Page 23 of Fighter
Of course, I hadn't been thinking when I asked him to stay. I'd been scared. Traumatized. The brother I'd always known had been replaced with someone that could have killed me. I already knew that I felt safe around Benjamin, so when he showed up looking so concerned and awkward, I'd broken.
Like a cracked porcelain doll.
With a grunt, I shoved out of bed, braced myself against the pain, and took stock of my body. The headache had mostly gone away, but now I felt sore all over. My cheek was swollen, so my eye didn't open all the way. I forced myself to shuffle to the window and open the drapes. A gray sky waited outside, plunking raindrops down the window. I peered out on a quiet parking lot, only a hint of the main road visible. My brain was a mess of thoughts I didn't try to unravel.
If not here, then where wasBenjamin? No note. No text. Just disappeared.
Probably better that way.
A hot shower woke me the rest of the way, easing some of my tension and tightness. I popped some more over-the-counter pain relievers once I'd changed into a pair of yoga pants, a t-shirt, and a light blue jacket.
My phone chimed with a text as I ruffled my hair out over my shoulders to dry.
Mom:We should be able to fly out Saturday. I’ll keep you posted. Any word?
Serafina:None so far.
Mom:You doing okay?
Serafina:I slept surprisingly well. Thanks. Love you.
Mom and Dad were flying out as soon as Dad could clear his surgery schedule, which could be a few days. Talmage might only be in the county jail for a day or two, if even that. No doubt Amber would sign him out. He certainly hadn't called me, which was for the best. My mind spun with the implications of everything that happened yesterday. Talmage had been scary, but he wasn't like that all the time.
When he was Talmage.
Part of me wanted to see him now that time had passed, but the other part of me recoiled at the same thought.
He was my brother, though, not my lover. I couldn't just get rid of him or change history or my genetics, and maybe I wouldn't want to. A deep part of me loved Talmage, but a more real part of me feared him now. Because, in some way, this guywasn'tTalmage.
Noooope, I wasn't ready to see him again.
Not yet.
Since I wouldn't work until next week, that left me with five days to find a new place to stay, all while avoiding an inevitable confrontation with Talmage at some point in the future. More than likely, he'd avoid me until our parents came. Then we'd meet again and hash out whatmoving forwardlooked like.
Without me living at his place.
And maybe without me living in Pineville anymore. That thought didn't sit well either. A mountain summer is exactly what I wanted. Besides, this could be the impetus to change that Talmage needed. With help, he could move forward. With me in a safe environment, Talmage’s recovery was worth working for.
While standing at the coffee maker, I slowly combed through my tangled mess of hair with great wincing and muttered curses. Clumps of hair were still tender from being dragged across a room. Once done, I piled all the curls on top of my head, secured them with a few clips, and left them to dry into their own riotous mess.
A gentle tap came on the door, startling me.
I padded over, peered out the window, and recoiled in surprise a second time. Benjamin stood outside. His coat covered his head to protect him from the rain. Quickly, I whipped the lock off and pulled the door open. He glanced up, looked me over in a fast glance, and followed my silent hand wave to step inside. Oh yeah. Wild, weird hair. Swollen face. No make-up. Cozy, fat-day clothes.
Winner day for Serafina over here.
When he walked past me, arms full of what appeared to be breakfast, he smelled like rain.
“Hey,” he said, eyeing me as I closed the door behind him. “Feeling better?”
“A bit sore, but better. Thank you. Did you stay all night?”
He nodded.
I tried to infuse all the gratitude in the words that I could manage. “Thank you. It was . . . I needed a friend.”
He seemed prone to ignoring praise, so he grunted and distracted me by setting a brown paper bag and a coffee cup carrier on the small table on the other side of the room.
