by Todd, E. L.
“What are you doing?”
“Working.”
“Now?”
“I got the week off so I could stay with you. My boss said I could work from home.”
“They let you do that?”
“Sometimes. My boss and I are pretty close.”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“You’re my sister. Of course I did.”
“How can I be your sister if you don’t have a brother to begin with?”
He ignored my comment. “You miss Sean?”
I sighed heavily, suddenly very depressed. “I can’t even explain how much I miss him.”
“He misses you too.”
“I know he does.”
“I think he’ll be released without a trial.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. How much evidence could they have on him? He has two strong alibis.”
“But we don’t know what defense and witnesses Carl may have.”
“Wasn’t Janice there when it happened?”
“Yeah. So?”
“Well, now you have a third witness to say it wasn’t him.”
“So she would have to lie?”
“The justice system doesn’t operate on the truth,” he said with a laugh. “I wouldn’t feel too guilty about it.”
“I would never ask Janice to do that.”
“Why?”
“Well, if someone wants to kill us that would be putting her in open water.”
“She would have more protection because she’s acting as a witness. And if she was killed, it would make Carl look guiltier.”
“Well, I don’t care if her death is in our favor. I’m not risking my best friend’s life.”
He nodded. “I understand.”
“How did Sean look when you saw him?”
“I haven’t seen him.”
“You haven’t?”
“No. Everything I know I’ve heard from my parents.”
“Why haven’t you visited him?”
“I don’t belong there.”
“Yes you do.”
He said nothing.
“You’re family, Mike. Put aside your hatred and be a real brother.”
“I am being a real brother. I’m protecting his girl.”
I stared at him, seeing the determination in his blue eyes. I liked to look at him because he reminded me of Sean, but at the same time it was painful because of the obvious similarity. “Mike, I don’t know what you did to Sean, but if you just apologize and make the effort, Sean will forgive you.”
“Would you stay with him if he went to jail?”
It was like he hadn’t heard me. “What kind of question is that?”
“A real one. His crime is pretty severe. He could be in prison for years.”
“It makes no difference to me.”
“You would still be with him?”
“I would marry him.”
He nodded. “He’s a lucky guy.”
“He’s not a criminal. He was just trying to protect me. I would never leave him because of that.”
“Yeah.”
“Are you seeing anyone?”
“No.”
“I feel like I don’t know you very well. Have you ever been in a serious relationship?”
“That’s because you don’t know me very well. And no, I haven’t.”
“So you don’t ever want to get married? You’re over thirty.”
“Marriage isn’t for me.”
“How do you know unless you’ve tried it?”
He chuckled. “Touché.”
I leaned back into the chair and pulled the blanket over me.
“You must really love my brother if you were willing to put up with his bullshit for so long. Or just stupid.”
“I think it’s both.”
He closed the laptop then stared at the blank television screen. “Why can’t you sleep?”
“I’m just scared.”
“About what?”
“Sean, the idea of someone trying to take me out, everything.”
“Well, you don’t need to worry about the second one. I’ll protect you with my life.”
I didn’t know what to say.
“And everything will work out with Sean—eventually.”
“Then, your parents hate me, on top of it all.”
He rolled his eyes. “My mom is stupid. Don’t let her bother you.”
“It’s hard not to. She loved me more as a friend than a daughter-in-law. We used to be so close. I feel like I lost my own mother.”
“For some reason she really loved Penelope. She was beautiful, sweet, and successful, but there were a lot of flaws that everyone seemed to be immune to. She never treated Sean right. He did everything for her, but her eyes still wandered. When I slept with her it was so easy. She was the one who came onto me. All I had to do was say she was beautiful and her panties dropped.”
“Is that true?”
“Yeah. If anything, I did him a favor. You’re a million times better than she ever was. Everyone was just blind to her because of her obvious beauty.”
“Sean feels the same way.”
“I would hope so. I would much rather be with a girl who also my best friend, not just someone I fucked every night. You guys have something special. You can laugh, tell each other everything, and have amazing sex.”
“What makes you think our sex is amazing?” I asked with a smile.
“Well, the walls are pretty thin at my parents’ house,” he said with a grin.
I sighed. “I miss him so much.”
“I’m sorry that you can’t see him.”
“Me too.” I slumped my body further down the couch until I was resting my head against the arm rest. Mike looked at me but didn’t say anything. I pulled the blanket tighter around me as I lied there.
“You wanna see something?” Mike asked.
“Hmm?”
He opened his computer then went through his pictures. “Here’s my and Sean during little league.” He turned the computer so I could see it.
They were both around ten years of age. Their eyes were squinted against the shining sun. Their hats were titled to the side and their jerseys matched. Sean was slightly shorter than his brother and very skinny. He looked like he didn’t eat enough. His brother had the same build. When I looked at Sean’s face, I saw the same features he had now. His blue eyes were identical and his smile was just as adorable. I felt the tears bubble under my eyes as I looked at it. “Thank you.”
He nodded. “Those were the good ol’ days.”
“So adorable.”
He smiled. “I’m surprised we weren’t kidnapped by a pedophile.”
I laughed, a tear falling down my cheek. “I’m sure there were some close calls.”
“Well, when you are that cute it’s a serious problem.”
“I’m surprised you have that.”
He shrugged. “My mom emailed it to me a long time. I just didn’t delete it.”
“You’re going to work this out,” I blurted.
“We’ll see.”
I lied back down and stared at the picture on his laptop, seeing the man that I loved and adored. I wondered if our son would be just as cute if we had one together. The idea of having children with him made me happy. It’s something I really wanted. He would be wonderful father and a loving husband. When I imagined our life together I felt my thoughts cease and my breathing decrease. The darkness crept in and I felt myself slip away.
10
Sean
“What the hell is going on?” I snapped. “I should be able to leave now. They either have a case or they don’t.”
“The police can pretty much do whatever they want if they get it signed by a judge,” Bill said.
I grabbed my hair with my hands. “This is bullshit.”
“You are lucky that you aren’t being taken to trial.”
“But I still could be.”
“But at least that didn�
��t happen today.”
“I may not officially be in prison, but I have no freedoms or rights. I’m basically in jail already.”
Bill folded his hands on the desk. “We’ll get through this.”
“Don’t pull that lawyer shit on me. If they have enough reason to keep me here, they obviously have strong evidence.”
“Probably.”
I sighed. “This is unbelievable.”
“We have a strong case, Sean. We have a good shot of getting you off.”
“That’s not a guarantee.”
“I’m sorry.”
The door opened and the officer looked at us. “You have visitors.”
“Send them away,” I snapped.
My mom and dad walked in, ignoring my comment.
My dad shook hands with Bill. “Hey.”
My mom nodded to my lawyer then took a seat across from me. “We ran into Scarlet,” she said with a dark tone.
I felt my mood change. “What? Where? How is she?”
“She just barged into our home like she owned the place.”
I didn’t like my mother’s tone. “I told her to go there and showed her where the spare key was.”
“It was still very rude. All she had to do was call and ask for permission.”
“She’s family. Why would she have to ask for permission?” I snapped.
My father raised his hand. “There will be no yelling.”
I glared at him then looked back at my mother. “How is she?”
“She seems fine.”
“Fine?” I asked.
“Mike took them back to his apartment,” my mom said angrily. “After he yelled and thoroughly embarrassed me.”
“What did he say?”
“It’s not important.”
I felt my palms sweat at the revelation. I didn’t like Scarlet being with my brother. That made me very uncomfortable. I trusted Carl more than I trusted him. I pretty much hated him. Scarlet promised me she wouldn’t be alone with him. I knew she wouldn’t break her word. Perhaps they went their separate ways. But I knew Ryan was with her so she must be safe. My brother’s proximity still made me uneasy. “How did she look?”
“Stressed,” my dad said. “She’s just worried about you.”
I nodded. “I wish I could see her.”
“She hasn’t even come to visit you” my mom asked incredulously.
“I asked her not to,” I said quickly. “Otherwise she would be here in a heartbeat.”
My mom crossed her arms over her chest and gave me a disapproving look. I’ve never wanted to slap my mother before but I wanted to slap her now.
The officer came back. “You have two more visitors.” He looked at the crowd. “One of you needs to leave.”
Bill immediately stood up. “I’ll give you some privacy.”
I would prefer Bill to stay rather than my mom but I said nothing. He left through the door then two more people entered. It was Bryan and Penelope. I felt my skin prickle with annoyance.
As soon as Penelope walked in, my mom’s eyes brightened like it was Christmas morning. She jumped from her seat and held Penelope for a long moment, squealing in delight. I felt the bile rise into my throat. I felt like it was a huge slap in the face to Scarlet. Ever since Scarlet had become my fiancé, my mom acted like she was nothing but trash.
“It’s so sweet of you to come,” my mom said as she looked at her. “And you look so great.”
“Thanks,” Penelope said with that fake smile she always wore. “I know Sean needs all the support.”
I rolled my eyes.
Penelope nodded to Bryan. “This is my husband, Brian.”
My mom looked like the world had ended. “Oh. You’re married?”
“Yeah,” Penelope said. “For a few months now.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Brian said as he shook her hand.
My mom regained her composure. “Yes, of course. You too.” She looked back at Penelope. “I miss you so much, dear.”
“I know,” Penelope said sadly. “I miss you too.”
“I wish things had worked out between you and Sean.”
Penelope looked uncomfortable. “Yeah, it was unfortunate we couldn’t work it out. But he seems very happy with Scarlet.”
I was shocked that Penelope said something in Scarlet’s defense. That was totally out of her character.
“Yeah,” my mom said non-committedly.
I was fed up with this bullshit. I stood up and marched to them. “You wanna know why Penelope and I broke up?” I yelled, spit flying from my mouth. My mom backed up, shocked by the emotion in my voice. My dad rose from the chair but he didn’t grab me. “Because Penelope was fucking some other guy for months while we were together. When we finally broke up, you know who was there for me? Scarlet, not Penelope! Scarlet got me back on my feet. She was the one who loved me and took care of me while I dealt with the heartbreak and grief. And when Penelope lied to me and said she was carrying my child, I took her back because it was the right thing to do, to be a family. So being the idiot that I was, I left Scarlet, broke her heart, and fulfilled my responsibility. When I found she was a fucking liar, I left her and almost killed myself, practically overdosing on painkillers. While I lay in bed, the room spinning, Penelope sat on her ass and did nothing. She didn’t give a shit at all about me. Who did? Scarlet did. Scarlet! I moved to Seattle because I had to be with her. I refused to let her go again. She loved me so much that she actually took me back after all of that shit that Penelope did to both of us.” My mom stared at Penelope then back at me, saying nothing. “And I shouldn’t have had to tell you why the fuck we broke up just so you would like Scarlet. It’s fucking bullshit. Scarlet doesn’t deserve to be treated that way, clearly favoring Penelope over her. I didn’t tell you the truth because I don’t want you to hate Penelope like I do.” Penelope crossed her arms over her chest and averted her gaze, completely uncomfortable. I glared at my mom and took a step back. “I want you to get out and I don’t want you to visit me ever again. I mean it.”
My mom held her hands together, fidgeting in place. I couldn’t read her expression, but I knew her mind was racing, processing everything I just said to her. Bryan comforted Penelope, wrapping his arm around her, while my dad crossed his arms over his chest and looked at the floor.
“I’m so goddman lucky that Scarlet has put up with this bullshit from you for so long. And when it comes down to it, you were wrong. Scarlet will be my wife, the mother of my children, and my family. If I have to choose between the two of you, it’s her. It’s always been her. She’s already suffered so much without a family and I don’t need to make her suffer anymore. I want you to leave and don’t come back.”
My mom looked at me, emotion in her eyes. “I—I’m sorry, Sean.”
“That means less than nothing to me,” I snapped. “Go. You aren’t welcome here. Now you know how Scarlet feels every time she’s around you.”
“Sean, I’m sorry,” she said quickly.
“I don’t give a shit!”
My dad stepped forward, his hands raised. “She said she was sorry.”
“And now everything is okay?” I asked incredulously. “I shouldn’t have had to explain the events of my personal life to you. I shouldn’t have to justify my love for Scarlet. You should have loved her like your own daughter the moment I told you that I loved her. She’s the love of my life, my everything. I can’t live without her. That should be more than enough. Even after the way you treated her a few weeks ago, she still agreed to get married at home because it’s what I wanted. She didn’t want to do it, but she sacrificed that for me. Now it’s off. Forget it. We are having a small wedding with just a few people. And no, you aren’t invited.” My mom’s eyes got teary. “Your emotion means nothing to me. Now please leave.”
My mom covered her face then left the room, her sobs amplifying in the hallway. My dad stared at me for a long moment, disappointment evident on his face, then he followed her out
side. Penelope shifted her weight next to Bryan, who held her close.
“I want you to leave too.”
Penelope looked at me. “I really just wanted to help.”
“You aren’t in my life anymore. Scarlet is the only one who is. Now go and don’t ever come back. My family hates you as much as I do.”
Bryan guided her to the door then left, disappearing from the room. The silence was appreciated. I knew I was an asshole to my mom but I didn’t care at the moment. I was too angry to bottle my emotions. I tried to spare Penelope the humiliation of her actions, but I didn’t have a choice. It was either protect Penelope’s reputation or continue to let Scarlet suffer for something she didn’t do. Of course I picked Scarlet. I still felt like an asshole for waiting for so long. I was thankful that Scarlet loved me unconditionally. If she was smart she would have left me a long time ago. I was lucky that she wasn’t.
11
Scarlet
“So I was thinking,” Janice said as she ate her cereal at the table. “Why don’t we go see my parents?”
Mike was sitting next to me, drinking his coffee but not eating any breakfast. When I woke up this morning, he was sleeping on the other couch. Having him near me helped me sleep because he reminded me of Sean. I wasn’t attracted to him like I was to Sean, but his brotherly loved felt warm and safe. I didn’t know the crimes he committed against Sean, but his guilt seemed genuine. It seemed like he wanted to fix their damaged relationship. And when he apologized to me and said he was sorry, I knew he meant it. He really did love me like a sister. Since I had such an amazing relationship with Ryan, I wanted Sean to have that same love from Mike. I hoped they could work everything out.
Ryan stopped eating and looked at Janice. “Now?”
“Well we are here with nothing to do. Why not?” She looked at me. “Do you mind?”
“Not at all,” I said. “You’re right. There’s nothing for us to do.”
Mike nodded. “I don’t think it’ll be a problem.”
Janice looked back at Ryan and saw the hesitation on his face. “Unless you aren’t ready.”
“Baby, I’m ready,” he said as he looked her straight in the eye. “I’m just nervous. Don’t confuse it with indecision.”
“Wait, it’s been three days. Sean should be out by now,” I said.
