Chapter IV
The next morning, Abby got up really early and went to a small bookstore nearby her apartment. For the last two years, she had worked there as a part-time assistant manager. It was a Saturday, and Abby had promised her boss she’d work a full eight-hour shift that day. She did not even wake Kyle up to say goodbye to him before leaving the apartment. She was still freaked out and a little traumatized about Kyle and the dream. She was hoping work could get her mind off the previous night’s disturbing lovemaking with Kyle and her obsession with Brianna.
Around noon that day, Abby was busy in the backroom of the bookstore doing inventory. She was seated at a table with her back to the doorway when the red curtain that separated the backroom from the rest of the store drew open. Jeremy, her boss, stuck his head in.
“Hey, Abby, there’s someone here looking for you,” Jeremy announced.
“I’ll be out in a second,” Abby hollered without taking her eyes off the paperwork in front of her.
A few minutes later, Abby stepped out of the backroom and made her way towards the front of the store. As she walked between two book shelves to get to the register, she saw Jeremy leaning over the counter and staring hungrily at something or someone. When she arrived at the counter, she followed Jeremy’s eyes, and her gaze landed on the lycra-covered bubble butt of a young woman who had her back towards her and Jeremy. The woman was reading book titles off the book shelf in front of her and had not noticed Abby was behind her.
“Brianna?” Abby asked, cocking her head to the side.
Brianna turned around, and her face lit up.
Abby watched Brianna strut towards her, mesmerized. Brianna looked more beautiful than she remembered. Abby thought she looked perfect in a pair of black leggings, a cute short halter top, and pumps with heels that were at least five inches tall. Abby came to the conclusion that only women with perfect proportions could pull off an outfit like that. Abby, wearing capris; a white, button-down, cotton shirt; and loafers never felt plainer.
“Hi, Abby. I was hoping to find you here. Can we talk?” Brianna breathed as she towered over Abby. Between the impossibly high heels she was wearing and her hair being pulled into a tall bun at the top of her head, Brianna looked like a giant next to Abby.
“How did you find me? How did you know I worked here?” Abby asked, furrowing her brow. She still could not believe Brianna was standing in front of her.
“Facebook,” Brianna whispered. “In your bio, you have this bookstore listed as your place of work.” She pursed her lips and scrunched her face, realizing how stalkerish her explanation sounded.
Abby looked over her shoulder. “Jeremy, is it okay if I take my afternoon break now?”
“No problem,” Jeremy replied, grinning like an idiot and without taking his eyes off the statuesque blonde.
Abby turned her attention back to Brianna. “There’s a café at the end of the block. We can talk there,” she suggested before going back to the backroom to retrieve her bag. After she came back out, she and Brianna stepped out of the bookstore while Jeremy continued to shamelessly ogle Brianna’s perfect ass through the store’s glass window.
Abby and Brianna did not say a word to each other on the way to the café. When they arrived at the tiny but packed, Middle Eastern-styled eatery, Abby spotted an empty table in the back of the establishment. They waded through the sea of customers and wait staff and made it to the small table. They sat across from each other while a cranky, middle-aged waiter immediately came over to them to take their orders. They both ordered iced teas, and the waiter walked away.
Brianna leaned forward, placed her elbows on the table, and stared into Abby’s eyes. Realizing that Abby didn’t have much time to talk because she had to go back to work, Brianna went straight to the point. “Abby, I just wanted to apologize for my behavior the other night. It was wrong of me to make that kind of bet with Kyle. I also want to apologize for sticking my tongue down your throat without warning and without your consent. It was wrong, and I’m truly sorry.”
Abby gave Brianna a hooded stare and folded her arms over her chest. She remained silent for a second before replying to what sounded like a heartfelt apology.
“You said it was going to be just a smack on the lips. Why did you lie?”
“I know. I’m so sorry,” Brianna breathed, holding her palm to her chest and crinkling her brow. “I was angry at Kyle and wanted to hurt him. You seem like such a nice, lovely person. I should not have used you like that. I feel horrible. I’m so sorry.”
Drawing a deep breath, Abby placed her palms flat on the small table and stared into Brianna’s piercing blue eyes. Abby’s lips parted as if she was about to say something when the waiter arrived with their iced teas. Brianna and Abby stared at each other in silence while the waiter placed the drinks in front of them and walked away.
Abby saw genuine remorse in Brianna’s eyes, and it sounded like her forgiveness meant a lot to the mysterious blonde. Abby had been angry at Brianna since the party, but she also felt sorry for her because of how that night ended-with Kyle, her own brother, grabbing her by the throat and saying some hurtful things to her. “I will accept your apology…under one condition,” Abby exhaled.
“Anything you want,” Brianna replied, wrapping her hands around the narrow portion of the glass in front of her.
“I want to know why you and Kyle hate each other so much.”
Brianna shook her head and sighed. “I don’t hate Kyle, but he definitely hates me.”
“Why does he hate you?”
Brianna scoffed. “Isn’t it obvious? He hates me because I’m gay.”
Abby shook her head. “No. Kyle may be a lot of things, but he’s not a bigot. He wouldn’t hate anyone for being gay, especially his own sister.”
“You don’t believe me? That night at the party when we were out on the fire escape, he called me a deviant, disgusting freak. He told me he was ashamed of me and asked me to leave the party.”
Abby just sat there shaking her head slowly. She could not believe what she was hearing. She couldn’t believe someone as kind and loving as her boyfriend could be so hateful towards his own flesh and blood. She felt crushing disappointment. It was like finding out Santa Claus was not real all over again.
“Do you know why I had to stalk you on Facebook instead of going through him to find you?” Brianna continued, her lower lip quivering, her voice breaking. “Because he told me at the party to stay away from you. He said he didn’t want me to infect you with my sickness.”
Abby’s heart shattered into a million pieces when she saw tears pooling in Brianna’s eyes. “I’m going to go talk to him,” she announced, leaping to her feet and feeling a sudden, overwhelming rush of anger towards Kyle. She had turned on her heel and had started to walk away from the table when she felt Brianna’s hand gripping her wrist.
“Don’t,” Brianna pleaded, her voice laced with gut-wrenching resignation. “There’s no use. He’ll never accept me. It’s a lost cause. Don’t say anything to him. All you’ll do is make him angry at you. I don’t want him to be mad at you on my account.”
“But it’s not okay. He can’t treat you like that,” Abby countered, sitting back down and rubbing the back of Brianna’s hand with the pads of her fingers.
Brianna reached over and placed her other hand over Abby’s. “You’re very sweet Abby, but you will be wasting your time if you try to change Kyle’s mind about me. You may have known Kyle for three years, but I grew up with him. He’s been indoctrinated to hate people like me. That type of hate cannot be cured overnight. I have tried for years to have some sort of a relationship with him, but I’ve come to accept the fact that it’s never going to happen.”
“I’m so sorry,” Abby whispered, feeling helpless.
Brianna wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. “Don’t be. It’s not your fault. He wasn’t always like this. Growing up, we were tight. He loved and defended me. It was not until after I left home tha
t his attitude towards me changed.”
“I wish there was something I could do,” Abby lamented.
“You’re such a sweet girl, Abby. I feel that, under different circumstances, we could have been good friends. I don’t know anyone here in New York and could really use a friend.”
“We can still be friends,” Abby countered with child-like eagerness. “I’d love to be your friend and get to know you.”
Brianna shook her head. “Kyle won’t allow it. If he knew I was here talking to you, he’d freak out.”
“Don’t worry about Kyle. I’ll talk to him,” Abby replied, reaching inside her bag and fishing a blue Post-It pad and a pen out of it. “Here’s my number. Call me anytime, for anything. Don’t worry about Kyle. I will handle him.” She ripped the Post-It note off the pad and handed it to Brianna.
Brianna let out a sharp breath as she held the blue piece of paper between her fingers. She was finding out Abby was a stubborn one. She was not going to argue with her anymore. “I just hope I don’t cause you any more trouble with my brother.”
“You won’t. Don’t worry,” Abby smiled and changed the subject. “So, what happened with your audition? Did you get the part?”
“I’ve been rehearsing a lot and had my first audition yesterday. I got a call back,” Brianna beamed, the cloud of pain momentarily disappearing from her eyes. “I have several more rounds of auditions to go through before the producers make their final decision, but I’m hopeful.”
“I wish you all the luck in the world.” Abby reached inside her bag for her phone and looked at the time on the phone screen. “I wish I could stay and talk to you a little more, but I have to get back to work.”
“It’s okay. I understand,” Brianna breathed with a smile. She held her hand up in the air until she got the attention of one of the waiters and asked him to bring the check. She then opened her bag and pulled a bulky stack of what looked like tickets out of it. She placed the pile of tickets in the middle of the table so she could reach her wallet buried at the bottom of her purse.
“What are those?” Abby asked, pointing at the tickets.
“The producers of the musical I’m auditioning for gave my manager tickets to just about every show on Broadway right now. My manager wants me to see all of them. I don’t know where I’m going to find the time to attend any of those shows.”
The waiter came over with the check, placed it next to the tickets, and walked away.
Abby’s breath caught in her throat when she saw the word “Philharmonic” written on one of the tickets. “Are those tickets to The New York Philharmonic?” She squealed.
“Yeah,” Brianna replied with a shrug. “They are for the opening day gala. It’s supposed to be a huge deal. A bunch of big name celebrities are going to be there. My manager says I should go and rub shoulders with them.” Brianna rolled her eyes while fishing a couple of bills out of her wallet and placing them on the table.
Abby picked the tickets off the table and held them in her hands. “I’d give my right arm to be at that gala. Yo-Yo Ma is going to be playing there this year.”
Brianna nodded politely. She had no idea who this Yo-Yo Ma was. “I don’t have anyone to go with. I’d ask you to go with me, but Kyle would freak out if I did.”
Abby was a broke, college student. She knew she was never going to have another chance to attend an event as prestigious as the opening night gala of The New York Philharmonic.
“Please take me,” Abby shamelessly begged. “I’ll handle Kyle. Don’t worry about him.”
“Are you sure about this?” Brianna asked.
Abby nodded emphatically.
Brianna giggled at Abby’s adorableness. “Okay, then. It’s a date. I’ll pick you up Saturday at 8,” she joked, her eyes incapable of hiding her excitement. She couldn’t care less about The Philharmonic or Yo-Yo Ma or all the celebrities that were going to be there. She was just thrilled about being able to spend a night in the company of the bubbly brunette. There was something about Abby that drew Brianna to her. She had not been able to get Abby or the kiss they shared out of her mind. She understood Abby was off limits. Abby was straight and her brother’s girlfriend, but Brianna still wanted to be around her. A platonic friendship with that adorable girl was exactly what Brianna needed to get through her stay in The Big Apple. She just hoped against hope that Abby could convince Kyle to let them hang out.
Brianna wrote her number on a piece of paper and handed it to Abby. After paying the check, she walked Abby back to the bookstore where they shared a hug and said goodbye to each other. Brianna then hopped in a cab and went to rehearsals for her Chicago auditions. She couldn’t stop smiling. She was really looking forward to that Saturday night.
******
Later that day, Abby went home and cooked a nice dinner for Kyle who had spent that entire day at NYU’s Brooklyn campus studying for his final exams. Abby was hoping that the nice risotto, his favorite food, would put her stressed-out boyfriend in a good mood. She needed Kyle relaxed and happy so she could bring up the subject of Brianna without him getting all cagey and angry on her. After he got home that night, Kyle took a shower and sat down to have dinner with his girlfriend. They enjoyed their dinner, joked around, and chatted about finals and summer plans. They were back to where they were before the kiss incident.
“That was delicious, Abby,” Kyle said, rubbing his belly. “I wish I could sit here and enjoy some dessert with you, but I have to go hit the books.” Kyle gave Abby a quick peck on the cheek and got off his chair. He was about to walk away from the table when Abby grabbed his wrist.
“Wait. I need to talk to you about something.”
“What is it?” Kyle asked and sat back down.
“It’s about your sister, Brianna.”
Kyle let out a sharp breath and a bone-chilling expression overtook his face. The look in his eyes was the same one he had when his hand was around Brianna’s throat a few days earlier. The look on Kyle’s face disturbed Abby, but she was determined to talk to him about Brianna.
“What about her?” Kyle asked through clenched teeth.
“I ran into her the other day. We had a little chat.”
Kyle scoffed. “What did she say? I bet she filled your head with all kinds of lies about me, didn’t she?”
“She apologized for what happened at the party. She is genuinely sorry about it, Kyle.” Abby pursed her lips and paused for a second. She was not sure how to word her next question. “She also said you hate her because she’s gay. Is that true?”
“Look, Abby. What she does… what she is goes against God’s teaching. The Bible says so. I will never condone what she does, but that’s not the reason why she and I don’t have a normal relationship.”
“What is it then?”
“There are things Brianna has done that you don’t know about, things that would disturb you if I told you about them. I won’t go into details because it is all just too sordid and doesn’t really matter anymore. She is a liar, Abby and cannot be trusted.”
Kyle’s words left Abby more confused and intrigued than ever. “What do you mean? What did she do that was so awful?”
“Listen to me Abby. Brianna is dead to me. I’ve tried to be civil to her until now because my mother asked me to and because I felt sorry for her. But after that little stunt she pulled with you at the party the other night, I’m done with her. I don’t want to see her or talk to her ever again. I don’t want her name mentioned to me ever again. And I don’t want you to see or talk to her ever again. Do you understand?”
“But what did she do? Please tell me.”
Kyle raised his voice. “I told you, Abby. I’m done talking about Brianna. Just drop it, okay?”
Abby did not say another word. She folded her arms over her chest and watched Kyle walk out of the kitchen and disappear towards the bedroom. She felt maddening frustration over the whole situation. Kyle’s answers did nothing but raise more questions regarding his mysterious si
ster. What could Brianna have possibly done that was so despicable? Abby wondered. That afternoon, at the café, Brianna seemed like such a good person who was genuinely heartbroken over her brother’s contempt towards her. None of it made sense to Abby. She decided to keep her date with Brianna even though Kyle had explicitly told her to stay away from her. She wanted to see The New York Philharmonic badly. Besides, she needed to see Brianna and ask her about Kyle’s accusations.
Abby did tell Kyle she was going to see The Philharmonic that Saturday, but she lied about who she was going to see it with. She told Kyle she was going with some classmates from one of her English classes, and Kyle believed her. He had no reason to believe Abby was lying. She had never lied to him or hidden anything from him.
The day of the concert, Kyle left the apartment early. Between his work-study job and his studying for another final exam, Kyle was going to spend that entire day at the Brooklyn campus.
Chapter V
The night of the concert, Brianna paced back and forth outside The Avery Fisher Hall. It was a gorgeous mid-spring night in New York City, and the entrance of the venue was buzzing with men in formal tuxedos and women in elegant evening gowns.
Brianna peered inside every limousine and taxi that pulled in front of the theater, hoping Abby would be inside one of them. The original plan was for Brianna to pick Abby up at the apartment she shared with Kyle. But the day before, Abby called Brianna and told her it would be better if they met at the theater instead. Abby did not want to say why she didn’t want Brianna to pick her up at her apartment, but Brianna had a suspicion Kyle had something to do with it.
Almost an hour later, everyone was inside the theater, and there was still no sign of Abby. Abby had texted Brianna earlier telling her the taxi she was in had gotten caught behind a messy accident and that’s why she was so late. Brianna looked at the time on her phone. The show was starting in ten minutes. If Abby didn’t show up soon, they were going to be late for the start of the concert. Seconds after Brianna had looked at the time, a checkered yellow cab pulled in front of the theater. Brianna’s face lit up when she saw Abby get out of it. Abby gave Brianna a small wave and mouthed an “I’m sorry” before walking towards her. Abby took Brianna’s breath away. She looked like a Greek goddess in her aqua blue, empire-waist gown. The mid-spring breeze kept ruffling the chiffon fabric of her flowing skirt with every step she took.
Betrayal: Abby's Guilt (The Betrayal Series) Page 4
