Page 66 of Beauty Of Her

The giggles kept coming, and soon, tears did too. I didn’t know if they were happy or sad, but I let them fall and cover my face. Soon, I was the only one making any noise in the room, and it wasn’t laughter. I was sobbing, my shoulders shaking, my head hunched over, resting in my hands. Brett was slipping away, and I knew this was inevitable. Amelia pulled me closer, her arms wrapping around me tightly. She let me cry into her shoulder, offering a comforting presence as I let out all the pent-up emotions building within me. It was a release I desperately needed, and Amelia understood that.

After what felt like an eternity of tears, my sobs gradually subsided. Amelia stayed with me, her touch grounding me in the present moment. With every passing second, I felt a sense of clarity wash over me. I knew what I had to do.

Taking a deep breath, I leaned back and looked into Amelia's eyes. "Thank you," I whispered, my voice still trembling.

She smiled softly, her thumb gently wiping away the remnants of tears off my cheeks. “You thank people too much.” Amelia leaned forward and kissed the top of my head. “How about I make us some coffee?”

I nodded gratefully, appreciating Amelia's ability to know exactly what I needed without me having to say a word. As she got up to make the coffee, I took a moment to collect myself, allowing my breathing to steady and my mind to clear. The weight pressing down on me seemed a little lighter now, as if I had finally found a glimmer of clarity amid the chaos. Sipping on the warm cup of coffee that Amelia had handed me, I gazed out of the kitchen window, watching the soft glow of the streetlights in the distance. The night finally felt quiet, and I welcomed the silence.

“You make a good cup of coffee,” I said, smiling at Amelia.

“Yeah, well. I’ve had my fair share of practice. All those mornings, I have to give these guys something to give them energy to get them out of my house.”

I giggled, taking another hearty sip. “You’re unreal, you know that?”

Amelia grinned over her white coffee mug and shrugged.

“Don’t ever change,” I added.

And then, there was a soft knock coming from the front door. Both our heads shot up, and our eyes bulged. Who the fuck? It was almost 11:30 PM. Maybe it was an animal.

“What was that?” I asked.

“Like I would know?” Amelia snorted.

The knock came again, quicker this time.

“Maybe a lost raccoon?” Amelia suggested, completely serious.

We exchanged a quick glance before cautiously approaching the front door. As we approached, the knocks grew louder and more urgent. This wasn't the sound of a curious animal anymore; it was undeniably someone at the door. Amelia reached for the doorknob, but I pulled her back by her shirt.

‘You didn’t look,’ I mouthed.

Amelia was about to peer through the peephole when the knocks erupted loud and urgent. We jumped back from the door, and Amelia pulled out her phone without thinking.

“Fuck this,” she said. “I’m calling the police.”

I nodded as I watched the locked doorknob jiggle from the other side, and my heart dropped to the floor. Was I going to puke? Oh God, this can’t be how this day ended. Me fending off an intruder while Amelia tried to put together a coherent sentence as she struggled with the police operator. The intruder seemed to give up for a minute when the knocking and doorknob jiggling ceased.

Amelia told the 911 operator to hold on, unsure of what to do next, and I took a slow step forward to the door when a small rock hit the side window. Amelia and I jumped back, shrieking.

“Fucking shit!” Amelia screamed into the phone.

My eyes shot to the window, and I saw the fucking guy. But he wasn’t just any guy. It was Brett pushing his way through the overgrown evergreen bushes.

“Brett!” I yelled, clutching my heart. I swore I lost five years of my life.

Amelia’s eyes darted to where I stared at Brett, the bushman. “Do I hang up?”

I shook my head, my mind racing with relief, confusion, and anger. "Just... tell them it's a false alarm," I managed to say, trembling. The operator's voice faded into the background as Brett approached the front door.

I unlocked the door and swung it open, and all logic flew out of my mind. I threw myself into Brett's arms, feeling a strange sense of comfort in his embrace. His familiar vanilla-spiced scent enveloped me, instantly calming my frayed nerves. “You saw Libby, didn’t you?” I spoke into his chest.

He smoothed the top of my hair, swaying us in the doorway. “It’s over.”

I tensed and forgot how to breathe, how to swallow, but my grip around his body tightened.

“What’s over?” Amelia asked, hands on her hips.

---