Page 55 of His Heart

Brooke

After bringing us all dinner,Sebastian sat with me and ate. Made sure I drank a huge bottle of water. I was going to have to pee at least half a dozen times tonight after so much liquid. But he was probably right—I needed it. I already felt a little better.

Charlie cast wary glances my way, but he didn’t say much. After we finished eating, the guys cleaned up. They gave me one of the two beds, and shared the other one. I tried to tell them I’d sleep on the floor, but they both looked at me like I was nuts for even suggesting it.

My face throbbed where Jared had hit me, but the ice had helped. A little, at least. I scooted back on the bed and laid down, resting my head on the pillow.

Meeting Sebastian earlier had left me reeling. I’d gone back to the house and downed some Xanax that I’d bought off a guy recently. I hadn’t lied to Sebastian about the drugs. I didn’t take shit like that very often. I didn’t want to turn out like my mother.

But Sebastian had ripped me open, leaving my grief raw and exposed. I’d needed to be numb again. I couldn’t cope with all those emotions.

I’d expected Jared to be gone all night, so I’d chased the pills with a few shots of cheap whiskey. All I’d cared about was dulling the pain that threatened to break me. But their drummer and bassist had both come down with food poisoning, so they’d canceled their gig and come home.

While two of the guys took turns puking in the bathroom, Jared had wanted to spend his evening fucking me.

I’d slept with him before. Why had today been any different? I’d been pretty wasted, so it shouldn’t have been a big deal. But I hadn’t been able to do it. I’d taken one look at him and realized I’d never sleep with him again.

All I’d been able to think about was Sebastian.

Why, I had no idea. Sebastian wasn’t anyone to me. He’d seemed like a nice enough guy, but I had no responsibility to him. Meeting him shouldn’t have changed anything.

But it had. Meeting him had changed everything.

Jared had been pissed when I’d said no. He’d accused me of cheating. I’d pointed out we weren’t exclusive, considering he slept with other girls whenever he wanted. That had only made him more angry, and he’d hit me.

I’d been hit before. But being smacked by my mom was nothing compared to being punched by a grown man. He’d hit me so hard, I’d spun with the impact and wound up on the floor. The pain had been shocking, making me gasp for breath.

The next few minutes were a haze. We’d struggled. Hands had gripped my arms. At some point he’d hit me again. Smashed my phone. Snarled at me, his breath thick with the stench of cheap booze.

He’d been trying to wrestle me to the floor when I’d managed to knee him in the groin. I’d grabbed what I could of my things and left while he lay on the ground, clutching his nuts. Snarling, saying he was going to kill me.

I believed him.

My only thought had been to get away—and make sure Jared didn’t follow. So I’d taken a bus across town, all the while trying to keep my head down so no one would notice my face. The bus driver might have, but he hadn’t said anything. I’d gone to the only place I could think to go. Sunrise Diner.

A few customers had been leaving when I’d walked in, but they hadn’t really looked at me. Betty Jean had freaked. She’d tried to get me to call the cops, but in the end, I’d convinced her to just let me use her phone. Told her I had someone to call who would help.

Maybe I should have called the police. What were the chances they’d do a drug test on a woman who’d just been assaulted? And even if they had, it was just some Xanax. But I hadn’t exactly been in a rational frame of mind. I’d been terrified, and still fuzzy from the pills and whiskey. And the last thing I needed was to find out that rock bottom included drug charges.

I’d still had Sebastian’s number on that folded piece of paper in my pocket. So I’d called.

It was crazy. I’d met him once, for maybe twenty minutes, and he was who I turned to in a crisis?

Granted, without my phone—and half wasted—I didn’t know anyone else’s number. Not even Mary’s. It had been an act of desperation.

I lay there in the hotel room, staring at the ceiling. Sebastian and Charlie watched TV for a while, but eventually turned it off and went to sleep. I listened to them breathing. Sebastian was on the side next to my bed, sleeping on his back with one arm above his head.

I didn’t mean to stare, but all I could think about was how I’d felt when I’d heard his voice on the phone. What it had been like to watch him walk into the diner.

He was so big, his presence had filled the restaurant. I’d been relieved to see him—calmer as soon as he’d walked in the door. This guy barely knew me, and he’d dropped whatever he’d been doing to come pick up some random girl. I wasn’t sure what to think about that.

But now, I was so damn tired. Despite the way my face hurt, I could feel myself falling asleep. The bed was comfortable. I pulled up the covers and let my eyes close. With a full stomach and an odd sense of peace, I let unconsciousness take me.

* * *

When I wokeup in the morning, my head was clear. My face hurt, but that was to be expected.

Sebastian and Charlie were still asleep in the bed next to me. I sat up and had to stifle a laugh. Two big, muscular men crammed together on the same bed. They were kind of adorable.

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