Page 16 of Beautifully Used
“Because I need to see that you’re okay.”
“I’m okay. Now please leave me alone.”
“No. I need to see for myself.”
I didn’t want to open the door and see him without his shirt. It was too embarrassing. What was wrong with me? I’d seen men without shirts before. Lain with men without shirts before, but for some reason, the sticky mess on Brodie had brought back all the horrible things from my past that I so desperately wanted to be rid of.
“Take my word for it.”
“Come on, Gabrielle. Open the fucking door.”
I stood up and dried my face on the towel hanging on the back of the door then pulled it open. “Well, since you asked so nicely.”
Not waiting for an invitation, he stepped into the room and looked around. The room was still dark since I hadn’t bothered with any of the lights. A couple seconds later, lightning struck out again, giving the room a momentary glow, and I flinched as the crack of thunder quickly followed.
He walked over and turned on a small lamp that rested on the table beside the bed before he sat down on the edge of the mattress, lifting a couple of the pillows and tossing them to the other side.
“Just make yourself at home, why don’t you?” I said and watched him look around as though he were looking for something. I realized I was wringing my hands together, so I stuck them in the pockets of my shorts. He had a shirt on, at least. So I was safe there. I don’t know why his nakedness affected me so much.
“Where are they?”
“What?” His question took me by surprise.
“Where are they?” he repeated, a little louder.
“Where are what?” I asked, completely puzzled as to what he was talking about.
“You know what.”
“No. I don’t. What is it you want?”
“I don’t want anything. I want to know where they are?”
“Again, where are what?”
“The fucking drugs.”
“What?”
“The drugs you’re on. Where are you hiding them?”
“I don’t have any drugs. Seriously, you think I’m on drugs? Why would you think I had drugs?’
“There’s something up. Whatever it is, it’s making you act weird.”
“I’m not on drugs.”
“Well, Gabrielle…” He stood. “Something just happened out there in the hallway and you didn’t seem like yourself.”
“I… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yes, you do. You went somewhere. You know it and I know it. You spilled a milkshake all over both of us and then it was like you disappeared and some scared little girl replaced you.”
I leaned against the doorframe, stalling. I didn’t know what to say to him. He walked over to me and took my hands in his. “Look. You don’t want to talk about it, fine. I get it. It’s none of my business. All I want to know is that you’re okay because a few minutes ago, you definitely weren’t okay.”
“I’m okay.” I thought quickly of something to explain my weird behavior. “I was testing out the way I thought one of my characters might react in a story I’m writing. So see? No reason for concern.”
Brodie made some huffing sound, side-stepped around me, stopped in the middle of the doorway then turned toward me. “Well, that sounds like one hell of a story. I look forward to reading it someday.”
