at him. “I would love to.”

  “Press enter.”

  I stared at the button for a moment as I relived the night he attacked me. It was one of the worst nights of my life. Never had I felt so weak and vulnerable. When Carl came at me, I didn’t fight until the last moment, and after he chased me from the building, I still didn’t seek justice. Since I was such a coward, Carl had taken advantage of Janice, my best friend, and violated her. My hand shook as I reached for the key. I was overwhelmed that this moment of retribution had finally arrived. I felt like I was about to press the button on a bomb, blowing Carl into oblivion. After I took a deep breath, I placed my finger over the button and pressed enter.

  The video popped open on the screen and began playing. Cortland closed the laptop and shoved it into his bag. “It will keep playing over and over until someone stops the virus,” he said. He stood up and we followed him. “Let’s get out of the building.”

  We walked outside the entryway and stood in front of the doors, waiting for something to happen. I opened my phone and texted Janice, asking her what was going on. She told me that the video was playing on every computer.

  I smiled at Cortland. “It worked.”

  He nodded. “I knew it would.”

  I text Janice again, but she didn’t say anything. I assumed her silence meant she was being questioned by security or human resources. Two cop cars pulled up to the curb outside the entrance, and I felt my heart jump with joy. The police officers walked into building to retrieve Carl. I was practically skipping with happiness. When the cops returned to the lobby with a man handcuffed between them, my heart raced. They opened the doors and Carl noticed me standing off to the side and his eyes widened with recognition. He glared at me for a moment as he was escorted to the car and placed in the backseat. Carl continued to stare at me through the window. I smiled at him, enjoying the sensual taste of retribution. The cars pulled away from the curb and sped down the street. I watched until they were out of my sight.

  Janice came out of the building and ran to me, hugging me tightly for a long moment. “Thank you so much,” she said. She turned to Cortland and hugged him tightly, making him cough by the force of her constriction. He patted her on the shoulder. “Thank you,” she said. Then, she turned to Ryan and kissed him.

  “Are you getting just as sick of this as I am?” Cortland asked with a smile.

  I watched my brother embrace Janice, and my heart ached. It reminded me of Sean. I felt the tears bubble to the surface as I remembered our amazing relationship. He was the love of my life, but I would never be with him again. I missed him so much and that just made me feel worse. I should be over him. Cortland caught my look and he sighed, feeling bad for inflicting the emotion. He wrapped his arms around me and held me tightly, letting me dissolve inside of his protection.

  “It’s going to be okay,” he whispered.

  I pulled away from him and wiped my tears.

  Janice was still talking to Ryan. “I’ll see you after work,” she said.

  “My plane leaves at seven,” he said. “What time are you off?”

  “Five,” she said. “I’ll try to leave early so I can go with you to the airport.”

  Ryan nodded. “Okay,” he said sadly. “I’ll wait at the apartment for you until five thirty, but I have to leave after that.”

  “I’ll try to make it,” she said. She kissed him again then waved to us before she went back in the building. My brother watched her go, and I could see the pain in his eyes. I walked over to him and hugged him. Ryan wrapped his arms around me and held me close.

  “Why do I always pick the wrong ones?” he asked.

  “Why is Janice the wrong one?”

  He pulled away. “She says she wants to be with me, but she doesn’t believe in long-distance relationships. I can’t move here because of you and my shop, and she can’t leave for Seattle. It’s too soon—we just met.”

  “I’m sorry, Ryan.”

  He nodded, but didn’t say anything.

  “Janice is an editor like you, right?” Cortland asked.

  “Yes,” I said. I looked at Cortland with a confused expression. Ryan was in pain and Cortland wanted to talk about her profession. I didn’t understand the relevance.

  “What if you offered her a job at your company?” Cortland asked. “She can edit her own manuscripts and collect the money, which probably pays more than working here anyway, and she’ll be getting experience from a successful company, and her best friend will be her boss. It’s your company, so it’s your decision, but it’s just a suggestion.”

  I looked away from Cortland and to my brother. His face was still set in a frown and I knew he didn’t want to put me in that situation. The company was mine exclusively, and I never planned on sharing it with anyone.

  “You don’t have to, Scar,” he said. “I understand.”

  “Of course, I’ll ask her,” I said. “I love Janice.”

  Ryan smiled. “You mean it? You would do that for me?”

  “I would do anything for you—you know that.”

  Ryan picked me up in his arms and spun me around like I was a child. When he dropped me on the ground, he kissed my cheek then picked me up again. I started laughing at his enthusiasm, and Cortland joined me. Ryan finally returned me to the ground.

  “Thank you so much,” he said. “Thank you.”

  “You’re lucky that I’m not being a brat right now.”

  Ryan smiled. “You are the best sister in the world.”

  “Now you’re just kissing my ass.” I laughed. “I already said yes.”

  “When are you going to talk to her?”

  “Next time I see her.”

  Ryan nodded. “I hope she says yes.”

  “I have a feeling she will.”

  “Let’s go out and celebrate,” Cortland suggested. “We’ve put that fucker where he belongs, and now Ryan finally has a girlfriend. Let’s eat.”

  “Where do you want to go?” I asked as we walked down the street.

  “I’ll eat anything,” Ryan said.

  “You are such a monkey,” I said.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” He laughed.

  “They eat anything,” I said. “Even their own poop.”

  Ryan shook his head. “I am so happy right now that I don’t even care.”

  Cortland stopped walking when we approached a food cart. “I think I know what Scarlet wants.” He smiled.

  We were halted in front of a hotdog cart, the very one that I ate at a few weeks earlier. I rolled my eyes. “Here it goes.”

  “So, do they always drop them on the ground for you, or does that cost extra?” Cortland teased.

  “I could kill you,” I said.

  “Actually, a hotdog sounds pretty good,” Ryan said.

  “Did you not hear what Cortland just said?” I laughed.

  “I’ll save some money and ask them not drop mine on the ground,” Ryan said sarcastically.

  “I can’t believe we’re doing this,” I said as we got in line. We stood there for a moment. Then I heard my name being called. I recognized the voice, but I couldn’t put a face to it.

  “Scarlet?” Brian said as he came up to me.

  I stared at him in surprise. There are seven million people in the city, and I happen to run into Sean’s friend. “Hey, Brian,” I said. “What are the odds?”

  He was holding a bag over his shoulder like he just got off work. “You look great,” he said. “What are you doing here?”

  I thought for a moment. “I’m visiting.”

  “Wow,” he said. “Sean is lucky to have you. I don’t think I would have come back to him—even if Penelope lied to him.”

  I felt my heart race. “What are you talking about?”

  Brian stared at me. “You’re here for Sean, right? He hasn’t been to work in a week. I’m pretty
sure Mr. Perkins fired him. He never answers his phone, so he probably just left a message.”

  “Why hasn’t he been to work?” I asked hysterically. “What’s going on?”

  “You don’t know?” he asked.

  “No,” I snapped. “Now tell me.”

  Brian shifted his weight. “I’m sorry. I just assumed that Sean called you,” he said. “Well, Penelope lied to him about the baby—the guy she left Sean for is the father. Apparently, when the guy found out she was pregnant, he dumped her. Penelope lost her job because she was so depressed, so she turned to Sean because she had nowhere else to go. After I told Sean everything, he disappeared—I haven’t seen him since.”

  “Did you call him?”

  “Yeah,” he said. “His phone is off. I even went to the apartment but no one answered.”

  My emotions were racing. I was furious that Penelope had tricked Sean that way. If he hadn’t found out the truth, he would have raised a kid that wasn’t even his. Now Sean was missing from work, and even his friend didn’t know how he was.

  Brian stared at me while I was lost in thought. “So, are you seeing anyone?” he asked with a hopeful voice.

  I was so distraught by his news that I didn’t even react. Cortland wrapped his arm around my waist and looked at Brian. “Yes, she is,” he said. “Now step off.”

  Brian took a step back. “Well, it was nice seeing you, Scarlet.” He turned around and walked up the street, blending in with the mass of people flooding the sidewalk.

  My heart was racing so fast in my chest that I thought it would burst. Sean didn’t deserve to be treated like that, and it broke my heart knowing he had suffered through it. But then a part of me felt the bitter anger return. He chose her over me even though he knew how she was. The woman cheated on him, had been cheating on him for months before she ended it. I warned Sean that would happen, but he didn’t listen to me. He got what he deserved.

  When I looked at Ryan, he was already staring at me. “I don’t know what to do,” I whispered. “Sean chose Penelope of over me—he left me. We were perfect together, but he still wanted to be with her—marry her. He doesn’t deserve my compassion or empathy, but I still want to go to him. What do I do?”