They Can't Protect Me From Loving You

“Brian, hi…” Michelle’s voice was calm as she opened the door.

“What have you done with her Michelle? I swear to God if you hurt her, if I loose her because of you, I’ll make your life a living hell.” He yelled, forcing his way into her house.

“I don’t know what you’re on about Brian.” she replied trying to sound shocked.

“You know damn well what I’m on about!” he growled back at her. “If you do anything to hurt Eloise, your life isn’t going to be worth living.”

“Brian, I was just trying to explain to this police officer that I’ve got nothing to do with Eloise disappearing. I have an alibi for Saturday night…”

“Which we are still verifying… I take it you’re Eloise's boyfriend?” the officer said turning to face Brian who nodded.

“Ok, I’m Detective Meadows, I’m with the Huntington Beach Police Department, and I can assure you that we are doing all we can to find Eloise. But I’m also going to tell you that it’s no help to us having you running around accusing people who are already under investigation. We don’t want to have to explain to Eloise that you’re in prison for assault when we find her do we?” he asked with a weak smile. Brian sighed heavily and nodded.

“Ok, Miss Dibenedetto I’ll be in touch. Mr Haner, may I have a word outside?” Detective Meadows said gesturing towards the front door. Again Brian nodded silently and with a final glare at Michelle, he turned and walked out through the still open front door. He stopped when he reached his car.

“I know she has something to do with it!” he growled in a whisper as he turned to face Detective Meadows.

“Believe me Mr Haner; we have our suspicions about her and her so called alibi. She is our prime suspect at the moment. We have put her under surveillance and we are double and even triple checking her alibi. I’m confident that she’s found someone to lie for her. Believe me, we are doing all we can to find Eloise, but I need you to help us do our job. I don’t want you anywhere near Miss Dibenedetto. Just go home and let us do our job.” He said in a quiet yet stern voice.

“Just find her please.” Brian pleaded as tears welled up in his eyes.

“We’re doing all we can.” He replied with a weak smile before turning to walk back to his Mercedes. Brian got back into his BMW and pulled out of the driveway. He didn’t head home though. He didn’t want to go back there yet, there was no way he could stand being in an empty house for the rest of the day. So he drove nowhere in particular, just driving around Huntington.

Without knowing how he got there he found himself walking silently along the beach, heading towards “their spot.” The spot where their group of friends would meet up and hang out. He sat down and gazed out towards the ocean. He hadn’t realised how long he’d been driving around until he was sat watching the sun quickly disappear below the horizon.

He sat cross legged watching the people on the beach in front of him. He watched a young red haired girl throw a piece of drift wood along the shore line for her young Labrador to chase after and retrieve for her to throw again. in the opposite direction an older man jogged towards the pier while in the distance two surfers perched on their boards, ready to ride the next set of waves. Brian’s eyes then drifted towards a young couple walking along the beach. Actually, the male walked while his girlfriend gripped him tightly from where she was on his back, giggling as she kissed his neck. He watched this couple as they moved along the beach. They were teenagers. He was tall, muscular and toned with blondy brown hair. At a guess he would probably be on the school’s football team. From the way her long tanned legs were wrapped around the boys body Brian guessed that she was tall as well, with blonde hair, most likely out of a bottle or an expensive hair salon.

Brian watched them with a weak smile on his face. There was something about them that reminded him of his youth, of how he and Katie were before they were separated. He’d been in love with her for so long now, he could barely remember a time when he hadn’t. As he watched the young couple disappear from his view he thought about the first time he’d spoken to Katie. It had been in kindergarten, and she’d been playing in the sand box, building sandcastles. He’d watched her as he played with the lego blocks, wishing it was him that had been told he could play in the sand instead of Jason. He watched as with every castle she built, Jason would knock it down before she could put a flag in it. He’d watched as she’d carried on relentlessly before scooping a large amount of sand onto her spade and flung it at Jason, covering him in sand. He quickly retaliated and flicked some up, landing in her laughing mouth. She stopped laughing to spit out sand, shocked to find a small hand holding a cup of water for her. Brian was stood there holding a cup from the play house full of water.

“Swill your mouth out.” he had said in a small voice. They were friends from that moment on. Inseparable. They did everything together from that day onwards. They were best friends and nothing or no one could come between them.

As they moved on to high school they had realised that there was a stronger connection between them that just best friends. Brian smiled to himself as he stared out to the darkening ocean, remembering his first kiss with Katie.

It had been at Matt’s Halloween party during their first year of high school. Katie had dressed like vampire while Brian was dressed as a zombie. Brian had been planning to ask her to be his girlfriend all week and half way through the party he’d finally built up enough courage to ask her. He dragged her out of the house, into Matt’s back yard. He had been so nervous, he’d stuttered out the question; blushing a deep shade of red and unable to keep eye contact. Katie had giggled and taken a step closer to him. She had gently cupped his face and had leant in to place her soft lips onto his.

There had been part of him that had known with that kiss that they were going to be together forever. Brian let out a soft sigh as he remembered that kiss and suddenly realised that it was quickly becoming dark, the moon rising in the sky behind him. He lifted himself from the cold sand and walked slowly back to his car, driving home slowly.

When he got home he headed straight upstairs to his bedroom, Pinkly following behind him. After a quick shower he removed Eloise's case and clothes off the bed and crawled in, pulling the duvet around him and pulling Eloise's pillow across and into his chest, inhaling in her scent that saturated it. Pinkly jumped up and nuzzled into him as a silent tear ran down Brian’s cheek as he clutched the pillow tighter.