Page 25 of A Brilliant Spring

“Fuck, Elissa. Don’t just scare people like that,” I snap. Elissa’s eyebrows crease and her eyes narrow as she stares me down.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” She folds her arms, and her eyes shift past me and to the toaster that’s smoking behind me.

“Shit,” I mumble as I rush toward the toaster and press the circular blue “cancel” button, popping up my charred toast. Groaning, I pluck the blackened slices up and toss them between my hands until I reach the garbage, dumping them in. I stalk over to the vent fan above the stove and turn it on, trying to air out some of the burnt toast smell before Elissa or I think we’re having a stroke.

When I turn to face Elissa again, her arms are still cemented across her chest and she’s tapping her shoe on the floor, clearly growing increasingly irritated. My shoulders drop as I release a breath, then lean my hips against the counter and brace my hands behind me on the edge of the cool marble countertop.

“Rhys hasn’t reached out to me since you so kindly threw him out.”

Elissa scoffs, rolls her eyes, and shrugs. “See? I told you he would do this. Fucking retreat when things get hard. These men are all the same.”

“I’m not getting into this with you again, E. You’re just as bad as the men. You push people away on purpose or avoid anything altogether if it’s not platonic. I really need you to be supportive right now. Just listen to me whine right now and tell me he’ll come to his senses. I know you may not believe that, but it’s what I need to hear right now.” I take a deep breath and sigh. “I need a bit more positivity before we go home to Chatham to tell my parents about…this.” I point to my stomach.

Elissa’s features soften and her arms drop to her sides as she walks toward me, her heels clicking against the hardwood floors. Her arms wrap around my shoulders and she pulls me in, one hand rubbing my back.

“It’ll be fine, Riles. He’ll come around, eventually.”

I snort out a laugh. “Well, you could have said something original, ya know.” We both burst into giggles. Elissa steps back, her hands clasping my upper arms and rubbing them reassuringly. Her eyes search mine to make sure I’m really okay. I give her a curt nod and a weak smile. She returns my smile and rolls her shoulders back.

“’Kay. Well, I’ve got to get to the office…I’ll see you tonight for dinner? Let me know if you hear any updates.” I tell her I will and we say goodbye. When the door to the apartment clicks, I saunter back over to where the toaster sits on the counter and fish out two fresh pieces of bread, praying that I don’t burn these pieces too.

•••

The morning seems to drag on as I lie around on the couch, flipping through the channels on the television mindlessly. It’s almost noon when the email alert goes off on my phone. Still laying on the couch, I shimmy my body so I can reach for my phone on the coffee table. Once I grab it, I shimmy myself back into a comfy position and open my email app. Nothing but junk mail. I was really hoping it was going to be Rhys messaging me or something since I haven’t heard from him. My heart sinks in my chest and an overwhelming sense of dread creeps in.

•••

Not quite sure what else to do, I push myself off the couch and pace the living room for a few minutes until my hands start twitching. I close the distance between me and the kitchen and pull out the cleaning supplies to start scrubbing everything in sight. The coarse, scrubby part of the sponge grates away at my smooth skin, and my hands prune from being dunked in water over and over. Once the entire kitchen is clean, even the cupboards and shelves, I move on to the bathrooms.

A few hours later, the entire apartment is wiped, vacuumed, mopped, and smelling like the inside of a Pine-Sol bottle. I’m physically exhausted and frustrated that Rhys still hasn’t mentioned anything. I hear the front door open and Elissa’s shoes click down the hallway.

“Hey ’Liss. How was work?” I mumble, too tired to even move my lips. My chest heaves as I swallow deep breaths. Elissa’s eyes roll over me with concern.

“Is everything okay?” she asks. A second later she sniffs the air in a dramatic fashion, using her hands to waft the scent into her nose. “Were you stress cleaning today?”

I roll my eyes.

“I don’t know why you’d ask that when you can clearly smell that I was stress cleaning.” Elissa’s eyes narrow at me, and anger flickers behind them.

“You need to be careful with cleaning products and stuff. It’s probably not healthy for the baby. And neither is working yourself until exhaustion.”

“Okay, Mom,” I tease, sticking my tongue out at her. She swats at me playfully, then plops down on the couch beside me. Her head falls back onto the top of the couch as she closes her eyes and releases a heavy sigh. “How was work?”

Elissa shudders and that tells me almost everything I need to know. “I’m assuming it was another meeting and Brandt was there again.”

“Yeah, and he acts like I don’t even exist. Which I think is way worse. He avoids me at all costs. I just don’t get it…I don’t even know what I did to get this kind of reaction from him. I thought things were going well.” Her posture deflates, and she lets her body slip down until her head is laying in my lap, her loose bronze curls cascading over my legs. My hands automatically find her hair and stroke it.

“It’ll work itself out. Don’t worry.”

“No, someone just needs to give him a kick in the ass.”

We both chuckle, and I reach forward, my belly pressing into Elissa’s head slightly as I grab the remote and turn the television on. We lounge in comfortable silence together until it’s bedtime.

Chapter

Twenty-Four

Brandt

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