When Darkness Comes

by Beck Cummings

  He wants to say something. I know this man. I can see it. I’m waiting... Please, just ask me to stay. Please... Just say something. You don’t have to fight this alone, Trent...

  He carefully placed the cigarette between his lips once again and pulled his jacket tighter around him. Reaching into another pocket, he pulled out his keys and walked to the Yukon. I watched the rain drops trailing down the back of his jacket as he slowly made his way to his truck. He didn’t care he was getting soaked. He moved slowly and carefully, his black boots taking each step across the drive as if it was made of quicksand. He stopped at the driver side door and I took a breath in anticipation of him turning around. He didn’t. Instead, I watched as he plucked the cigarette from his lips and threw it to the ground and then proceeded to get inside the vehicle and drive off.

  As soon as the Yukon had turned off our street, I closed my eyes and just sank down to my feet. Running my hands through my sopping wet hair, I no longer felt any pain in my wrist, only in my chest. I brought my hands up to my mouth and cupped them around my lips, blowing hot air into them to try and warm them up just a little.

  “Paige...”

  I carefully stood, rubbing the palms of my hands the legs of Trent’s BU sweatpants. Everything on me was drenched. There was no point in trying to get out of the rain now. No, right now I would just stand here and let the drops continue to soak me. I turned and expected to see J.J. standing on the porch in the safety of its overhang, but instead he was right behind me, staring at me with a look of utter compassion. I knew I must’ve looked like a fool standing in the middle of the drive, but I didn’t care. I was in a state of shock. Trent had just left me and our home.

  I shrugged my shoulders as a look of defeat crossed my face. “Did he say anything to you at all, J? Anything that would make any sense?”

  J.J. shook his head. “C’mon, let’s get inside. You need to grab necessities. We can come back for the rest. The important thing is we get you out of this rain before you catch pneumonia.”

  “I have nowhere to go, Jason” I shrugged as the tears streamed down my face. “Any door that I knock on will be met with ‘I told you so’.”

  J.J. tilted his head slightly and sighed. Taking a step toward me, he enveloped me in his arms and hugged me tightly. “Not mine, Paige. Definitely not mine.”

  chapter 20

  The night was dark and foggy, much like my memory of every moment that happened with Trent last night. The only truth I seemed to know and accept was that my wrist was badly bruised and my heart was... well, my heart was in pieces. But yet here I was searching for answers, searching for... him. Walking across the vast field by the Fort with nothing but my flashlight in hand, I realized I wasn’t quite sure what I was actually doing here. It’s not like I expected Trent to be here, but I guess I hoped he might be.

  The brisk cold bit through every layer of fabric I was wearing. My wool socks and leather riding boots did nothing to insulate my feet and I could feel my toes turning to ice as the frozen ground crunched beneath my soles. I grabbed the edges of my charcoal peacoat and wrapped them as tight around my waist as I could to try and ward off the penetrating frost. I tip-toed steadily across the grounds, the crackle of the trees in the wind the only noise I heard. The light of the moon was my only company.

  Suddenly, I caught a glimpse in the distance of a shadow moving very deliberately as if trying to keep pace with me. I paused and watched as the dark figure paused as well. We stood there, with what seemed was a thousand miles between us, just waiting to see what the other would do. A strong breeze lifted my hair and blew it across my face. I turned my head slightly to try to get the hair out of my eyes and when I did, a soft glow from within the Fort commanded my attention. Without a second thought to the shadow across the lawn, I made a mad dash toward the building.

  The door slammed behind me and I slowly closed my eyes, turning off my flashlight. I knew my eyes would adjust to the darkness when I opened them.

  “Paige...”

  I heard the faint whisper of a man’s voice. Opening my eyes and hearing nothing more, I decided to step further into the desolate hallway. The sound of silence was deafening and the air was frigid and damp with a faint scent of Armani Mania drifting through the stone hallway.

  “Paige...”

  This time the male’s voice was louder and clearer. I recognized the voice although I couldn’t quite place who it belonged to. With bated breath and trembling hands, I waited. Watching for the slightest movement, I gasped when I saw a figure descend from the staircase located to my left. I would know that gait anywhere...

  “Trent?” I called out.

  Trent turned and climbed the stairs quickly. Confused, I began moving my feet toward him and hurried up the steps behind him. I came to an abrupt halt at the top of the staircase. He was standing in the hallway, not moving, not making a sound.

  “Trent...” I spoke once more as I took a few steps closer to him.

  I half expected him to come running toward me with open arms, apologizing profusely for everything we had been through, telling me that we could go home. That everything was fine and that I would never have to be afraid ever again. But he didn’t.

  Tears welled in my eyes as I looked at the man before me. His fists were clenched tight and his feet were firmly planted. His head was tilted down just the slightest, his body language tense. This was not Trent.

  I couldn’t move. I was terrified. My feet felt as if they weighed a ton. And I was still frozen when the figure began to move toward me.

  Run, Paige! I willed my feet to move. To do anything before this figure made its way to me. My body finally chose flight over fight and whipped around, bolting back in the direction of the staircase. No matter how much I sped up, he was right behind me and gaining ground with each step.

  The staircase seemed a million miles away and impossible to reach. How had I gotten so far down the hall without even realizing it? My lungs burned with every breath while tears poured freely from my eyes, obstructing my view of where I was going.

  This can’t be the way it ends...

  Grasping at the stone wall, I winced in pain as the sharp edges of rock dug into my hand. I turned to go downstairs and stopped to glance behind me for a split second. I was face to face with Trent and as I tried to spin and get away, I felt my foot miss the first step and my heart dropped in my chest. Reaching out to break my fall, I felt my fingertips wrap around the warmth of... arms?

  “Paige.”

  I jolted awake, breathless. What is going on?

  Opening my eyes, I saw Matty sitting on the couch, a look of concern conveyed through his gaze. This Matty before me was not the same one that I had seen at my parents’ house last Christmas. No, this Matty looked older. He looked a little more hardened. Stronger. He had a very close-shaven beard and wore his black framed glasses. My hands were gripping his bicep and I realized I had been asleep and everything that had happened in the Fort was simply a nightmare. Maybe all of this was just a dream...

  I slowly sat up, regaining my awareness of my surroundings. I looked down at my clothes. I was in a pair of black sweatpants and a black hoodie that said Jeckyll & Hyde in white down the arm and on the front, there was a stark white image of a skull between a man in a top hat and a monster in a top hat. Not sure why the Jekyll is misspelled but that should probably be the least of my concerns right now. Still focusing on the wrong things, Paige.

  I was on J.J.’s couch and he was sitting on the coffee table watching me with serious eyes. His black shirt displayed the very same image as the front of my hoodie. His elbows were on his knees, his goatee-covered chin resting on his thumbs. The steeple of his fingers pressed against his lips did nothing to hide his uneasiness. The black beanie covering the top of his head brought my attention to his furrowed brow.

  My heart started pounding in my chest, the thundering beats keeping pace with my eyes as they darted back and forth between Matty and J.J. Without a second thought, I su
rged forward and wrapped my arms around Matty’s neck. I ignored the pain still lingering in my wrist and clenched his sweater with my fists as the tears streamed down my face. I sobbed into the collar of the burgundy wool while Matt gently rubbed circles on my back with the palm of his hand.

  “Shhhh... Pretty girl. I’m right here. I told you I’d be right here.” Matty whispered in my ear. He ran his fingers through my hair while my chest rose and fell with every heartbreaking breath I took.

  I took a deep breath and leaned back from Matty’s embrace. Wiping the tears from my cheeks with the back of my hand, I gave him a soft smile. “Have you been working out?” I asked with a quiet laugh.

  “I love how that’s the one thing you choose to focus on.” Matty chuckled as he brushed a loose hair out of my face and curled it around my ear.

  “What can I say? I’m the Queen of Deflection.” I shrugged.

  “And I’m the King of making myself scarce. I’ll give you two some privacy.” J.J. rose to his feet, dusted his jeans off then began to walk out the living room. I turned my head to look at him from over the back of his navy sofa. He paused and looked at me over his shoulder. I swear a full minute passed as we just stared at each other. What do we do now? I asked with my eyes. And I swear he knew exactly what I was thinking without me even having to say a word when he shrugged and gave me an unsure smile. J.J. then nodded his head once before sauntering into the kitchen.

  “And I just think that it would be for the best, Paige.” Matty said as he reached out and touched my arm.

  I looked at his face questioningly. “What would be best?” I asked as I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion.

  “Did you not hear anything I said, Paige?”

  I sighed and closed my eyes, putting my head in my hands. “No, I’m sorry, Matty. I’m just... I’m still reeling from everything. I’m having a hard time processing everything.”

  “With everything that’s happened, I think you should come stay with me for a bit.” Matty suggested timidly.

  Go stay with Matty? But we haven’t seen each other in how long... We’re practically strangers now. I mean, I hardly recognize the man in front of me... How does he expect me to just come stay with him like nothing has changed? Especially when it’s obvious nothing is the same...

  “What about Bodhi?” That was the only thing I could get to come out. I was afraid that all my other logical rationalizations could not be vocalized without an argument ensuing. And I am so tired of fighting...

  “Who?” Matty asked. “Ohhhhhhh, right... the dog.”

  You mean the dog that has been by my side through this whole nightmare while you’ve been... in the gym?

  “Well, I’m sure he could probably stay here with J.J. since he has a backyard.” Matty offered and I tried hard to not scoff in response.

  “I’ll think about it. I... ummmm... I think I just want to get some sleep. Can I come over later? Or maybe call you and we can meet somewhere to grab a bite to eat?” I stood from the couch while I spoke and started moving towards J.J.’s front door. I willed for Matty to follow me and he did. I was done with this conversation. I didn’t feel like talking anymore about being without my dog. I didn’t feel like talking about staying with someone who was practically a stranger.

  “Yeah, of course. Get some rest, pretty girl.” Matty gave me an awkward hug and slid through the front door.

  “I’ll see you after a while, Matty.” I said as I closed it behind him.

  I turned around and pressed my back to the door. I tapped the back of my head to the hard wood a little harder than intended and let out the breath of air I didn’t realize I had been holding. Pushing off the door, I made my way toward the kitchen, in search of J.J.

  I found him standing barefoot in front of his kitchen sink, facing towards his kitchen window. I paused in the doorway just watching the man before me. His back was rigid and the muscles on his forearms flexed and rippled as he tapped his fingers on the edge of the butcher’s block countertops. His head was down, the beanie was missing from his head and instead the black hairs swayed in the air slightly as he started to shake his head left and right.

  What is wrong, J.J.? I padded softly over to him and paused. Oh, Jason... I keep forgetting that you’re just as much in this whole ordeal as I am.

  “You okay, J?” I asked as I gently touched the tense muscles of his back. I took a step back when he flinched, clearly startled at the contact. He leaned forward and then turned around to face me.

  “Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that?” He rested his hips against the counter while crossing his arms over his chest.

  “I guess after everything we’ve been through, we both own that right.” I spun around and made my body mirror his. We both turned our heads to look at each other. “What was he even doing here?” I asked.

  “I called him.” J.J. said as if it were the most logical answer in the world.

  Obviously... but why?

  “You called him? How’d you get his number?”

  “Oh, well, I’ve done some work for him. He’s a pretty cool dude. He doesn’t like Trent. And he didn’t like me. But he heard I was the best, so he gave me a chance and now he’s a full-fledged member of the Jeckyll & Hyde fan club.” J.J. laughed.

  “Jeckyll & Hyde?” I questioned with a raised eyebrow.

  “Yeah, my shop.” He pointed at his shirt and then at the hoodie I was wearing. “Jeckyll & Hyde Ink.” J.J. squinted in my direction. “You don’t know who did all of Trent’s tattoos, do you?”

  I shook my head.

  Well, that makes sense as to why the Jeckyll is spelled like that. Jason JECKlin. That man is a marketing genius... unless he hired a firm to come up with that for him. Nah, he’s definitely smarter than he looks.

  “That’s how we met. I did his ink.” J.J. shook his head and let out a soft chuckle. “What the hell did you think I did for a living with all these tattoos?”

  “I don’t know! Trent said you were a trust fund kid. I assumed you just did nothing all day except bed beautiful blondes.”

  “Nah, I prefer brunettes.” J.J. laughed as he bumped his shoulder into mine.

  I rolled my eyes while thinking about what he had said.

  Matty is a client of Jason’s?!

  “Wait! So Matty got a tattoo from you?!” I was shocked. Matty never expressed permanently altering his body. He was always the clean cut, boy next door.

  “A lot of people get tattoos from me, Paige. I’m booked four months out.” J.J. chuckled. “You should consider getting some work done by me. Maybe a little butterfly on your hip... Or my initials.” He winked at me.

  “Oh my gosh, you’re such a dork.” I shook my head and sighed, looking down at my sock feet. We drifted into silence, both of us just standing side by side, leaning on the kitchen counter. I knew he was trying to distract us both with humor, but there was no way either of us could stop thinking about the real reason why I was standing in his house.

  “He wants you to stay with him.” J.J. stated out of nowhere and I wasn’t quite sure if I should be mad or glad that he was eavesdropping on my conversation with Matty. A few nods of his head and his downward cast gaze made it obvious what he thought of the idea though so I didn’t need to ask.

  “Yes. But he doesn’t want Bodhi there. Just me.” I sighed.

  “He said that?” J.J. asked incredulously.

  Guess you didn’t hear that part...

  “He said that Bodhi could probably stay here with you when I asked about bringing him.”

  I watched as J.J. pushed himself off the counter and turned around. Leaning on his palms, he stared out the window over the sink. Looking out into the backyard to where Bodhi was more than likely lying in the grass, sunbathing. Either that or running circles around a tree waiting for a squirrel to come down and play with him.

  “What do you want, Paige?” J.J. asked as his big brown eyes searched my face for clues to my most-inner thoughts.

  “I...” I s
topped. My lips quivered and I closed my eyes, forcing air to escape and trail down my cheek. “I want all of this to be a bad dream.” I whispered.

  I sensed J.J. moving from my side and when I felt the warmth of his hand cradling my cheek, I relaxed and let my face rest in his palm. I lifted my eyes to look at him and what I saw surprised me. The warm whiskey-colored eyes of Jason Jecklin were glistening with unshed tears. His nostrils flared as his thumb brushed away the tear on my cheek.

  “Bodhi can stay here.” He spoke softly as he looked everywhere on my face except at my gaze. “You know I love that crazy Lab. I swear he’s my spirit animal.”

  “Why? Because he sleeps all the time? Or is it because he’s highly intelligent but easily distracted by tail?” I chuckled.

  J.J. let out a very short laugh but turned serious when his eyes caught mine. “Mainly because of our inexplicable desire to protect you at any cost.” His nostrils flared again and the muscles in his lower jaw tensed.

  I rushed forward and hugged J.J. with all my might. I knew I caught him off guard because he kept his arms at his sides for a moment, unsure of where to place his hands. But then he took a deep breath and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me closer to him with his right hand firmly placed on the small of my back.

  “But now that you mentioned it, it’s probably the fact we’re both brilliant and yet both suffer from A.D.S.D.” J.J. laughed in my ear.

  “A.D.S.D.?” I leaned back and tilted my head.

  “Attention... Deficit...” he said slowly. “Squirrel!” He yelled and looked up and away from me. “Disorder.” He said calmly as he looked back at me.

  I brought my fist up to my face and drew my lips together in a tight line, trying to hold back the laughter. I blinked quickly while J.J. just lifted his shoulders and shrugged. Smiles broke out, followed by a ton of laughing that was cut short when we heard Bodhi start barking in the backyard. We both turned our attention to the window and saw Bodhi was jumping straight up in the air next to the tree in the backyard. Seeing the goofy chocolate Lab bouncing as if he were a pogo stick sent us both into hysterics again.