Page 12 of Edward’s Bunny

Bunny in the Lion's Den

Brian

Ten thirty. Ten fucking thirty, and I’d yet to hear a peep from Randy. Since last night’s text, it was radio silence, and he’d not come home. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I needed to calm my rising blood pressure. I couldn’t take this anymore. I couldn’t live like this. I opened my eyes, and my breathing steadied. I scanned my tiny apartment. How did I get to this point? I thought.

I jerked my gaze toward the door at the sound of the locks disengaging and straightened in my seat. The moment the door opened and Randy walked in, a fresh wave of anger and frustration surged within me. He barely spared me a fleeting glance before carelessly tossing his bag on the floor and beginning to remove his shoes. I could no longer hold back the torrent of emotions welling up inside me.

"Randy, we need to talk," I blurted out, my voice quivering with the pent-up emotions that had been simmering for far too long.

He let loose a loud and irritated sigh. “I’m absolutely exhausted. Can’t it wait, Brian?”

"No, it can't wait!" I snapped back. “I can’t take this anymore. Our relationship is crumbling before our eyes and we need to talk or the six years we’ve spent together will disappear.”

Randy finally looked at me. The love and care they once held for me was gone. There wasn’t even a speck left. “Fine. What's the issue now? Is it because I didn’t go to your parents?”

"Let's start off by talking about our virtually non-existent sex life!" I exclaimed. “Since you came back from Haiti, you've become distant and detached - spending all of your time at work or pretending not to know who I am when at home.”

"Brian, I'm working to save lives here. This isn't some nine-to-five job. Maybe you'd understand that if you had more ambition."

“Lack of ambition?” I said in disbelief. “Just because I’m not an all-mighty doctor doesn’t mean I’m not driven. I’m working my butt off in school and at the Pavilion. Hell, I’m getting ready to graduate at the top of my class. Something you’d know if you’d talk to me!”

Randy scoffed in response. “In nursing. How hard is that? And don’t get me started on that big family of yours—all their drama. I feel like I have to compete with them just to get your attention.”

“My family is important to me. I won't apologize for that,” I replied defensively. “And speaking of family, why do you never want to spend time with them? You used to love being around them. Hell, you were practically best friends with Gabe, but he tells me he hasn’t heard from you in months. My family is part of my life and used to be part of yours.”

His expression darkened. "Maybe if we didn't live in this godforsaken dump, I'd be more inclined to have people over. But you refuse to let me help us find a better place."

“I’m not a fucking charity case. I don’t want to be some sugar fucking baby, and you be my sugar daddy. It’s not my kink!” Anger boiled through me like flowing lava. My face was burning, and I knew it was red. “I don’t want that. We’re partners, equals. At least, I thought we were.”

The room fell silent as we stared each other down, both seething with anger and hurt. It was clear that there was a lot more going on beneath the surface than just the issues we'd voiced. I was right, our relationship was dying, and I wasn't sure how or if we could save it.

I opened my mouth to speak, but a knock at the door stopped me. Randy shook his head in a blend of anger and annoyance. He stomped toward the door before flinging it open. I sighed in resignation when I saw Owen on the other side, wearing a concerned expression. This was not good. Randy’s next words confirmed my thought.

“Great, he’s here,” Randy muttered sarcastically. He shook his head again before looking back at me. “Talk to him. I’m out of here.” With that, he stormed out the door, brushing past Owen.

Tears burned in my eyes as I stood there blinking, watching six years of my life slip away. I didn’t know what to do or what to say. I glanced at Owen, and I could see the worry and sympathy written on his face.

I stiffened my spine and cleared my throat. “What are you doing here, Owen?”

“Are you okay?” he asked, ignoring my question.

“I’ll be fine. It will be fine,” I said, my voice full of resignation.

Owen stepped closer and gently touched my arm. “Are you sure? I didn’t mean to cause issues between you and Randy. I’ll get out of your life if that—”

“It’s not you, Owen. Things have been rough for a while. I honestly don’t know what’s going on with Randy. It’s like he hates me. All the love-” I stopped talking and shook my head. “You know what? I don’t want to talk about it right now. You didn’t answer my question. What brings you by?”

Owen bit his lip nervously before hesitantly replying. "I know this isn't the best time, Brian, but Hayden is waiting for us in the car. We're going to Hayden’s dad’s house for the restitution ceremony, dealing with Amy and Hayden’s stepmom. I really need my shifter friend there for moral support." He paused, looking apologetic. "I promise we'll talk about this whole Randy situation after, okay?"

I closed my eyes and bowed my head, letting out a loud sigh. I knew this was huge, and Owen wouldn’t ask me to go if it wasn’t so important. I also knew that Owen was still getting used to the paranormal world and needed a familiar face to be there. Besides, maybe getting out and focusing on someone else’s problems would help me clear my head.

I lifted my head and opened my eyes. “Fine, I’ll come. But later, I’m definitely going to need my best friend and maybe some Ben and Jerry’s.”

Owen nodded, and a palpable sense of relief radiated off him. “Absolutely. Two pints of Ben and Jerry’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie have our names on it.” He sobered before continuing. “Thank you, Brian. I really mean it.”

I gave a small smile before grabbing my jacket, phone, and keys. “I know. Let’s go.”

I gestured for Owen to head out and followed, locking the door behind me and making our way down to Hayden's car. Hayden gave a welcoming nod and a quick hello as we entered, but other than that, the ride to Owen's future father-in-law's house was filled with tense silence. All of us were obviously lost in our own thoughts.

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