You Said You Read Me Like A Book

I waited in the unfamiliar bedroom for The Rev to return. When he finally showed, he bearing two cups of coffee. I smiled at the familiar aroma that filled the air.

“I hope you like it. It’s chocolate mint, ”he smiled at me. I nodded, taking the cup from him.

“Thank you, ”I smiled, taking a sip of the warm, sweet, minty liquid. We sat in a comfortable, drinking the hot coffee.

“So, Frank never told us how you two met, ”he said, subtly striking up a conversation.

“Oh, it’s a really long story, ”I sighed. He smiled.

“I’ve got the time, ”he prodded. I nodded, giving in.

“Well, I was walking around really late the other night, and he literally ran into me. We got to talking and when he found out that I had nowhere to go, he invited me to go home with him. After we kind of got to know each other, he insisted that I go meet his friends. So, that about sums it up, ”I concluded. He seemed to think this over.

“That wasn’t such a long story. But, tell me this. Why didn’t you have anywhere else to go? You don’t strike me as the homeless street urchin type, ”he laughed quietly.

“That’s an even longer story, ”I muttered. He crossed his legs.

“I’m listening, ”he smiled patiently. I nodded, taking another sip of coffee.

“Where do I start?” I laughed nervously. He shrugged.

“From the beginning, ”he suggested.

“Well, three years ago, my brother died in a car accident. It was really hard on me and my mom, and to make things even worse, she took up drinking. Well, I met this guy…”I trailed off, not knowing if I should tell him about Gerard. “Things got really pretty intense between us and then, when I got pregnant, things got even more complicated… When my mom found out that I was pregnant, she kicked me out, to say the least.” He nodded, waiting for me to continue. “Well, then I moved in with the guy’s brother. After some discussion, we decided that I should be home schooled by the guy, his brother, and one of their friends. Well, the friend realized that I was dating the guy, and he didn’t approve, to say the least.

“I ended up breaking up with the guy, and I fell in love with his brother, and we started dating. Well, the guy and I developed a plan to date secretly… And, then, the other day, the guy’s, um… His wife came to his brother, interrogating him about if the guy was cheating on her… After she left, he put two and two together… And he told me that I wasn’t worth it and that I was a mistake… And I was tired of hurting him, so I just left.” He studied me for a minute.

“That was a longer story, ”he laughed. “Okay, so, this guy… Your baby daddy… He’s married?”

“Yeah, ”I sighed. He nodded understandingly.

“Well, I guess him being married made things a bit complicated. How old is he?” He asked, shifting slightly. I looked at him and thought for a minute. There was just something about him that I trusted. I don’t think that I would have told anyone anything that I had told him… And yet, there I was, telling him everything. I took a deep breath.

“Thirty, ”I muttered. He just nodded. That’s when I decided to tell him everything. “But that’s not it. He was also my English teacher.” His eyes widened, and he didn’t say anything for a minute. Then, he nodded again.

“That’s pretty damn complicated, ”he agreed. I nodded slowly.

“It’s a little better… I talked to his brother this morning, while you were gone. I called him. He told me that he was sorry for everything… He wants me to go back… I told him that I would… But, I don’t know… What do you think?” I asked him, desperate for some outsider advice. He seemed to mull this over in his head.

“I don’t know him, but I think I can help. Do you love him?” He asked me. I nodded. “Do you miss him?” I nodded again. “Honestly, I think you should end the thing you have with the teacher. It’s just begging for a federal court case. As for what you should do with his brother, what does your heart say?”

“Well, I really love him. I just… He is fragile…”I said softly.

“What makes you say that?” He asked.

“Well, he has only ever dated twice. Once, it was just a fling… The other, he almost married her…”I said quietly.

“What happened?” He prodded.

“She died, ”I choked. He nodded slightly.

“You have a reasonable fear. About hurting him, I mean, ”he reasoned. I nodded slowly.

“I don’t know… I just… I really don’t know what to do, Jimmy, ”I sighed.

“Listen, you should just go ahead and go on back. It sounds to me like you miss him and he misses you. You should give it go, without letting the teacher mess things up, ”he suggested. I nodded again. “If things don’t work out, you can always call me and I’ll come get you. I put everyone’s number in your phone last night. I didn’t know whether or not you’d be staying for a while.”

“Thanks, Jimmy, ”I said, hugging him tightly. He hugged me back and laughed quietly. I looked at the clock, surprised that it was already almost noon. “It’s really quiet for a house of guys.”

“Yeah, well, they’ll be asleep till about four, ”he laughed. “So, what do you say? Want me to take you back home?” I nodded slowly.

“That’d be great, ”I smiled at him. He smiled at me and grabbed his key off of the dresser.

“Well, let’s go. Your carriage awaits.”