Page 31 of Help Me Remember
“I’m not worried.” It’s a total lie.
“Sure you’re not.”
I really hate him sometimes. Feeling as though I need to prove myself, I cross my arms over my chest and huff. “I’m going inside now. I’ll see you tomorrow?”
He nods with a smile. “Yes. Also, if you need anything or you just want some company, call.”
The last thing in the world I plan to do is call one of them. “Thanks. I’ll see you around eight.”
“Sleep well, Brie.”
“Thanks.”
There’s very little chance of that.
I head inside, and as soon as the door clicks, loneliness and fear flood me. I am alone for the first time since I woke up in the hospital. In my home, that doesn’t much feel like a home. I think back to what Addison and my mother say about my strength. While I don’t feel very strong, they all seem to think this is a quality I possess, so I may as well act like it.
I head into the master bathroom and go through the drawers. I have everything perfectly organized, which doesn’t surprise me. Again, I search for a sign or a clue about my life. No men’s cologne or soap. Nothing that says another person stays here.
Just when I’m about to give up, I find a box of condoms under the sink. The box is open and only two are in there. So, I’m clearly having sex or handing out condoms, which, as a social worker, could be true.
The one thing that strikes me as odd is that the brand isn’t one Henry and I used. Not that it means much because I’m not using the same deodorant I used to either. Still, it’s one more thing to think about.
I’m overwhelmed and exhausted. No longer feeling like being a spy in my house, I give up my search, head back into my bedroom, and grab an oversized shirt from my drawer. Then head into the kitchen to grab a glass of water. I wish it were wine, but I’m not allowed any alcohol for a few weeks. There’s a stack of mail on the counter, and I make a mental note to go through it tomorrow. I’m rounding the island counter in the kitchen when there is a loud bang on my door. I drop the glass, screaming loudly as glass shatters around me.
In the span of what seems like two seconds, my door is thrown open and Emmett, Spencer, and Henry storm into my apartment.
I don’t know when I crouched into a tight ball with my arms around my knees, or when I started shaking, but when I look up, all three guys are watching me with concern in their eyes.
Spencer reaches his hand out first. “It’s okay, Brie. You’re safe.”
My body is tight, and I can’t move as fear is still in control. The sound was so loud and so sudden that I thought . . . God, I don’t know, that it was a gun.
He lowers until he’s looking straight into my wide, unblinking eyes. “Can you stand so I can lift you away from the glass?”
“I can . . .” Henry speaks, but Spencer turns to him, and whatever he was going to say he doesn’t.
Spencer hangs his head for a second before returning to me. “I’ll get you over to the couch so you don’t get hurt, okay?”
I want to speak, to tell him I’m fine, but I can’t. Tears pool, but he waits for me to nod before he lifts me into his arms as though I weigh nothing. I wrap mine around his neck, allowing him to cradle me to his chest as he takes me to the sofa.
Emmett starts to pick up the glass all over the floor.
Spencer settles me on the couch and then turns to Henry. “You banged on the door?”
“She didn’t answer the first time.”
“So, you thought you should fucking knock louder? Knowing all the hell she’s going through?” Spencer’s rage is palpable.
“I was worried because of that! She didn’t answer my texts, calls, or respond to my voice mails. And then I get here and she doesn’t answer the door. Yeah, I knocked louder and was ready to kick it in if it meant getting to her.”
Spencer steps closer to him. “You’re an idiot. We’ve already done everything to make sure Brielle is safe. Her family and friends have handled things while you did, what? Oh, that’s right. Nothing.”
Henry’s hands clench into tight fists.
“Easy, man,” Emmett says as he steps between them. “None of this is what Brie needs. Calm down and breathe. Everything is fine.”
I want to calm down, but I feel like I may throw up. Spencer runs his hands through his hair. “I need a minute.”
