by R. Linda
“What do you see, Audrey?”
“Me,” I whispered, swallowing the lump in my throat. I didn’t look like that anymore—not completely, anyway. “The old me.”
Bennett smiled softly and turned me around until I faced the opposite direction. “Now?”
I squeezed my eyes shut. Nope. I couldn’t look. I knew what I’d see. A freak. A girl so disfigured, she didn’t look anything like herself anymore.
“Know what I see?” Bennett asked softly, his hands coming to rest on my shoulders. He turned me to face the mirror front on. “You.”
I looked up at his reflection and saw no disgust, no fear, no pity. He really did only see me. Under all the layers, all the scars, he saw me.
“Your scars don’t make you a freak, Audrey.” His hand traced down the side of my arm, gently soothing the rough skin. “They tell a story. A story of survival. Your story. You should wear them with pride and courage, not fear. They make you beautiful.”
He wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my head.
“You really think so?” I choked on the tears threatening to spill over again.
“I do. And if no one else sees it, screw them. I’m the only important one.” He winked.
“But, what if Brody—?”
“If Brody sees you any different than I do, then he’s not the one you want.” His arms wrapped around me tighter, and I smiled at him. I felt so safe with him, and the only person I’d ever felt like that around was Brody.
“Why are you still single?” I asked.
He shrugged and frowned. His gaze pierced mine as he rested his chin on my head. He sighed. “Right girl, wrong time.”
With a deep breath, before I could respond, Bennett released me and stepped out of the change room, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
Right girl, wrong time. I wondered who he meant. The way he looked at me in the mirror, I could have sworn he was talking about me, but that was crazy. He was Bennett Sawyer. He could have had any girl he wanted. Why would it be me? We’d only been friends for a month or so. Still, something niggled at me, and I couldn’t help but wonder.
Chapter Sixteen
Brody
I glanced over at Audrey as she tapped her feet along to the beat of whatever song she was listening to. She seemed so much more relaxed and at ease the further we got from town, but at the same time, she was more tense and fidgeting a lot, if that was even possible.
We were on our way to the campsite I’d found. I’d picked it because it was secluded, and they assured me no one else would be around for the weekend, which was perfect. Audrey would be able to relax and enjoy herself without the fear of other people gawking at her. Most of the time, though, I thought she imagined how much people stared. Yes, people looked or glanced at her, but I’d never witnessed anyone outright stare. Maybe school was different. High school kids were cruel; I knew that. I just hoped this weekend was good for her. I wanted her to have fun and not worry about anything.
I was worried enough as it was. Hell, I’d never been so nervous to be alone with a woman before. This was a first for me, and I didn’t know what to expect, or what Audrey would expect. All I knew was I wanted to kiss her again, and again. And again. I wanted to protect her, keep her safe, hold her in my arms. But it wasn’t that simple. She was barely eighteen, and I was twenty-five. We lived in the same house. I knew the guys didn’t think it was wrong, but how would Leanne and Steve react? Indie, Harper? All of them would have something to say. We needed to really discuss things before we jumped in blind.
I turned the car down a dirt road that led to the beach. Audrey sat up straighter and pulled the ear buds out of her ears. Looking around at the trees that surrounded us on both sides, she stared at me with wide eyes. “Where are we?”
“Almost there.” I smiled. I didn’t want to give any more away. It was a surprise, after all, and I really hoped she liked it. I had searched for places for us to go for weeks before finding this spot, and I thought it would be perfect.
The road curved to the right, and we followed the downward slope to a small clearing. On the edge of the clearing was a cabin. “Wait here,” I said as I turned off the car and climbed out, not giving Audrey the chance to say anything.
I ran across the gravel and up the path to the cabin. Knocking on the door, I tried to calm my breathing and my heart, which was suddenly thumping wildly in my chest. I shoved my shaking hands in the pockets of my jeans and waited. Shit, I was nervous.
The door opened, and an older woman smiled at me. “Brody?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll get your keys and a map,” she said, holding the door open for me. She shuffled inside and over to a table next to the window. Snatching the keys and a brochure off the table, she asked, “Do you need assistance with anything? I can show you where the facilities are, or you can figure it out from the map. Everything is close by and ready for you to use immediately.”
“I think we’ll be fine.” I took the keys and map from her before pulling out my wallet and handing her the cash for the site. “Thank you.”
“Well, you enjoy yourself. You’ve got the whole place to yourself until Sunday morning when we have more guests arriving.” She shook my hand and led me to the door.
I jogged back over to Audrey waiting patiently in the car.
“Ready?” I asked as I climbed in and turned the ignition back on.
“I guess.” She looked around cautiously, and I understood why. We were in the middle of nowhere, and the beach couldn’t be seen beyond the trees.
I smiled and drove out of the clearing, following a different dirt track that led us straight to the beach.
“Oh, wow, Brody,” Audrey gasped. “This is beautiful.” Her eyes were wide as she took in the view.
Cliffs surrounded us, covered in trees that stretched for miles in both directions, grass and shrubs broken by a cobblestone path that led directly to the sand and clear blue water. The waves crashed against the shore.
“Where are we?” she asked again.
“A small cove I found. Come on,” I said and got out. Audrey’s eyes lit with excitement as she helped me unload our bags.
“Ahh, Brody,” Audrey looked down at our luggage, her lips twisted, “where’s the tent?”
“You’ll see.” I grinned and grabbed her hand to take her down the path.
Nestled in a small nook at the base of the cliff was our tent. I pointed it out to Audrey, and she turned to me with the brightest smile I’d seen yet. “No way!”
“Way!” I laughed as we approached the enormous tent.
“This isn’t a tent. This is a freaking material cabin.” Audrey ran her hands over the soft walls. “Tents are temporary. This thing has floorboards,” she said, peering through the windows.
“And a deck.” I pointed down at the timber we were standing on. She spun around and realised we were standing in front of the tent, on a deck that overlooked a small campsite, complete with logs and a fire pit, right beside the sand. “Have to camp in style,” I said and unlocked the zip with the key before pushing back the material and opening the tent for Audrey.
The entire tent was white and cream, with bleached floorboards and light wood furniture. To the back right was a private bathroom. There was also a small kitchen in the front right corner, a small living area with two sofas and a coffee table. And…
“One bed?” Audrey turned to look at me curiously. “Was this part of your plan too?”
I sucked in a breath too fast and began choking and coughing. I didn’t plan this at all. In fact, I specifically requested two beds because I knew we couldn’t share a bed, not without things going too far. “No, there were meant to be two. I can call the office and see if they have something else. Sorry, cupcake.”
“Not a chance. Look at this place. What if they have something that’s not as nice as this? Brody, look at the view. And the deck. And the fire pit.” She wandered around the room and pushed open the bathroom door. “A
nd the bathroom!”
I chuckled. “Okay, we’ll stay here. The sofas are big enough for me to sleep on.”
“Brody, you’re twice the size of me. You can sleep on the bed, and I’ll take the sofa,” Audrey argued.
“Not happening, cupcake. I’m a gentleman, and a gentleman doesn’t make you sleep on the sofa.”
She rolled her eyes and opened her bag. “We can argue about it later.”
I wasn’t planning on unpacking my stuff for two nights, but it looked like Audrey had different ideas, so I opened the bag that contained our food for the weekend and packed it all away in the fridge and cupboards. We could head into the nearest town for food, but I thought it might be more fun cooking here. I bought ingredients for s’mores, food to roast on the fire, and stuff we could make a picnic out of if we went exploring for the day.
“So, what do you want to do first?” I asked once I’d put away the last of the groceries. It was getting late, and it was dark, so there was probably no point exploring too much, but we could go for a walk along the beach or…
“Eat. I’m hungry.” Audrey patted her stomach.
“Okay. I’ll get the fire going.”
“Fire?”
“Thought we could at least pretend we’re camping and cook on the fire,” I called over my shoulder as I walked back outside. It was still surprisingly warm, so I turned around and went back inside to change into something cooler. If I was going to be cooking in front of a fire, I couldn’t be wearing jeans.
I stepped into the tent and stopped. My mouth dropped open, and my throat went dry. I tried to swallow, but I couldn’t. I shouldn’t be there. I should turn around and walk straight back outside, but I couldn’t move. I couldn’t speak. I stared like a fucking pervert.
“Brody!” Audrey gasped in surprise as she turned around. She scrambled to grab her…my hoodie off the bed and wrap it around her shoulders. “You were outside. You were meant to be outside,” she said, sucking in a deep breath. Her eyes were skittish, wide and unfocused.
Shit.
I knew that look. She was about to have a panic attack, and it was all my fault. Because I couldn’t turn around and walk away. Because I had to stand there and watch her as she pulled her tank top down over her head. I didn’t see any more than what she’d wear to bed. I wasn’t that much of a creeper, but I surprised her.
I crossed the room and wrapped my arms around her, rubbing my hands up and down her back to soothe her. “Relax. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”
“Stare? Do I look that bad?” Her voice was soft, timid, as though she was afraid of my answer.
“God, no.” I pushed her back just enough to grasp the zip of her jacket. She needed a confidence boost. “I couldn’t look away,” I said and dragged the zip down, exposing her clothes underneath, which in normal circumstances would be considered pretty modest. “Because you look gorgeous.” I peeled the hoodie from her shoulders and dropped it on the bed. I tilted her face up to look at me, squared her shoulders, and held her hands at her side. “There. That’s the Audrey I want to see this weekend. No fear. No hesitation. I want confidence. You. Are. Beautiful.”
“Really?” She sniffed. “You’re not just saying that so I don’t freak out are you?”
“No. Now, go find the meat and potatoes while I put some shorts on.”
She reached for the hoodie, but I stopped her. “Are you cold?”
“No.” She shook her head with a small smile.
“Then leave the jacket there.”
We ate dinner by the fire then went for a walk along the sand before returning to the tent. It was peaceful and quiet, nothing but the breeze and the waves gently crashing against the shore. The light of the moon was just enough for us to see where we were going.
Audrey sighed and sat on the log by the fire.
“What’s up?” I asked, collapsing beside her.
“Nothing. Thank you for bringing me here. It’s beautiful. And it’s nice to be away from people for a while.”
“A promise is a promise.”
She laughed. “I didn’t think you’d actually go through with it.”
“Of course, I would. I don’t break promises.” We sat in silence for a while, enjoying the quiet, before I stood and walked back inside the tent.
I dug around in my bag for the small package I had almost forgotten to pack that morning. Turning to go back outside, I saw that Audrey had followed me in.
“Are you—?” she asked, but I cut her off by grabbing her hand and dragging her to sit on the bed.
“I got you something,” I said as I sat down beside her.
“You did?” She smiled at me, her face glowing in the soft light of the tent. “What for?”
“It’s your birthday. I had to get you something.”
“My birthday was two days ago.”
“I didn’t want to give it to you the other day. It’s special, and I wanted to give it to you in private.”
Audrey smiled and shook her head. “You brought me here. That’s more than enough. You didn’t have to get me a gift as well.” She eyed the carefully wrapped box in my hand curiously.
Everyone always said you didn’t have to buy them a gift when it was their birthday, but no one ever meant it. Everyone loved presents. The mystery, the excitement, not knowing what it could be, and that feeling when it was something you were really looking forward to. I just hoped Audrey liked my gift. It was something meaningful, like all her gifts had been, but this was something I put a lot of effort into doing for her. It wasn’t easy to get what I needed, but with Ricky’s help, I managed.
“Just shut up and open it.” I handed the gift over and pressed a kiss to her cheek.
She took it from me and bounced up and down excitedly on the bed before carefully peeling back the black and silver wrapping to reveal the small gift box. Hesitating, her fingers trembling, she took a deep breath.
“What’s wrong?” I wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
“I feel nervous all of a sudden, and I don’t know why.”
“Don’t be. If you don’t want to open it, you don’t have to.”
“No, I want to.” She nodded as if to convince herself.
Slowly, her fingers pried open the box, and a soft gasp escaped her lips. “It’s a…a…” She pulled the delicate silver chain out and held the heart-shaped locket in the palm of her hand. “Does it have—?” She couldn’t get the words out, but I knew what she was asking. If it had pictures of her family inside.
“Yes,” I breathed.
“Umm…” Her voice was shaky, just like her hands. “Can you give me a minute?”
“Of course.” I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze then went outside to put the fire out.
I hung around outside for a few minutes in the dark, wanting to give her time. I knew it would be hard for her to see the pictures of her parents and sister. She thought she’d lost everything in the fire. And she had. It was nearly impossible for us to salvage anything, but with Ricky’s help, we were able to find one single photo album. Half of it had been destroyed in the fire, but about fifteen or so photos survived. I had the album at home, under my bed, waiting for Audrey to be ready to see it.
I walked back into the tent silently and watched Audrey. She was curled on the bed, her locket clutched to her chest as tears streamed down her face. Her painful sobs echoed around the room.
“Shit.” I rushed over to her and climbed on the bed beside her. I wrapped an arm around her and tried to comfort her the best I could. I didn’t speak because there were no words I could say that would ease the hurt. All I could do was hold her while she cried.
“Where did you find them?” she stuttered after a few minutes and rolled over, resting her head on my chest.
“It wasn’t easy.” I took the locket from her hand, and she lifted her head enough for me to clasp the chain around her neck.
“I thought it was all destroyed.” Her voice was soft, thick with the tears she was trying
to hold back.
“I found an album. Most of the photos are gone, but there are a few left. It’s at home whenever you’re ready to look.” I tightened my arm around her waist and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
“Thank you.” She started sobbing again. I let her cry, rubbing my hand up and down her back until her breathing evened out and she fell asleep, head on my shoulder and her locket clutched in her fist on my chest.
Chapter
Seventeen
Audrey
I’d woken up hot, wrapped in Brody’s arms. It startled me. I didn’t remember falling asleep at first, or how we came to share a bed. But then memories of the night before came rushing back as my sleep-induced fog lifted. Dinner. The walk on the beach. My birthday present. A locket I was gripping tightly in my hand, too afraid to let go in case I lost it. And the knowledge that Brody had miraculously managed to find and save some photos of my family when I thought they were long gone.
I’d cried. Like a baby. But it was honestly the best gift anyone could have given me. It was irreplaceable. I feared that with time, I’d forget what my parents and my sister looked like, how their voices sounded, the way they smelled. But with my locket, I’d never lose sight of their faces. They’d be with me forever. And because of that, the giant hole in my heart got a little bit smaller, and the pain a little more bearable.
Brody slept while I lay there quietly in his arms, too afraid to move in case I woke him up. I wanted him to sleep. He worked crazy hours and needed this break as much as I did. I also didn’t want to wake him because I was enjoying being in his arms too much and didn’t want him to get up and leave me just yet. I was more than happy to stay right where I was for the remainder of the weekend.
In his arms.
Bennett had teased me relentlessly at school all week about my “crush,” laughing his ass off every time I mentioned Brody’s name…which, apparently, I did a lot.
