Page 13 of Captivated

I chuckle as I pour the eggs into the pan, gently moving them around with my spatula. “There was a sex toy escapade gone wrong.”

“Oh jeez. What else?”

“Well, I actually got hit on by a deputy that hit his head during an accident.” My thoughts veer back to Cash and how blatant he was in flirting with me.

“Oh, a man in uniform? I like. Tell me more…” she teases and as I finish my breakfast and sit down to eat while I fill her in.

“So, he sounds like an overly confident man with skills in the bedroom and a liking to you… so what’s stopping you from going there?”

I almost choke on my sip of coffee. “You’re kidding, right? Why on earth would I go there? He’s a player from what I've heard, and he was so confident in himself, it was kind of a turnoff,” I answer, even though how attractive he is physically isn’t something I have overlooked at all.

“So? You’re single for the first time in eight years in a new place, where no one knows who you really are. I say, use the man. Gain some experience and have some fun. Why not? You and I both know Mason was lack-luster in bed.”

“I hate that you know that,” I cringe.

“Uh, no you don’t. As your best friend, Ishouldknow that. I know you were with him for so long, you didn’t know otherwise. But there are men out there who actually know where a clit is located, Pfeiffer, and it sounds to me that this guy could definitely locate yours.”

Laughing at her honesty, I settle back in my chair. “I just don’t know if getting involved with someone is smart. Who knows how long I’ll be here, and I’m trying to lie low.”

“Well, just think about it. I hate that this has all happened in the first place,” she says, and I can hear the emotion in her voice. A sniffle comes through the line and tears instantly build in my eyes.

“Me too. I still can’t believe it. My parents said that Mason hasn’t been seen in a while…”

“No. None of our group has seen him in at least a month. As soon as your parents got lawyers involved, he vanished. He’s probably pretty ashamed too.”

“Well, he should be. But the fact that he’s missing is alarming.”

“What exactly happened, Pfeiffer?” Rachel cries. “I just don’t understand why you had to leave! I miss my best friend, and your parents look so sad all the time…”

“Oh God, please don’t tell me that, Rachel… this is killing me too, okay? I’m trying to be strong, I’m trying to move on, but it’s painful knowing my family is so far away and I can’t see them. My heart constantly aches, I cry at random times. It’s like the old me died but I’m still alive… does that make sense?”

“Yes, because that’s how I feel. I feel like my best friend is gone and I won’t ever see her again.”

“All I can do is try to live my life here for right now, Rachel, and hopefully this will all blow over soon and I can come home. And I know you miss me, but I need you to be there for my parents, please. If there is anything I would ask you to do, it’s that. Check in on them, give them hugs for me, tell them we spoke and I’m doing okay, even though I feel like I’m about to break…”

I’m a blubbering mess, but if there is anyone I can let see this side of me, it’s Rachel. It’s been six months since I’ve seen my family or her. And you would think it would get easier with time, but the opposite is happening. Each additional day that I spend away from them feels like a piece of the old me is dying and is being replaced with Piper Davis—a woman who is part of someone who doesn’t exist anymore, yet has the whole new life to live. It’s confusing, yet exciting, like I get to be whoever I want to be in Emerson Falls without fear of judgement and acceptance, but I’m desperately still trying to hang on to pieces of Pfeiffer Winters, hopeful that I’ll get to be her again one day.

“I promise, Pfeiffer. I… I love you, girl.”

Sniffling and trying to see my apartment around me through my clouded vision, I reply before hanging up. “I love you too. I have to go. We’ll talk soon.”

Lowering my head to the table on top of my folded arms, I cry hysterically, sobs wracking my body as the weight of this decision holds me down. But it wasn’t just my decision to leave. No. It was Mason’s decision to lie, my parent’s decision to protect me, and my choice to continue to move forward in my life after working so hard to achieve my goals instead of staying home and living in fear, never knowing if my future was possible.

After I feel there are no more tears left inside, I sit up tall and catch my breath.

I have to remain strong; I have to keep living. I won’t let Mason steal my happiness and future from me any longer.

Mustering up as much resolve as I can find, I hop in the shower and get ready to run a few errands today, one I’m actually looking forward to. As I cruise through town and admire my surroundings, I start to feel a tiny bit of peace with my new life after my meltdown, and hopeful that reaching out today will help me start to build a few roots that won’t be too hard to sever in the event I ever get to leave.

“Hi there. How can I help you?”

“Yes, hi. My name is Piper and I was wondering who I could speak to about volunteering here at the retirement center,” I answer as the dark-haired woman sitting at the receptionist counter smiles up at me. Her charcoal eyes match the color of her hair, but her features offer her a subtle beauty that requires no make-up whatsoever. She’s gorgeous, and I suddenly find myself staring.

“Are you with an organization or club?” The woman whose name tag shows I should call her Sarah asks as she clicks away on her computer and I hear the sound of a printer turning on.

“No, just a good samaritan who wants to volunteer their time. I’m new to town and don't really know anyone. But I used to volunteer at a home back east and figured it would be a good way to get myself acquainted with the citizens of the town. I know how lonely things can get for people this late in life.”

After talking to my mother again last night, I figured that getting back to volunteering would help me fill the void I’m feeling of being alone, so I decided the best way to stay sane and still make friends is to do so with people who crave human interaction as much as me—with old people.

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