More Than You Know

by Alexandria Rhodes

  No, not really. Was that supposed to be a trick question? “Uh, I guess so…” I responded, knowing that with makeup she had never done me wrong.

  She grabbed a brush and started pulling it through my hair, gently. “So I was thinking I would put some soft curls in your hair and then do a really pretty smoky eye makeup. I grabbed a couple of dresses for tonight that I think you would rock.”

  I shrugged. “Go for it.”

  I watched in the mirror as she worked her magic. She started with my eye makeup, sweeping the brush across my eyelids before applying liner and mascara

  “Wow, that’s…different!” I said, looking in the mirror for the first time. It took a second for me to accept it was me that I was looking at in the mirror. “It looks great.”

  She smiled as she started on my hair, rolling strands up in big, fat rollers.

  “Okay, don't move your head too much and let's go pick out an outfit for tonight.” Charlotte had laid out three different dresses: a bright red one which I denied right away, a pink dress which I also hated, and then the third a black dress with blue leopard print covering it. I slipped it on and the bottom of it fell just a few inches above my knee while the sleeves hit just below my elbows. While it was something I wouldn’t have normally picked out for myself, I found that I liked it.

  “Tyler isn't going to be able to keep his eyes off of you tonight.” Charlotte smiled studying my figure in the mirror. I slipped back out of it, following her back to the vanity so she could finish my hair.

  “Hey, bitches!” Eva said as she walked in, collapsing on the bed. “Whoa, good work, Char!” she said when she got a glimpse at me. “I'm going to go take a shower really quick and get ready myself. Think you can help me with my makeup, Charlotte?”

  “Sure, hurry though; I need to get ready too.”

  Not long after Eva left, Charlotte declared herself finished with what she called, “her masterpiece.”

  “I really appreciate this, Charlotte. I love what you did.”

  “Sure. I’m going to go do my makeup before Eva gets out of the shower and demands my attention. Go get changed into your dress, and I’ll grab you some shoes. The boys will be ready soon, and once Tyler gets home, we’ll leave.”

  Pulling down on the dress, I walked to a mirror to check out the final product. My mouth practically dropped as I saw myself all put together. I didn't look like a different person, but my best features were definitely showing.

  “Charlotte?” I heard as a knock on the door followed the voice.

  “No, it’s Bryn, you can come in.”

  “You're fully clothed?”

  It was Tyler.

  I giggled. “Yes I am.”

  He opened the door and looked around until his eyes settled on me.

  “Wow, Bryn, you look…” he said, not finishing his sentence.

  “Yeah, Charlotte worked her magic.”

  He smiled. “You don’t need magic to look amazing.”

  I blushed for what seemed like the millionth time in front of him. “Thanks.”

  “Oh, Tyler, you're here. Go get ready, you asshole. We're all ready,” Charlotte said.

  The nightclub, Crave, was a lot less crowded and nicer than I had expected. I understood now why Charlotte had me put in a dress instead of wearing jeans. “There's an empty table over there in the corner!” Jason shouted over the music. We sat down, Tyler sliding in next to me with Charlotte on my other side.

  A waiter came over and checked our hands which all had a black line across them. “What can I get you?” She took our orders and returned quickly with the drinks.

  As I was looking around the bar I noticed how young the crowd was. Everyone around seemed to be my age besides a couple of older men across the room. I accidentally locked eyes with one of them and an eerie chill ran down my spine and I shivered looking away quickly.

  “You okay?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, of course.” I smiled at him with reassurance and he put his arm around me and kissed my cheek. I didn’t dare look back over at the men across from me and as soon as the conversation started between our group, I had completely forgotten about it.

  I had just taken a sip of my mojito when Tyler leaned over and whispered in my ear, “Want to dance?”

  Fuck…I can't dance. Or at least I don't think I can.

  “I don't know, Tyler…” I started.

  “Trust me, I’ll lead. All you have to do is move to the music with me.”

  Something about his words made my skin tingle. Suddenly, I wasn’t thinking about how to dance.

  He slid out of the booth and stuck his hand out, an invitation I found myself unable to resist. I looked around at the others, and Charlotte winked at me. Eva and Jason were on their way to the dance floor already.

  Taking his hand, I adjusted the back of my dress and took another sip of my drink, the alcohol warming my stomach as it settled. An unfamiliar song had just started, and the DJ was moving to the beat as well. I shivered as Tyler turned me so that my back was against his front and his hands gripped my hips.

  His breath was hot on my skin as he leaned closer, his lips almost touching my ear, “Just feel the music and dance with me.” And then he started moving, his hands guiding my hips along with his. I closed my eyes and felt the music take over as I moved with him. His right hand grazed from my hip to my stomach, pressing me closer into him. Not knowing where my braveness was coming from, I brought my hand around and intertwined our fingers. He tightened his fingers, and we continued to sway against each other to the music. I had never, ever, danced this way before.

  “Bryn, turn around,” he said into my ear.

  I turned around and he brought his hands to my face, brushing the loose hair away. “You may have all that makeup on and look more ‘done up’ tonight, Bryn, but you’re always beautiful. I hope you know that.”

  I laughed and he pulled me to him again for a kiss. “You want to get out of here? Go back and watch a movie or something?”

  “Watch a movie, huh?”

  He rolled his eyes. “I'm not that kind of guy, Bryn.”

  “I know, I was kidding. But yeah, let me just go to the bathroom really fast, and then we can get out of here. You don't think anyone else will mind, do you?”

  He shook his head. “No, I think they’ll all venture their way back to the house sooner or later.” He kissed my cheek and I left to go to the bathroom.

  I looked at myself in the mirror and fixed my hair and straightened my dress. The door opened behind me and I saw a man walk in. I looked at him with shock, drying my hands on a paper towel. “Uhm, this is the ladies room,” I said, thinking he was possibly lost.

  “Yes, I know that,” he said as he put his hand behind his back. I heard a click and realized he had just locked us in. “I saw you on the dance floor.”

  I slowly started to back up into the counter, fear coursing through my body. “I need to get back to my friends,” I said, hoping he would leave me alone and that what I feared might happen wouldn't.

  “Oh, sweetie, I don't think that's fair, letting you go that easily. You see, I saw how you moved with that guy out there. I want some of that,” he said, looking me up and down. I felt dirty and exposed at his words.

  “Seriously, my friends are waiting for me,” I said, backing myself into the wall as he came closer toward me.

  “They can wait, beautiful,” he said, reaching his hand out and running a finger through my hair. Exactly just where Tyler's had been moments earlier. He reached out and grabbed my waist, pulling me close, and his breath invading my space. “Come here, baby.”

  Seven: Tyler

  ____________________

  Bryn had been in the bathroom for a really long time now. Part of me worried that maybe she had skipped out on me, but she wouldn't have left her purse, clutch, or whatever girls carried with them when they went out. “Hey, did you guys see Bryn leave or something?” I asked. They all looked at each other to see if someone might know.<
br />
  “No, man, sorry. Last time I saw her was when you two were on the dance floor making out.”

  Looking around the club, I sighed, feeling anxious all of a sudden. Something wasn’t right. “She said she was going to the bathroom fifteen minutes ago and said she would be right back.”

  Charlotte sat up. “Eva, let's go check on her. I'm sure she's fine though.”

  I watched them walk away and around the corner. Not even a minute later, Charlotte came running back, a look of panic on her face. “You guys need to get back there! Bryn's locked in there, and we can hear screaming. Someone else is definitely in there with her.”

  I jumped up, adrenaline rushing through me as I ran to the bathroom with Jason and the others behind me.

  Grabbing the doorknob, I yanked it hard, trying to see if maybe it was just stuck, but it wouldn't even turn. A scream came from the other side, and I knew whose it was. Jason stepped back and ran at the wooden door at full force, knocking it off the hinges.

  The scene in front of us made bile rise in my throat. Bryn was being held down on the ground, her dress torn slightly with a massive figure hovered over her. His hand was on his jeans like he was getting ready to discard them. Anger rushed through me as Jason and I ran over, pulling the man off of her.

  “What the fuck are you doing?” I yelled at him.

  “Don't you ever fucking touch her again!” Jason said, punching him in the face. “Get the fuck out of here!” He grabbed the back of the man’s shirt and dragged him out.

  I couldn’t concentrate on the man Jason was dragging out. All I could think about was Bryn who was still lying on the floor, tears running down her face and shaking.

  “Oh, Bryn,” I said, kneeling down besides her, Charlotte on the other side.

  “Did he?” Eva asked, not being able to finish the sentence or say the words I knew we were all thinking.

  Bryn shook her head.

  “Are you hurt, Bryn?” I pressed, wanting to pick her up and put every single part of her that was shattered back together.

  She looked at me, and new tears formed in her eyes. “No, he didn't do much,” she whimpered. “I just want to leave, go home.” I could feel my heart break for her.

  We helped her sit up and the girls cleaned Bryn up the best possible. Her mascara had run down her cheeks, and the girls dabbed Bryn’s eyes with a wet paper towel.

  “What happened in here?” a woman asked, walking into the bathroom. She had on a business suit and was obviously an employee or manager.

  Miles cleared his throat and led her outside to give her the story.

  When they came back in, the woman’s facial expression had changed from pissed to sincerely sympathetic. “Ma'am, my name is Kyle, and I’m the manager here. I’m so sorry for what happened to you. I want you to take my card, and if there is anything I can do, please call me.” She handed the card to Miles, and he shook her hand. “We’ll be taking this very seriously and the police just arrived. I think they want to talk to you. I’m so sorry again.” “We should get her to the hospital,” Charlotte interrupted. “Tell the police they can meet us there.”

  Bryn shook her head as more tears emerged. “No, I don’t want to go to the hospital. I just want to go home.”

  “Baby, you need to get checked out,” I encouraged as she looked up at me with scared eyes. “I promise I’m not going to leave your side.”

  The look she gave me told me she knew she could trust me. Even though all of my promises before had been broken, this was one I would make sure I kept. She nodded her head and I picked her up, carrying her out to our car. When we got to the emergency room, I kept my promise and followed Bryn and the nurse back to an exam room.

  BRYN:

  Pain spread like wildfire throughout my body. Not in just one spot, but everywhere. Even my fingertips hurt, probably from scratching and hitting the man, trying to fight him off. When the doctor came in, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The nurse had me change into a hospital gown, and as I sat there on the table letting him examine my bruises and cuts, the only thing that kept me from losing it was Tyler.

  I winced as the doctor carefully lifted my arms, feeling for any breaks, even though I assured him that I wasn’t in that kind of pain. He explained that he would be sending me home with painkillers that I would surely need tomorrow.

  I nodded, on autopilot, just wanting to go home. But it wasn’t over.

  “Bryn Woods?” a woman officer asked, entering the exam room. “I’m Angela Stewart, head detective for Savannah’s police station. I know this is hard to deal with, but we need to get your statement to have on file. I promise that as soon as we do, we will leave you alone and you can go home.”

  “Okay,” I agreed, wanting to get this over with. With my dad being a police chief for so many years, I understood the importance of getting a statement as soon as possible; it was easier that way anyway.

  Angela looked at Tyler. “If I could have some privacy with Miss Woods, please?”

  Tyler grabbed my hand. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Tyler…”

  “No, it’s okay, as long as you don’t mind him being in here,” Angela interrupted.

  I shook my head, comforted by the fact that he didn’t want to leave but that was the least of my worries, as I now had to relive what had happened to me. Bile rose in my throat as I told her about the man, what he had done and what he had thankfully not had time to do. I explained how Tyler and Jason broke down the doors and saved me.

  I breathed a sigh of relief when I finished my story. “Is that all you need to know?”

  Angela smiled sympathetically. “For now, yes. Why don’t you get home, and here is my card. If you need anything, call me. We have the man in custody, and will have no problem keeping him in jail.”

  “Thank you.”

  She walked out of the room, and not even a minute later, another knock came. This time, it was Charlotte.

  “Why don't we get her out of here and back home? Bryn, is that okay if we stay with you? I don't want you sleeping by yourself tonight.”

  I nodded as Tyler helped me down from the exam table and I changed back into my dress.

  “Set her down in her room and I’ll go get a hot bath ready for her," Charlotte said as she rubbed my arm sympathetically when we got to my house. I felt like I wasn't really awake. What happened to me was just a nightmare that I had unfortunately witnessed. Eva, Miles, and Jason went back to their house while Charlotte and Tyler had come back with me.

  Tyler picked me up again and carried me inside, my legs and whole body too shaky to stand on my own. He walked us up to my room and nudged opened the door with his foot. As we came up to the bed he set me down gently on top of the covers, wrapping a blanket from the foot of the bed over me. He softly took my legs and set them in his lap, slipping off my shoes. I watched in a daze as concentration filled his face as he seemed to make sure he was doing everything gently enough. He looked back at me with pain and anger painting his expressions.

  “I'm sorry I ruined the night.”

  I looked away, but he got off the bed and kneeled in front of me, taking my hands. “Don't you dare apologize to me about what that monster did to you,” he said quietly. “You did nothing wrong and have nothing to apologize for. I feel horrible that this had to happen to you.”

  I nodded and he returned to the bed, sitting next to me as he pulled me into a hug, my fingers clinging and digging into his arms.

  Charlotte returned from the bathroom. “Bryn, I think a bath will help if you want to take one. You can take one with a shirt and shorts on if you want, and I’ll stay with you.”

  I felt my head nod as I thought that a hot bath would help my muscles which were already sore.

  I walked on my own this time as they went with me to the bathroom. Tyler waited outside of the door as I changed into shorts and a shirt that Charlotte found for me. Tyler opened the door as I was stepping into the bathtub.

  “Thank you, Char,
this feels good,” I said, sitting down in the hot water, comfort running over me. “Can you hand me a wash cloth from the cabinet over there? I want this makeup off.”

  Looking straight ahead, I was unaware of who had handed me the cloth. Dipping it into the hot water, I rubbed my face, feeling the makeup run off my skin.

  “Let us know when you’re done, babe. I’m going to go grab something dry for you to put on,” Charlotte said, pulling on Tyler’s arm to come with her.

  They shut the door, and I was left alone with my thoughts. Before I could stop them, the sobs poured out of me like I had unlatched the cage and they were free to explode. The sobs shook through me and I placed my hands over my face, embarrassed even though I was in here all alone. Why did this happen? It seemed I couldn’t catch a break with anything in my life.

  After a while, the sobs stopped, and a knock came from the other end of the door.

  “I’m just going to bring your clothes in, Bryn. We’re both still here, okay?” Charlotte said, poking her head around the edge of the door.

  I stood up and grabbed my towel from beside the tub and wrapped it around me. It felt weird to have wet clothes clinging to me as well as a towel.

  “How are you doing?” Charlotte asked softly, handing me my clothes.

  I started to undress beneath the towel, a skill I had perfected over the years. “I don’t know. I guess I’m still shocked. I’m shook up, scared and confused.”

  She nodded. “I bet you are. I hate that someone hurt you like that.”

  I wrapped my hair up in the towel. “Me too. Is Tyler still here?” I asked, forgetting that just moments before she had said he was.

  “Yeah, he’s in your room.” She took my wet clothes from me. “Don’t worry about these. I’ll take care of them.”

  “Thanks.”

  She hugged me. “You’re welcome. Tyler and I are going to stay here with you tonight.”

  I stopped. “No, there really is no reason for both of you to stay here.”