by M. Sembera
M20H
'Come And Get Your Love' by Redbone made Liv's morning drive to work just a little bit sweeter as she tapped her fingers against the steering wheel and sang along with the words. The weekend had proved to be an amazing addition to a weeks-worth of Braden. Why Lily cheated on him, when they were dating, she would never understand. Aside from the fact that it was wrong and hurtful, that man knew his way around a woman's body. She had no idea sex could feel this way. It was as if he was able to draw every ounce of pleasure out of her body, at will. Liv was pretty well acquainted with the facts of life, but this week had taught her a new one. Not all orgasms are created equal.
The little bell above the door at Legacy Ink rang as she stepped into the shop. Noticing Penny and Jimmy at the counter, Liv greeted them both on her way to the back.
"What's up Jimmy?" Earned her a smile, while her, "Good morning, beautiful," brought an unexpectedly cautious expression to Penny's face.
Liv figured she must have had an early call from Sarah or something. Penny was normally cheerful but lately the whole trying to make a baby situation had considerably taken its toll on her mood.
Liv tossed her purse on the chair in the back office, still humming the tune from the song in her car. There was an added feeling of warmth in her chest as her phone vibrated in her hand.
B: Ever had phone sex?
Pausing in the doorway, she replied to his text.
L: No.
B: No?
Holding back her smile, she texted.
L: No, I have not.
B: Oran has the hook up on that floor you wanted.
L: Cool.
B: I'm gonna ride with him to pick it up but it's gonna take all day.
L: Sounds good.
B: He'll deliver it tomorrow.
Excited about the wood floors for her library, she was curious what one had to do with the other.
L: Phone sex?
B: Yeah. I thought tonight. You down?
Biting her bottom lip, she texted back.
L: If you'll be UP.
B: Dirty girl.
Liv let out a laugh.
L: Later.
Sticking her phone in her back pocket, she gave up trying to wipe the smile off of her face and walked to the front of the shop.
Resting her elbows on top of the counter, she leaned against it.
"What's on the agenda for today?"
Penny appeared nervous as Jimmy replied, "Nothing."
"Then why are we here?" She laughed, thinking of heading back to her house and catching Braden before he left.
Cautiously Penny replied, "We weren't really sure what to do."
Shaking her head at Penny, Liv noticed Jimmy had a solemn expression on his face also.
"Am I missing something?"
Penny's eyes were sympathetic as she started to say, "Well... Last year..."
Liv's heart pounded in her chest. She glanced at the calendar and realized. She forgot.
A cold sickening feeling washed over her. Both Penny and Jimmy's eyes were sorrowful, but she couldn't help feeling as though they were judging her. She forgot.
"I'm out," she blurted, turning and walking back to the office.
Guilt tore through her soul as remorse over what she had done overwhelmed her. Grabbing her purse, she walked out of the back door. She swore she would never forget. She forgot.
~
Sitting on the center of his bed, Braden thought of different ways to get started. Should he call Liv? Or should it be over a text message. After deciding it should definitely be a phone call, he wondered if he should text her first. He had never done this before. It always seemed hot and since Liv wanted to try new things, he thought it would be something they could try out for the first time together.
With an eager smile he sent her a text.
B: Are you naked?
Staring at his phone, he waited for her to text back, when it rang. Instant disappointment washed over him when he saw the call was from Penny.
"Hello," he snapped hoping to quickly get her off the phone.
Penny didn't waste any time, questioning, "Have you heard from Liv?"
"I talked to her this morning. Why?"
"I've been trying to call her. She won't pick up."
A nervous feeling crept through his bones as he asked, "What happened?"
Sounding like she was about to cry, she replied, "This morning at the shop. She was in a really good mood but then she looked at the calendar. I figured she went home."
"I was with Oran all day," he griped, hopping off of his bed.
He could hear her sniffle as she offered, "I talked to Uncle Brennen, the cabin's ready if we..."
"Damn it, Penny. No. Just... Damn it."
Penny started to cry harder into the phone.
"I didn't mean to remind her. I didn't realize she forgot."
Tossing his cell down on his bed, he barked, "Hang on."
While pulling a t-shirt on over his head, he worked at not being angry with Penny. It didn't matter that he was pissed and he had told her to let it go. She was his sister and he hated to hear her cry.
Braden grabbed a pair of jeans from his basket of clothes and yanked them on.
He picked his phone up off of his bed and assured, "I'm going to go check on her. You don't need to cry. She probably just needed the day off."
"You didn't see her, Braden. She..."
Anger and fear twisted in the pit of his stomach as he cut her off, saying, "Alright, Pen, I get that she was upset."
"I'm sorry."
Balancing his phone between his shoulder and his ear, Braden sat on his couch putting his socks and shoes on as he repeated, "I'm going to go check on her."
"Okay." Penny replied in a soft voice, still sounding sad but thankfully no longer crying.
He stood up and grabbed his keys saying, "I'll call you back."
Without waiting for her to end the call, he hung up and headed out of his apartment door, hoping to find her in a better state than he did the last time.
M21H
The farmhouse was silent when Braden walked in. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not because Liv's car was parked outside. It was eerily quiet as he walked through. Deciding to start where he ended up finding her last time, he headed down the hall.
Walking past Liv's library room, he stopped. The light was on. Turning back, he remembered shutting the light off.
"Liv..."
She was sitting in the old marking chair in the corner. A bottle of liquor was in between her legs. There was a glass in her hand, as she rested both on the arm of the chair.
"I forgot," she shared before drinking what was in her glass.
The pain in the pit of his stomach twisted. It was painful to watch her as she held the glass next to her thigh and tipped the liquor from the bottle into it.
"That's when we met ya know... On his birthday."
Braden stepped closer to her as she emptied another glass in one swallow like it was nothing before repeating her refill routine.
"And I forgot."
Making the final step to stand next to her, Braden wanted to knock the glass out of her hand and jerk her out of that damn chair. Maybe shake her a little.
So she forgot his birthday. Kieran forgot to be faithful. It was about even as far as Braden was concerned, and the fact that she was sitting there reminiscing or remorseful made him sick. It was different before; before she was grieving. She didn't need to grieve anymore. The man had been dead for a while now and she had him. They had each other. The agony of seeing her falling apart over someone who never deserved anything from her to begin with was too much for Braden.
He was going to tell her that Kieran was a cheating bastard. That he was an unfaithful piece of shit and that she needed to get over it because what they had was better. Her marriage to his cousin meant nothing compared to what was between them.
When he opened his mouth to speak, he stopped, hearing her admit, "I alwa
ys hated this room."
Instead of talking, he decided to listen, watching her eyelids close then flutter open again.
"This chair... I was jealous... of a chair."
Liv lifted the glass and started to take another drink before he took it away from her. Even then, she wouldn't look at him.
"There was never anything for me...here."
She flinched as he touched her arm.
"Don't say that."
Her eyes remained closed this time as she reached for the bottle between her legs assuring, "It hurts to be wrong."
Braden pulled the bottle away from her. Liv was fixing to be out, there was maybe enough left for a half of a glass in her liquor bottle.
"Please... go."
Shaking his head, he touched the side of her face.
Liv's eyes opened as she looked into his, mumbling, "Away from here."
He watched her eyes close, thinking about what she said.
She would most likely be out for a while. Staring at her, Braden thought she might be right. He needed to get out of there, but so did she. If it was just the two of them, away from everything, she would see all they needed was each other. He couldn't very well take her without her permission, she'd be pissed, but he knew if he waited until she sobered up, there was no way she would agree to going.
Taking a long shot, he nudged her, asking, "You want me to take you away from here for a couple of days?"
When there was no response, he nudged her again. Liv's head fell forward, sort of like a nod. Close enough.
Braden walked out of the room and into Liv's. Opening her closet he dug around until he found a bag. She would need some clothes. Pulling her drawers open, it was a bit odd that the first three were filled with socks. Not a variety socks, identical pairs of the same socks. Moving on, he knew she needed underwear and pajamas. Grabbing items and stuffing them into the bag he thought she would need deodorant. In the bathroom, he wasn't sure what else she needed. Toothbrush and toothpaste were a must, but there were twelve different types of lotion in there. Shaking his head he grabbed what he thought would be necessities and called Penny.
Penny picked up after only one ring.
"Braden, was she there?"
"Yeah," he replied before lying, "She's okay. She just wants to be alone right now ya know."
"I understand. She's okay though?"
Taking a moment to make sure his voice was convincing, he replied, "She needs some time to herself, that's all. She'll be back at the shop Thursday, but she doesn't want to talk to anyone until then. Okay."
"Okay, I'll tell Charlotte."
"Alright, Pen. Later."
Putting Penny's mind at ease also meant no one would expect to hear from her. Which was good. He left Liv's phone on her bed, intentionally, not packing it.
Now, there was the small problem of grabbing the things he needed from his apartment. And food, they would need food. If he put her in the car now, he could risk her waking up at one of the stops. What if someone saw her in his car at the grocery store? Braden needed to be smart about this in order to successfully get her out of town.
Opting to leave Liv at her house to run errands seemed like the best route to take.
~
When Braden arrived back at the farmhouse, and found her on the floor instead of in the chair where he left her, he felt a little bad for leaving her there. She didn't seem injured, although really how would he be able to tell until she sobered up.
He made a few trips back and forth out to his car before he decided on the best strategy of getting her in his car. The blanket they kissed under on the couch was on the passenger side and her pillow was in there too. That way, if she did start to come out of her stupor, maybe she would think she was at home. At least that's what he was hoping.
Braden lifted her off the floor, flinging the top part of her body over his shoulder. He made it through the house and off the porch before standing there staring at the open passenger door. It seemed fairly simple in his head. Sliding her off of his shoulder while holding onto her he was able to bend her over enough to get her in. Moving her into an up-right position he clicked her seatbelt on, and wrapped the blanket around her. He ended up rolling the window down so he could hold her head with one hand to keep from shutting her in the door. That actually worked out nice because he was able to wedge her pillow in between her and the door, so she could comfortably lean against it.
Sliding into the driver's side, he slowly rolled up the passenger window. Glancing over at her, he smiled. This was going to be good for her. For both of them.
M22H
Liv rubbed her eyes with her fingers tips, trying to alleviate the pain sunlight was inflicting on them. The stiff feeling in her body had nothing on the throbbing in her head. Confused, she couldn't figure out why it was so bright or where the musty mothball smell was coming from. Still half asleep and in a hangover daze, she slowly stood up.
Braden's voice came from somewhere, informing, "Bathroom's the door on your left."
Stumbling into the kitchen, she could feel Braden's eyes on her as she squinted at her unfamiliar surroundings.
"Where the hell am I?"
His voice was calm as he replied, "Away."
For a second, she thought she might be dreaming.
"What?"
"Does it matter?" he answered, walking towards her.
Her squint turned into a glare. She needed to shower so she could wake up enough to be as angry with him as she needed to be.
The throbbing in her brain had turned into a dull ache after her shower. She refused to take aspirin simply because it was helping her keep an agitated state of mind. It didn't matter what he said, taking advantage of her drunken state by driving her out of town without her consent was for lack of a better word, a crime.
"When you take someone against their will, it's kidnapping."
Seemingly offended, Braden argued, "It wasn't against your will. You were unconscious."
"That's worse."
Shaking his head at her, he admitted, "You wouldn't have come any other way."
Wide eyed, Liv threw her hands out at her sides saying, "That's kidnapping."
"Look, we're here now, lets..."
Crossing her arms, she leaned against the wall stating, "No."
"We could..."
"No."
Stepping closer to her, he griped, "Would ya stop being pissed at me?"
Refusing to change her disposition, Liv asked, "Where's my phone?"
"I left it."
"Where's yours?"
With a heavy sigh, he replied, "Its put away."
"Then no."
Appearing frustrated, Braden fussed, "Fine. Be that way then. We're about fifty miles from nowhere, so funky ass attitude or not, you're stayin' here until I get ready to leave."
Pushing away from the wall, she stomped back to the couch and sat down.
Infuriated with him, Liv switched back and forth between refusing to look in his direction and giving him hateful glares. He must be losing his mind to think taking her to the middle of nowhere while she was passed out was a good idea. Maybe he had finally snapped. As long as she had known him he always seemed somewhat passive, even where Lily was concerned. Sure he would get upset but he was the king of sedentary response.
As she continued to sit there stewing, trying to figure out why Braden would do something this drastic, she glanced over at him. He was standing in front of two glass doors that opened from the center to the outside. The sun coming through them highlighted the copper color of his hair and the distressed expression on his face. She wanted to look away but she couldn't. She wanted to lock herself in the bathroom until he gave in and took her home but she didn't. Everything about this was wrong. Their pain, due to life's circumstances, was supposed to be shared. However, at the moment, she seemed to be the cause of his. That wasn't who she wanted to be. In her mind, she recognized the past week may have been an all good things come to an end farewell to their u
nusual friendship.
Yesterday she was sick with guilt but the longer she sat there drinking, the more it occurred to her, the things she was holding onto from Kieran were ridiculous. Liv had fallen fast and hard the moment she met him. When she looked back on her life with him though, it was somewhat mediocre. She loved him, and if he were alive today she would still be committed to him; holding out hope that things would change. It was all rather sordid and cliché when she thought about it.
Liv was smitten with a guitar player that was hung up on someone else. After their one night stand, she left town heartbroken, questioning her worth. When she came back overflowing with self-confidence, she thought he would take notice. She only came back to throw the woman she became in his face. And as it turned out, she found someone else and she didn't even care that he didn't remember her in the first place. It seemed now, everything had come full circle. Death had caused her another heartache leaving her questioning her worth. Liv was smitten with a man that used to play guitar that was hung up in life.
Getting up, she walked over to where Braden was standing. Liv stared through the glass doors at the trees and the leaves covering the ground.
"It's nice here."
"You still mad?"
Smiling to herself, Liv replied, "No, but I think you need therapy if you're into kidnaping people."
Braden cracked a smile before his expression grew serious again. "I hate that you miss him. Especially now."
Taking a deep breath, she knew he did.
"You of all people should understand."
"I don't miss Lily. I haven't in a long time."
Liv turned and looked at him, "It's not about the person, it's about the things you missed out on."
Nodding, Braden questioned, "This is it. Isn't it? I crossed a line."
Closing her eyes, she thought for a moment.
The same man who spent an entire week fulfilling every fantasy she had then kidnapped her was willing to let go just like that. It was the inevitable and she knew it too, but it saddened her that there wasn't the least little bit of fight in him. With all the things that Braden was, when it came down to it, he still wasn't man enough for her. Maybe there was no such thing.
The weight of the moment grew to be more than what Liv was prepared to handle.
