Let Me In

Easing herself carefully from the single bed that she had been laying somewhat awkwardly on, Beth slowly made her way out of the room so as not to cause a disturbance. With one last look, she pulled the door to, leaving it open just a crack so that a small sliver of light from the hallway could be seen. Descending the stairs somewhat reluctantly, Beth massaged her temples as the tell-tale signs of an approaching headache began to niggle away at her. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to ignore it for long, she made her way into the kitchen in search of some painkillers. 

Reaching up into a cabinet for a glass, Beth's deep brown eyes found themselves focusing on the marks that had started to form on her lower right arm. Quickly checking the left, she noticed a similar pattern beginning to emerge. Sighing as she took hold of the glass, Beth knew that within an hour or so they would be full bruises. It was something she had grown accustomed to over the years, but for the past two months, they had been a less frequent occurance.

Filling the glass with ice cold water from the filter jug in the fridge, Beth quickly swallowed two pills, praying that they would be enough to stop the headache from developing any further. Leaning against the island in the center of the kitchen, Beth closed her eyes, exhaling deeply. There was an overwhelming wave of exhaustion washing over her, and right now spending her evening in bed was an awfully tempting prospect.

"All settled now honey?"

Beth opened her eyes, the florescent light that beamed down from the kitchen ceiling causing her to flinch a little. Turning to face the direction from where the gentle concerned voice had come from, Beth gave her mother a weak smile.

"Yeah, finally. I thought I was going to be up there all night for a while," she admitted quietly. 

"I can't believe Colby would be that clueless as to just call like that," her mother stated as she busied herself with putting the kettle on to boil.

Running her fingers through her dark brown hair that framed her face, Beth shook her head in a somewhat frustrated manner.

"He's not clueless mom, he knew full well what would happen. He did it out of spite, he's not the dumb fuck he makes out to be."

"Beth!" her mother exclaimed, in spite of the smile she wore at her daughters words.

"See!" Beth pointed out, indicating to her mothers face. "You agree with me, you're just too damn polite to say." 

Opening the fridge and refilling her glass, Beth glanced over at her mother.

"Maybe I should just stay here tonight mom, I had nothing special planned."

Audrey Cooperman placed the mugs she had taken from the cabinet on the counter and faced her daughter once more.

"No Beth. We agreed once you moved back that Saturday's would be your night away from everything, and he's been getting used to that routine. Your father and I are here, and he's got to learn."

Covering the short distance that separated her and Beth, Audrey embraced her daughter tightly.

'I know that coming home was a huge upheaval for both you and Nate, but eventually he will settle, he's almost there...tonight is just a mere hiccup because of his father." 

Pulling away slightly, she gave Beth a warm smile.

"Now, I want you to go grab your jacket and purse, and just get the heck out of here...and we'll see you in the morning, okay?" 

With some reluctance, Beth heeded the words of her mother, and knew that any attempts at arguing with her would be met with either stern word or deaf ears. Taking hold of her vintage denim jacket, Beth slipped it on, knowing that even if it wasn't particularly chilly out, she would need to keep her arms covered. 

"Just call me if...alright, alright, I'm outta here and won't be back til the morning!" Beth stated with some resignation at the look she had received. Kissing her mother's cheek, she grabbed her purse, and headed for the door, and some well earned time to herself.

Being able to stroll along the beach and take in the horizon that was splashed with the almost purply pink of dusk was something Beth had missed deeply in the ten years she had been away. She and Colby had returned so infrequently, and when they had, he had never allowed her the oppurtunity of being able to steal away for a short while so that she could recapture one of the small pleasures she craved whilst living in Texas.

Looking out to where the Pacific Ocean and the sky merged into one, Beth couldn't prevent herself from thinking back to how wonderful an adventure getting married to Colby and heading off to another state to begin a new life together had seemed back then. A few short months after they had taken their vows in front of a select gathering of family and friends, the happy couple found themselves on a plane to Laughlin, Texas, where Colby was to begin his dream of joining the air force. For the first couple of years they had been blissfully happy, and Beth had truly believed that she had made the right decisions. 

When Beth had first discovered she was pregnant, it just felt as though their lives were complete. Colby smothered her with love, and their future seemed so bright and filled with promise. It was a few months after Nathan, or Nate as he had grown to be known, had been born that everything began to change. Colby grew distant and unaccepting of the child they had brought into the world, and when he wasn't off somewhere with the air force, he spent less and less time with them, the few sparse moments he did share with his wife and son were fraught with tension. 

It began to take its toll on Beth, watching her son lack the love of his father. He couldn't help who he was, and eventually Beth knew that it would be better for both of them, all of them if she and Nate left Colby to get on with his life the way he had always wanted it to be. The day she had announced she was leaving, Colby had shown no resistance, not even caring where she was heading off to. Until tonight of course, and Beth had discovered that her feelings towards the man she had married had taken a tumble towards loathing, bordering on the fine line of hatred.

Shivering a little at the breeze that dared to roll off the Pacific, Beth felt a sudden desire for coffee. Making her way back up the beach towards Main Street, she realized she was right opposite The Sugar Shack. Carefully crossing the road, Beth headed into the building, smiling at the young girl behind the counter and ordering a coffee to go. As she went to pay, an arm covered in colorful monsters reached around from her left, long fingers placing themselves over her hand.

"I'll get that, and one for me too," a smooth, almost velvet covered voice stated softly. 

Jerking her head round to her left, Beth came face to face with the handsome chiseled face of Brian Haner Jr. Unsure of what to say at first, Beth simply stared at him, drinking in every one of his features, and swallowed hard as she felt his gaze burning right into her.

"Oh no...it's fine," Beth finally managed to utter.

Brian placed his hand on her arm.

"Please, I'd like to..." his voice trailed off slightly as he caught sight of the bruising on her arm, visible from where the sleeve of Beth's jacket had raised slightly under the pressure of his hand.

"To apologise for being a complete dumbass yesterday and not recognizing you," he finished, not wanting to make Beth feel anymore uncomfortable than she already looked, as she quickly pulled her sleeve back over her arm.

"Thanks," Beth murmured, a shy smile appearing.

"So..where are you heading after here?" Brian asked, as they both took their coffees and moved away from the counter.

"Oh, I was thinking about taking a walk down to the pier," Beth answered.

"Want some company? Unless of course you're meeting someone."

Beth shook her head and smiled once again.

"No, I'm not meeting anyone, so yeah, if you have nothing better to do, then you're welcome to join me," she told him.

Walking side by side along Main Street, they chatted casually about their high school days. Beth found it a little surreal that they were able to be this way, considering how few words had passed between them when they were younger.

"Seriously? You came to see us play? I never had you figured out for a goblin metal fan," Brian stated with a smirk as they spoke about the band he had been in with his friend Jimmy.

"Hmmm, I guess you could say I was dragged to it. My friend, Jen had a massive crush on Jimmy at the time. I seem to remember spending the entire evening wondering how the hell Jimmy managed to get his hair to stand up that way, and why on earth you were jumping around the stage in a pair of Goofy shoes," Beth admitted, laughing lightly at the memory. 

Brian chuckled, the image of himself obviously springing to mind.

"I do remember thinking you had a real talent though, I always thought you would do something with that," Beth told him, only realising then that they had actually reached the pier.

Coming to a halt, Brian rested his arms on the pier railings, looking out towards the darkened skyline.

"I did too for a while," he began, taking a sip of his coffee. "I went off to MIT, began studying jazz guitar, but Clayre and I were getting serious, and the need for a job seemed to take over. That's when Matt suggested the fire department. He was there and loved it, so I took the necessary steps and I've been there ever since. And as much as it's probably nowhere near the same as standing on a stage in front of an arena full of fans, it's just as fulfiling in it's own way, I love it."

"What happened to Jimmy?" Beth inquired, causing Brian to chuckle again.

"Ah Jimmy. Jimmy went to a strip joint one night and fell in love with one of the girls, got himself a job behind the bar there so he can be with her every night of the week. Zara is just as crazy as he is, and they're blissfully happy."

Leaning against the rail beside Brian, Beth couldn't help but feel a little saddened that her life hadn't quite gone according to plan. Maybe that was the price she had paid for moving away.

"So, your dad said you and Clayre are still together. Where is she tonight?"

Brian took a moment before answering.

"She's out with friends I think," he stated, sounding a little unsure.

"You think?"

Brian smiled and shrugged.

"We had words yesterday, so I'm currently on Matt's couch til it blows over. It's the way Clayre and I tend to roll these days," he admitted. "Anyway, enough of me. What about you Beth? I know we didn't really know each other that well back in school, but I do seem to recall that you were destined for college, something to do with art. What happened there?"

"Colby happened," Beth answered truthfully.

Brian had been right, she had been hoping to go to college and study art history, but following Colby and letting him live his dream had ended up becoming the main focus of her life, and she had simply let her oppurtunities slip through her fingers. Each year she made a promise to herself that she find a course she could attend, and each year she allowed that promise to go unfulfilled.

Repositioning himself so that he stood with his side against the rail, Brian seemed to study Beth for a moment, as though he was trying to figure something out. There was a hint of an unasked question in the air, and Beth braced herself for the words she knew would inevitably come from him.

"Speaking of Colby, where is he? Did you leave him at home tonight?" 

Beth instantly knew by the tone Brian used that he knew a little more than he would care to admit. It felt as though he was waiting for some kind of conformation from her.

"No, I left him in Texas," Beth stated honestly. 

Silence hung between the pair, Brian still keeping his gaze trained on Beth, as if he was waiting for her to embellish further on her revelation. Beth glanced at him, her expression telling him that was all he was going to get out of her.

"I'd better get going," Beth began. "Thanks for the coffee, and the company."

Brian nodded and smiled.

"You're more than welcome. Did you want some company for the walk home?" he asked.

Beth shook her head and returned the smile.

"No, I'll be okay, but thank you."

"I'll probably see you in the week, I'm always popping into the store to see dad," Brian told her. "You take care yeah?"

"And you....good night Brian."

Without giving him a chance to answer, Beth began to walk back along the pier, wondering why the prospect of seeing him again brought a hint of a smile to her lips.