by Mia Brown
The legs of the chair broke, and left a nasty mark on the wall. We continued like this, circling the room, throwing things at one another and taking punches when we could, until a whimpering sound from across the room stopped me. I turned and saw Cassidy on the floor against the wall in the corner of the room, her face hidden in her hands. I screamed at Tad to get out of the house and was pleased when he scurried off like a little weasel. As soon as he was gone, I suddenly realized what a mess we had made of the place. The wine on the floor gave it an added look of a crime scene. In the scuffle, I had completely lost sight of everything and completely lost myself. Most of all, I had forgotten about Cassidy. I felt sick to my stomach as I rushed to her.
“He’s gone,” I said. “He’s gone.”
She looked up at me then, and I was surprised by the look on her face. Anger, bewilderment, and fear were intermingled in her eyes. She shook her head and sighed, and I knew that there was also disappointment in them. I knew that I had completely messed up.
“Get out,” she said.
“Cassidy, I was only trying to help,” I said meekly.
“Get out.”
I nodded and left the house. Tad didn’t deserve to be with her, but neither did I. I knew that now. Keeping calm was always the right thing to do, but this time it had just been impossible.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered as I got into the car.
Thirty-Three
Cassidy
I sat there for a long time, tears streaming down my face. When I stood up to survey the room, I was shocked by what I saw. It looked terrible. And my coffee table. My wonderful coffee table. I had always loved it, and now it was lying there in shambles. I felt angry, and then slightly terrified. I had never seen that side of Tad before, and as much as I didn’t think that he would come back, I also realized that it wasn’t something I should assume. I got out my phone and called Nicole.
“Can you come over for the night?”
“Of course. What’s going on?” she asked. “You sound like you’re crying.”
“I am. I was. I…please just come.”
“I’ll be right there.”
Nicole arrived within 15 minutes. By then I was sure that Tad wasn’t coming back, or even Houston, for that matter, but I was still so pleased to see her. I rushed out to the car and hugged her.
“You okay?” she asked.
I nodded and led her into the room. She gasped when she saw the place.
“What the hell? How did this happen?”
“Tad.”
“What?”
We took a seat in the corner of the room, where there was the least amount of damage, and I explained the situation to her. She was naturally shocked by the whole thing.
“I can’t believe this. I had no idea he was that sort of person. Thank goodness you ended things with him. And thank goodness Houston walked in. Do you think Tad would’ve done anything to you if Houston hadn’t arrived?”
“I don’t know. I would’ve said no, but now I’m not sure, to be honest. He’s…he’s got a pretty nasty streak to him,” I said, and told her about how he had compared me to a pig.
“That’s disgusting. He’s disgusting,” she said. “And I’m so very sorry that you went through all of this. Do you want to talk about this? Or do you want to go to bed?” she asked me.
“I want to go to bed,” I said. I suddenly felt the weight of exhaustion come over me. “But what about this place?”
“I’ll help you clean in the morning,” she said. “Come on, let’s get you to bed.”
“Okay,” I said. “I’m going to take a shower and then get off to bed. Thank you so much for coming. I know it probably wasn’t necessary.”
“Don’t be silly,” she said. “I would’ve been upset if you didn’t call me. I’ve told Jonny to be on standby if we need him, too.”
I frowned. “Do you think we need him here, too?”
She shook her head. “No, I think we’ll be fine. The doors are all locked anyway. It’s just always good to be cautious.”
“Thanks, Nic. I love you.”
“I love you too, Cass.”
I fell asleep surprisingly quickly that night. The whole thing had obviously left me tired, and I was grateful that I didn’t have a night of tossing and turning in bed. When I woke the next morning, I almost forgot about it, until a noise from the living room startled me. I jumped out of bed and sighed with relief when I saw that it was just my sister.
“Sorry,” she said sheepishly. “I was trying to be quiet. Did I wake you?” she asked.
“No, you didn’t. You’ve been cleaning,” I noted as I looked around the room. All the memories of the night before came flooding back to me, and I felt relieved that she was there with me. It would’ve been so much worse to wake up on my own. “You should’ve waited for me. Actually, you shouldn’t be cleaning at all. That’s not why I asked you to come over, you know.”
“I know,” she said. “But I didn’t want you to do this all by yourself, and I knew you would stop me from cleaning if you caught me. I was trying so hard to be quiet, but then I knocked this damn bucket over.”
I laughed. “You know me too well. So, I’ve caught you now, and that means you can stop cleaning. Like I said, this is not your job, as much as I do appreciate it. Come on, let me make you some breakfast.”
“I’ll keep cleaning while you get the breakfast done,” she said. “Don’t give me that look. I’m here to help.”
I sighed. “Okay, fine. But I’m only making toast and coffee, so I’ll be quick.”
I hurriedly made the breakfast so that she could stop cleaning, and the two of us took a seat outside so that I didn’t have to look at the smashed furniture. It wasn’t the nicest sight to see first thing in the morning.
“Thanks for sleeping over,” I said.
“You’re welcome. I’m glad you called. Did you manage to get any sleep?”
I nodded. “Surprisingly, yeah.”
“Good. You must’ve been tired.”
“Yeah, I was. Thanks for helping out this morning. The place already looks better. How did you get the wine out?”
“Oh, I’ve spilled enough red wine in my time to have a few tricks up my sleeve,” she said. “Oh, and I also took photos of everything this morning before I cleaned. I’ll send them all to you. I figured it would be good for you to have photo evidence in case Tad says that the place wasn’t so bad when he left. I figured that would be something that he would do.”
That made me laugh. “Good thinking, actually. Thank you. I would never have thought of that.”
“So, how do you feel about the whole thing? Have you heard from any of the boys?”
I shook my head. “Nobody. I sort of thought there would be a message from at least one of them, but nothing. I guess they’re too ashamed. I still cannot believe some of the things that Tad said to me. It was pretty horrifying, really. I’m so glad I didn’t sleep with the guy.”
“I’m so glad, too.”
“And why on earth was Houston here?”
“Didn’t he say why?” Nicole asked as she took a bite of toast.
“We didn’t really get around to that. He walked in as I was telling Tad that he should probably leave. I’d just gotten up the nerve to tell him that the two of us weren’t really compatible with one another. Then he started acting all funny about me not sleeping with him. It was crazy. He was acting strangely from the time he arrived, but he just got more and more anxious as the night went on. He wasn’t even here for that long before he was trying to get into bed with me. Then Houston arrived and things sort of escalated.”
“Well, thank goodness he arrived when he did.”
“Yeah, I’m really grateful for that. I know I act tough, but I’m not that tough against a big guy like Tad.”
“I’m confused, though. Why did you throw Houston out?” she asked.
I frowned. “Why did I throw him out? Uh, did you not see the state of the house? That was caused by
two grown men having a fight. I kicked him out because he went completely apeshit and made a wreckage of my place. I thought that would be obvious.”
Nicole chuckled. “Yeah, but he did it because he was fighting for your honor. He was sticking up for you. I don’t think you should’ve kicked him out for doing something nice for you. In fact, I think that what he did was a really nice thing. Hell, if I was here, I probably would’ve kicked Tad’s ass too. It’s what people do when they care about someone.”
I shook my head. Should I feel bad for kicking him out? I was so angry by what had happened that I couldn’t think straight. But surely I shouldn’t have just run into his arms. He’d made a mockery of my house no matter what his reasons were. “No way. Why should I let him stay? No, what he did made me so angry.”
“You know, I never thought I’d ever say this to you, especially since I’ve always looked up to you…but you’re starting to become a bit of a coward.”
I looked at my sister in surprise. “A coward? Why would you say that? What did I do to deserve to be called that?” I had asked my sister for moral support. Not for her to come over and insult me. What was going on?
“You’ve always stuck up for yourself, and you’ve always held your own. You’ve also always gone after what you wanted in life. For these things, I have honestly always admired you. But when it comes to love, you just refuse to let yourself go there. You refuse to let it happen. It’s a shame, really.”
“Love? What does love have to do with any of this?” I demanded.
“You’re in love with Houston. Madly and deeply in love. You’re just too afraid to let it happen. You’re too afraid to lose yourself, or to get hurt, and because of that, you’ve pushed yourself away. But don’t you see, Cass? Love is all about taking a risk. You will never know true joy without opening yourself up to it. You already experienced a bit of it, and so I know that you know exactly what I’m talking about. Don’t shut that part out just because you’re afraid. Be willing to put yourself out there.”
“It’s not that easy,” I said to her.
“Of course it’s not easy. Who said it was easy? It’s worth it, that’s what it is.”
I sighed. “I hate it when you’re right. How come you’re the younger sister, but you’re also the wiser one?”
Nicole laughed. “Oh, I’m not wise. These things are always easy when they’re not about your own life. It’s easy to see the truth in someone else’s. You’ll be there for me one day just as I am here for you. Everyone is blind to their own truth.”
“So what do I do?”
“Look, Houston came here once, he’ll come here again,” she said.
“I’m not sure about that. I told him to get out.”
“Well, if Houston can’t handle you screaming at him, then maybe he’s not the right man for you. You want someone who is willing to fight for you, well, that’s what you got. He’ll be back. And if he doesn’t come, then go to him. Dammit, I’m sick of the two of you not just admitting to each other that you’re in love. You’re driving your poor little sister crazy. Do it for me.”
“You drive a hard bargain, sis,” I said with a smile.
Thirty-Four
Houston
“What the hell was I thinking?” I mumbled.
“Are you talking to yourself again?”
I turned around in surprise to find Joe at my door. I hadn’t even heard him arrive. I had just gotten home from the catastrophe with Cassidy, and I was pacing the room trying to figure out if I had lost my mind or not. I hadn’t even realized that I’d left the door open, and now Joe was standing there looking at me like I was crazy.
I sighed. “Hey, Joe.”
“Whoa, man,” he said as he got closer. “What’s going on? Is that blood on you? You look like you’ve just been in a fight.”
“Which is exactly what happened,” I said as I fell onto the sofa.
Joe sat down and frowned. “Really? You never get into fights. What happened?”
“I decided to finally go over talk to Cassidy, find out where her head is at and all that. I miss her, Joe.”
He nodded. “No shit. You’ve been a mess without her. So, what happened? She punch you?”
“No, but Tad did.”
“Tad? Tad punched you?”
“You know him?”
“Yeah, sure, I’ve seen him around. I don’t know him well, though. Something about that guy is weird.”
I laughed. “That’s what I said. I’ve never felt comfortable around him. Now I know why. He’s an idiot. He was upset with Cassidy because she wouldn’t sleep with him. Then I arrived, and he got even angrier about the whole thing. I was shocked by some of the words he had for her. He’s a terrible guy.”
“So you punched him? Or he punched you?”
“Both. I started it. I couldn’t help myself. The guy deserved it.”
“Good for you. I would’ve done the same,” Joe said. “It’s good you were there.”
“When did this happen?”
“No so long ago. Tonight,” I said.
“So why are you here? You should be there comforting her.”
I sighed. “I sort of made a mess of the place. I was so angry, and at that moment, all I saw was red. I threw him over her coffee table for goodness’ sake, and the whole thing smashed to pieces. I know how much she loved that table. When it was all done, she was cowering in the corner. I kicked him out, but then she kicked me out, and I don’t blame her. I’m just as bad as he was.”
Joe shook his head. “You’re not. You were trying to protect her. You should go back. She was obviously just in shock by the whole thing.”
“No way. I can’t go back.”
Joe groaned. “Oh, for goodness’ sake. You’re in love with this girl. It’s so obvious. Just go and talk to her. You’re right. Not tonight. Go tomorrow.”
“You think?”
“I know.”
Joe was right. We sat with coffee that night, talking through everything, and I felt good about the decision. The following morning, I made my way to the store to buy some flowers, tucked her horse pendant into a small box, and headed over to her house. I hadn’t called ahead, so there was a chance she wouldn’t be home, but this time I was going to wait until she arrived. Thankfully, she was home, but so was someone else, as I noticed a car in the driveway.
I got out the car at the same time that the door opened, and I saw that it was her sister, Nicole. Nicole beamed at me, which made me feel a little better. If she wasn’t angry with me, then hopefully Cassidy wouldn’t be, either. Nicole waved to me, then jumped in her car and hurried off. Which left only Cassidy, standing in her doorway with just her gown on. She wiped some imaginary hair from her face, which I knew was something she did when she was nervous.
“Morning,” I said.
“Morning.” She didn’t offer me a smile, but at the same time she didn’t ask me to leave, so I figured that was something. I peeked inside the house and noticed that some of the furniture was gone. I sighed. “I’m so sorry. I promise you that I’ll get you new furniture. Although, it was Tad’s fat ass that made the real dent.” I probably shouldn’t have said that last bit, but I couldn’t help myself.
She laughed. “Stop making me laugh. I’m supposed to be angry with you.” The sound was music to my ears.
“I brought you flowers,” I said to her.
She took them from me, admiring them. “Thank you. They are lovely. I would put them in a vase, but you broke that.”
I groaned. “I did? I’m so sorry. I…”
She sighed. “It’s okay. Go and make me some coffee and I’ll forgive you.”
“Deal!” I rushed to the kitchen to get started, and felt a glimmer of hope for the first time in ages. She wasn’t angry at me anymore. I had done the right thing by coming. I was going to buy her new furniture, something even better than what she had before, and I would never let something like that happen again.
Coffee made, I went to find her
sitting outside. She had her feet up and she looked very introspective. She was always the most beautiful to me in the morning, and I saw it now clearer than ever before. I handed her the coffee and took a seat beside her. Then I noticed the flowers sitting in a vase outside.
“Hey, you found a vase,” I said.
“Nah, I was lying about you breaking the first one. I just wanted you to make me coffee,” she said, and flashed me a smile.
I laughed. “Sneaky. I like the way you think.”
“And I like the way you make this stuff.”
We sat like that for a while, neither one of us saying anything. I had so much to say to her, but I suddenly couldn’t find the right things to say.
“Are you okay?” I finally said.
She nodded. “I’m fine.”
“Last night…I’m sorry…” I started.
She shook her head. “Don’t be. You were just trying to protect me. I was too hard on you. I know that now. I was just so overwhelmed by the whole thing.”
“Nah, I was in the wrong, too. That guy made me so angry that I couldn’t see straight. I promise that I’m not usually that sort of guy.”
“I know you’re not. I’ve known you for a long time,” she said. “Thank you for coming in and saving me. I don’t know what would’ve happened if you didn’t. I barely want to think of that.”
“What were you thinking going out with him?” I said, and made a face.
She chuckled. “What do you mean? What’s wrong with Tad? I’m thinking of getting married to him, actually.”
“Fake marriage or real marriage?” I teased.
She laughed. “I can’t even go on with this. Even joking about it makes me feel ill. He really was awful. I swear he wasn’t that bad when he first asked me out.”
