Of Happiness

by Olivia Luck

  It’s clear she’s consumed cocaine recently.

  “I asked you a question!”

  “No, no, I don’t believe that he was gay,” I say automatically.

  “Every night we spent together until the early morning hours. Talking, talking, talking about everything! Never once did he tell me that he was gay.” She inhales a deep breath, pausing the tirade.

  We both exhale at the same moment. It’s probably the last moment of synchronicity we’ll ever have.

  “Anyway, none of that shit matters, because he kissed me back,” she says vehemently. “The night before I left for summer camp, he told me he was worried he liked boys. So I kissed him to show him that he was in love with me. And he kissed me back. Passionately. At the end, he was panting because he liked it. We slept in the same bed that night. It was obvious that he wanted me just as much as I wanted him. I don’t understand how everyone could lie and say that he was gay, because he wasn’t.”

  By the end of her rambling, I realize that my body is trembling. The revelations are staggering. I’m mourning the loss of a young man all over again, seeing his death in a new, tragic way. Instinctively I know Harris has no knowledge of what Claire just announced.

  Cooper had a journal and Claire got it, refused to share it with me or my parents, he told me in Michigan.

  “Claire,” I try to gentle my voice, hide the tremors.

  The vehemence falls away as she rearranges her stick straight hair, parting it around her back and laying it on either side of her face, around her shoulder. “What?”

  “Would you untie me? It would be easier to talk to that way. You could tell me more about Cooper. I’d love to hear about him.”

  Her lips twist into a devious grin. “You looked scared, little mouse. Are you scared?”

  “No, I don’t think you would hurt me,” I lie.

  “You say that, but you’re shaking like a Yorkshire Terrier. It looks like you need a hug.”

  “Untie me.” The wobbliness appears in my tone and I can’t hide my emotions from her or myself any longer. I’ve never known this level of fear before. I’m petrified. “Then we can talk.”

  “Because I care about you so much, I decided to fix the problem with Harris. At first, I wanted you to be mine and only mine. But then I realized it might not be what you want.” Her mood shifts quickly to hopeful. All of her teeth are visible with her grin. “So, just wait, you’ll see this is the perfect solution.”

  My stomach twists painfully, but not from the damage to my ribs. Whatever she has in store will only make things worse.

  Pivoting with a flourish, she sashays back inside. How can she pretend she didn’t admit to instigating a romantic affair with her younger brother? Somehow she convinced herself the relationship with Cooper was consensual, healthy.

  I twist my ankles and roll my feet, trying to squirm my way out of the bond when the sound of footsteps echo again. This time they’re heavier, thudding against the ground.

  When my eyes meet his, my stomach jumps and a wave of nausea crashes over me. As always, he’s dressed immaculately in a pair of chinos and a button-down shirt—perfect ware for the future politician, and apparently, kidnapper.

  He smirks, raising a delicate, unblemished hand to my cheek and stroking the throbbing skin. I twist my face away, but still catch his expression.

  “Eddie bear, I’ve missed you,” Jared croons, eyes bright with delight.

  Claire’s sharp, pointy nails appear on Jared’s shoulder, and she rests her cheek against his almost tenderly. She smiles excitedly now; for the first time, her expression reminds me of the Claire I met a little over a month ago, the roommate I envisioned becoming a dear friend.

  “You don’t have to thank me now, but I definitely expect some sort of gift later,” she tells me with a wink.

  “What the hell is going on?” My voice drops low as my gaze darts back and forth between them.

  With glassy eyes, Jared moves so close that he dominates my entire line of vision. Claire disappears from the conversation. It’s only him and me now, and when Jared speaks, his words are full of malice and retribution. “You took what was mine, and I’m here to get it back.”

  What could I have possibly taken from him?

  Then he fists his hands into my hair, yanking my already-aching head at an awkward angle. He jams his lips into mine, our teeth mashing together with a sharp click. Writhing underneath him, I struggle to shift away. It’s a futile effort; with each twist, his grip only becomes stronger. Then he shoves me back into the chair, swiftly jumping up. He slings an arm around Claire’s waist, roughly pulling her into his side.

  Jared exudes euphoria, his body humming with energy. He stands straight, shoulders tossed back proudly, but his eyes bounce around the terrace. When he makes a decision of what he wants to do next, they fall on the woman under his arm. “Claire, leave me alone with her.”

  “No,” she says petulantly, wiggling out of his grasp. “I got you this toy, and now we’re going to play with it together. Harris said we must do this as a team.”

  My eyes fall closed in dread. They are both so hopped up on drugs, a dangerous combination of hubris and ecstatic fervor. I wanted to know what they plan for me. Plain as the full moon illuminating the night sky above us, there’s no end game. They can’t see past their own excessive self-confidence.

  “You can sit over there and watch, but this is my time.”

  She glowers at him, jutting out her lower lip like a pouting child. “Don’t tell me no, Jared Gordon. She wants me bad. No one can resist me.”

  All of a sudden, Jared’s not happy. No, he’s raging. “Get. Out!” he growls, pushing Claire with such strength that she stumbles forward, tottering on her high, high heels. Her ankle twists unnaturally and she crumbles forward, collapsing on the concrete ground with an almighty huff. She flips around on her back and uses her hand to push herself into a standing position, though she rises gingerly.

  “You wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for me,” she hisses. “You’d never find your precious Eddie if I hadn’t come looking for you.” She hobbles closer to him, gripping the front of his neatly pressed shirt. She’s in his face, and because her back is to me, I can’t see her expression. By the way that Jared’s eyes flash angrily and the menacing step he takes closer to her, I can tell she shows no signs of stepping down.

  “What, bitch?” he roars and I cringe from where I lay.

  This ferocity doesn’t bode well for me. While they’re distracted, I begin struggling in earnest. With one tilt in the right angle, the tie around my ankles go lax. Not completely, just slightly enough to reignite my hope.

  “Don’t you get it? I’m a Grant and you’re nothing. With one phone call, I can crush you.”

  Jared snorts his laughter. “Pathetic, you and that fucking prick of a brother. You think I’m afraid of you?”

  “You should be. I’ll tell the press, my family connections, everyone that you tied up and raped my roommate. It wouldn’t be very hard to drag your name through the sludge. Convincing people is my expertise; I’m a lawyer after all.” Her tone has turned saccharine sweet.

  Whatever she has to do to survive.

  While they continue to spit angry words at each other, I wriggle my feet. Each twist makes the tie feel less and less strong. At the moment that I break free, so does Jared’s slight hold on his temper. This time his shove sends Claire flying across the terrace and when she falters, her body collapses against the corner of the dining table. When she slams into the deck, it’s with a sickening thud.

  Now I can’t hold back the tears that well up in my eyes. They spill over my cheeks as I watch Claire’s seemingly lifeless body crumble in a heap.

  Without a second glance to the woman he injured, Jared strides back toward me. At the same moment, we realize my legs are free. He dives forward and I begin kicking wildly, swinging my legs. Mostly I hit air, not coming into contact with his body until I land one on his side. There’s no time fo
r victoryl his hands clamp down on my thighs and force my legs back down.

  “Stop this, Jared! Claire—Claire, she’s really hurt.”

  He straddles my body, one leg on either side of the chair. With heavy puffs of breath, he places one hand on either side of my button-front dress.

  “Good, maybe she’ll stop bothering us,” he snaps.

  “What are you doing here, Jared? We were broken up, finished. There’s no reason for you to…”

  “Don’t you get it? Claire made this too easy for me. The egomaniac sought me out two weeks ago with a solution to both of our problems. She needed you to stop meddling with her brother and I needed my girlfriend back. It’s pretty simple when you think about it for a second. But you never were that bright, were you Eddie?” He explains almost patiently, believing his words are logical.

  “What will your dad say when he finds out about this? His career will be finished, your future career will be ruined,” I babble fearfully.

  “Everything’s already broken; you’re going to fix it for me.”

  With a fierce rip, he ruins my dress and exposes my body to the nighttime breeze. Disgusted shivers erupt all over my body as his sweaty hands begin tracing lines across my waist.

  “Dad was so pissed when we broke up. He practically disowned me.”

  “What?” I’m genuinely shocked, momentarily distracting both of us. His movements slow and he blinks rapidly, eyes drifting up to meet mine. There’s a hint of the Jared I used to know buried in the brown depths. Horror flickers through his features so quickly I wonder if I imagine it. But then he shakes his head abruptly, wiping away the man I once knew.

  “He saw you,” Jared rages, gripping my waist to the point of pain. He yanks my waist upward, arching my body while my side cries out in silent agony. “The night we broke up he saw you running away, crying and with a torn dress. Why wouldn’t you have just stayed and let me do what I wanted?”

  Seething, he drops me, then drapes his body over mine. Even though they’re tied, he circles my wrists with his hands, clutching them tightly. Jared grinds into me, demonstrating how arousing he finds the captivity scenario. Revulsion fills me, but I won’t look away. I keep my eyes trained on his, wanting him to understand that I’m not the same meek girl that he dated a few months ago.

  “Because I wouldn’t let you rape me,” I growl at him, allowing my emotions to overrule any thoughts of escaping.

  His lips curl into a slow, cruel smile. Grinding his body into mine he hisses, “Doesn’t appear you have much of a choice in the matter now.”

  My stomach drops. Somehow I manage to keep the grit in my retort. “Do whatever you want with my body, but know I belong with someone else. I’m his.”

  “No one else could want you.” He releases my wrists and skates his hands roughly down the length of my body to where my underwear rests on my hips. “You will come home with me and we’ll get married. Once my dad sees we’re happily back together, he’ll give his seat to me when he retires.”

  I can hear how reverently he believes this fantasy as though I would consider leaving my life here without question to become his political doll.

  “You’re out of your mind. I would never willingly leave Harris.”

  “Am I?” Slowly his lips form a twisted, diabolical smirk. “What do you think it would take to get daddy dearest fired from his job at the police station? You will come back to Virginia with me tonight, otherwise Don won’t have a job or his perfect pension as soon as tomorrow. Everything will go back to the way it was always meant to be.”

  The threat sends a chill through me. The Gordon family has extensive political pull in Virginia, and I wouldn’t put it past this furious, vindictive Jared to harm my father.

  “Don’t do this, Jared,” I plead softly. “Please.”

  His normally short, manicured nails are jagged against my skin as he starts clawing at the material around my hips the way he did that night so many months ago.

  Somewhere in the background, I hear Claire moan. My heartbeat accelerates as I imagine her waking up to this scene. Jared grunts in frustration, but then with a ferocious sound in the back of his throat, he tears off my panties, casting them aside. Rolling back on his knees, he releases his belt from his buckle, beginning to shove his pants and boxers down his thighs. Panic settles in and I squirm underneath him, praying he’ll fall off balance like last time. But he’s rigid, pressing his sticky, sweaty skin against mine.

  He’s inches from slamming into me, shoving my legs wider as I desperately try to squeeze them close when it happens. The angry clatter of the sliding door being jerked open too quickly for the track.

  “Luke!” I gasp hopefully.

  Jared turns to investigate the sound. When he sees what caused the noise, his face blanches. His body blocks my view, but then I hear my rescuer as he rips Jared away from me, throwing him to the floor. Instantly, he’s on top of him, one hand pinning his neck to the ground.

  “You put your filthy hands on my woman?” Harris’ voice is deadly serious. The thin thread keeping my boyfriend’s emotions in check dwindles. “Answer me, you piece of shit!”

  I watch in silence, momentarily stupefied by the sheer emotion displayed on Harris’ scowling face. The gentle man is gone, replaced by one on a mission to destroy.

  “She asked for it,” Jared chokes out in a strangled voice. He tries to swipe at the imposing figure above him, but is immediately rendered helpless when Harris slams his knee into Jared’s abdomen.

  “You put your hands on my woman,” he growls again.

  “Harris!” I cry out, finally finding my voice.

  My words break him from his task, and he slowly turns toward me, eyes widening in recognition. Still pinning my captor, he lets out a strangled cry when he notices my state of undress and immobility. Not far from him, Claire’s groans grow louder and her eyes flicker open. But Harris ignores the muffled noises.

  “Get a blanket, Luke.” Harris voice holds no anger. Now it’s a jumbled, broken mess. Every worry line is visible on his face as he studies me with wide, forlorn eyes.

  “Luke… Luke, he’s here?”

  Before Harris answers, the man in question appears at my side. When he arrives in my line of vision, I’m glad to see no noticeable signs of physical distresses, but his face is a storm cloud of anger. Luke gently wraps the striped throw from Harris’ couch around my body. With his thumb he wipes the trickle of blood above my lip, then he begins to unravel the knots holding my hands.

  “The police and paramedics will be here soon,” he tells us. He tugs the silk tie off my wrists. He helps me gently lower my arms to my sides.

  “What happened to you?” I clutch at his hand and find that they’re trembling like mine.

  “Someone texted from your phone and cancelled our dinner plans. But then Harris tracked me down and told me you were in trouble. I’m so sorry I didn’t get here earlier,” he whispers. Just like Harris, terror radiates off him.

  “Not your fault.”

  I wiggle to try and scoot up to hug him, but the movement causes me to cry out when a rippling pain shoots down my sides.

  “Fuck!” Harris roars, turning his attention back to Jared. “What did I tell you, asshole?” he demands. Underneath him, Jared splutters, not answering. “I said if you bothered Edith again I’d destroy your father’s political career.”

  From where I lie, I’m unable to listen or watch how Jared responds, but I do hear his grunt of pain when Hared presses down on him harder.

  “You’re really blessed that I’d rather spend the night with my Edith than in prison,” Harris barks.

  From the commotion of footsteps and voices, I can tell we have company. Luke’s answering questions, a flurry of activity ensuing as the paramedics attend to Claire and a handful of police officers surround Jared.

  As soon as they police assume control of my former boyfriend, Harris jumps to his feet, rushing toward me. At some point he had shed his jacket and tie, but he�
��s still wearing the bottom portion of his suit.

  “Are you hurt?” he asks, stormy eyes full of worry.

  “Yes,” I murmur, suddenly overwhelmed by exhaustion. Adrenaline seeps out of my pores, leaving a sedated and scared mess in its wake. “Is it over?”

  Then, with his arms around my back, he gently maneuvers me onto his lap. His face finds my neck, lips grazing my skin. My hands move to his chest, wanting to feel the steady, reassuring beat of his heart. The tears I managed to hold back for so long begin seeping free.

  “I’m so sorry, baby, so, so sorry,” he murmurs against my trembling skin. He holds me carefully like I might shatter in his arms.

  “I love you.” The words are very, very soft, but I still think he hears my feeble attempt to comfort him. He doesn’t need any more suffering at the hands of his sister. What I wouldn’t do to shield him from the secrets scattered around us like land mines.

  Try as I might to find a focus on the activity around me, I can’t. Weariness wraps around me like the blanket covering my nakedness and my eyes continue to droop closed.

  Harris inhales a deep, shuddering breath and then draws himself to his full height, careful not to disturb my injured body. As soon as he’s sitting upright, I mold my cheek to his chest. One hand clutches the fabric of his dress shirt tightly.

  “Mr. Grant,” a deep baritone drawls.

  Unable to battle against the soothing call of sleep, I let my eyes fall closed. Harris’ grip tightens on me slightly as he addresses the man standing near us.

  The last thing I remember before succumbing to my exhaustion is the touch of Harris’ lips to my temple.

  Before I set my sights on him, my senses recognize his touch. There’s the familiar weight of his hand surrounding mine, our fingers weaved together, connecting our bodies. His thumb brushes over my knuckles at a leisurely cadence. His voice is just a few decibels louder than a whisper.

  “She’s sleeping now. Doctor says she’ll be fine. Eventually.”