Come Back to Me

I anxiously chewed on my bottom lip and twisted a section of long red hair around my finger. My eyes flickered over to the clock hanging on a nearby wall, and my heart began to pound. Any minute now… Any minute…

Slowly, I pulled back the living room curtain and peered out of the window. Everything was so quiet. All of the neighborhood kids have returned from school and were inside their homes, probably doing their homework-- or rather having their mothers nagging at them to do their homework. Everything in this neighborhood has always been so perfect, from the shingles on the rooftops down to the impeccably mowed lawns; even the families inside each home looked like the portrait of perfection.

If only I had been so lucky…

His car turned into the driveway, and I shrank away from the window. I chewed my lip again, peeling away pieces of dried skin off with my teeth as I watched the door and waited for him to enter. I could hear his car door slam shut, and I carefully smoothed down my clothes, hoping that I still looked as nice as I had when I checked the mirror about twenty minutes earlier. I had to look perfect, anything less would be unacceptable.

The doorknob began to turn, and I straightened up, squaring my shoulders. As I watched the door, I could hear the blood pulsing in my ears. And as much as I wanted to run and hide from the person who was about to enter, I knew that I had to keep my feet planted firmly in place, because it would only be worse if I ran.

My fiancé, Andrew, stepped through the threshold, and I gulped. He gently shut the door behind him, hung his jacket on the coatrack, and looked at me. I could feel his stare, even if I wasn’t looking right at him. I could feel his hard brown eyes carefully evaluating every inch of me. He walked towards me, a sneer already marring his usually handsome face. That was all I needed to see to let me know that I had already failed at something.

“You’re a fucking mess,” he growled as he took a section of my hair between his fingers. Already, my pulse had quickened and fear was knotting in my stomach. “Did you even bother to brush your goddamn hair today?”

I began to lift my hand up to my hair, but was stopped halfway as Andrew yanked down, pulling the strands of hair in his hand. My eyes instinctively shut at the sudden, brief pain. Inhaling sharply through my nose, I drew my lips together and made sure not to make a sound-- it only got worse when I let him know I was in pain. I quickly blinked my eyes, fighting back the tears that were starting to well up in my eyes, and I looked up at him.

He glared down at me and shook his head, distaste written all over his face. “You’re pathetic,” he snarled as he released my red locks. There were strands of orangey-red hair twined around his fingers, and he shook his hand as if they were riddled with disease, letting the hair fall down to the floor. “Is my dinner ready?”

I nodded my head.

“Good. Have it on the table by the time I come back downstairs,” he ordered, loosening the tie around his neck as he began to walk up the stairs.

I hurried into the kitchen to get dinner out onto the table. I had prepared a roast that day with green beans and mashed potatoes on the side-- it was one of his favorite meals. I took the lid off of the crockpot, and the delicious aroma of the roast wafted into the air, filling up the entire kitchen. Grabbing a fork, I gently pulled at the meat to check if it was still tender; everything was practically falling off. Andrew was sure to be pleased with the meal tonight, just as long as I got everything else right.

Smiling to myself, I placed the lid back onto the crockpot and made my way to the stove where I had the potatoes and green beans cooking. The potatoes had been boiling for several minutes and should be done by now. I opened a drawer and pulled out another fork. Sticking the fork into the boiling water, I cut one of the potatoes in half to ensure that it was done before I turned off the burner. I bent down and opened one of the lower cabinets, pulling out a colander. I placed it in the skin, and carefully picked up the pot of potatoes and carried it over to the sink. I cautiously poured the contents of the pot into the colander, doing my best to avoid splashes of scalding hot water from hitting my skin. I then gently tilted the colander, checking to see if I got all the water out.

Once the water had been drained, I put the potatoes into a bowl, and added some milk and butter. I started mashing the ingredients together and made sure that there were absolutely no lumps to be found in the potatoes. One of Andrew’s least favorite things was lumpy mashed potatoes. I had learned that one the first night I had cooked him dinner in our new home, and I was not going to be forgetting that lesson anytime soon…

After I was done with the potatoes, I turned my attention the green beans simmering on the stovetop. I picked up the spoon that I had sitting on the countertop and stirred the beans. Steady waves of steam rose from the pan, and I took another bowl out of the cupboard and poured the beans into it. Then, after putting serving spoon in each bowl, I placed the green beans and mashed potatoes onto the table.

Finally, it was time to take the roast out. I took the roast out of the crockpot and placed it onto a serving dish. After turning off the crockpot, I took the dish to the table, setting it down in the middle of the island. As always, Andrew was to be served first, so I got his plate and started preparing it, being sure to give him very decent-sized portions of everything. I returned his plate to the head of the table and grabbed his favorite drink out of the fridge.

“Everything smells delicious, Melody,” Andrew commented as I put his glass down next to his plate. “Thank you,” he said, planting a kiss on my cheek before he sat down.

“You’re welcome,” I replied softly as I picked up my own plate and began to get my food. I watched him out of the corner of my eye, wanting to see his reaction to his meal, as I got my miniscule rations of food.

“What is it, Melody?” he asked, irritation lightly laced his tone.

“Nothing,” I answered, quickly taking my seat at the table.

“If it’s nothing, then why are you staring at me?”

“I-- I was just checking to see if you like your dinner.”

“It’s fine; now eat.”

I nodded and picked up my fork, eating the little food that I had. I used to eat more, I actually used to love to eat, but after I moved in with Andrew, he started to notice that I was getting a little chubby, so he encouraged me to start monitoring the sizes of my portions at each meal. The last thing that he wanted was a fat fiancée; no one would be impressed at the office parties if his future wife looked like a cow. And of course I didn’t want to be overweight, either…

We ate our dinner in complete silence.

Once dinner was done, I cleared the plates from the table and rinsed them off before putting them in the dishwasher. I then took what was leftover and placed them into plastic containers that were to be packed up the next day in Andrew’s lunch. I left the containers on the counter to let cool before putting the lids on them and stowed them away in the fridge.

“Dinner was great, Melody.”

“Thanks, Andrew. I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

“I enjoyed it very much. And I was thinking that maybe we could have a movie night tonight,” he suggested, and I looked at him in surprise. Andrew hardly ever wanted to spend time with me anymore. As of late, it always seemed like I never did anything right, and you can’t blame him for not wanting to spend time with someone who was constantly making a mess of things. But maybe tonight was different, maybe tonight would be a turning point in our relationship-- a return to the better days that we had. “What do you say?”

“I think that sounds great,” I answered, the corners of my mouth turning up into a smile.

“Fantastic! I’ll go pick something out. Will you get the popcorn ready?”

“Of course I will.”

Andrew walked out of the room, and I couldn’t help but grin as I got the popcorn ready. Even though the evening had started out fearing one of Andrew’s outbursts, things had turned out much better than I could have imagined. I grabbed a large bowl just as the popcorn finished popping. I opened the bag and poured the freshly popped kernels into the bowl.

As I entered the living room, Andrew was crouched down in front of the entertainment unit sifting through the movies. I put the popcorn bowl down on the coffee table and watched him for a moment. I bit my lip, debating whether or not to ask him if he needed any help picking something out or not. Usually, he hated it if I offered to help him out, but things were different tonight, so I felt…brave.

“Are you finding a movie alright?” I asked him, sitting down next to him on the floor.

“Yeah, babe, I think so. What you think of this one?” he said, holding up a copy of Captain America.

“It sounds good to me.”

He smiled and put the movie into the DVD player while I walked back to the couch. I picked up the bowl of popcorn, settled it next to me on the couch, and watched Andrew as he made his way towards me. He sat down, the bowl of popcorn between us, and forwarded through the previews on the disc until the menu popped up.

The movie started playing, and Andrew moved the bowl of popcorn so it was out of my reach. I almost opened my mouth to ask him why, but I kept my mouth shut. I had started slipping on my diet and had gained a couple of pounds in the last week or two, he probably noticed and was keeping me from overindulging.

“Why don’t you come here?” he suggested, patting the empty spot between us. “We can cuddle, if you want to.”

I nodded my head and scooted towards him. I rested my head against his chest, just like I used to, and for the first time in what had felt like ages, I let out a content sigh. He softly chuckled and draped his arm around me, holding me tight. I couldn’t help but smile. This had to be a sign. Things were only going to get better from here.

They had to.

~

The doorbell rang about halfway through the movie. I sat up and looked back at the door, wondering who would be visiting at this hour. I nervously licked my lips before I looked at my fiancé. His face was stony and blank-- completely expressionless. Yet even then I could see that he wasn’t pleased to have an unexpected visitor show up.

“I’ll go get that,” I said quietly.

He simply nodded, as if giving me permission to go.

I slowly got up from the couch and crossed the room, making my way to the front door. My mind raced as I made the short journey there. Who would be visiting now? All of my friends-- or rather the few friends that I still had-- knew better than to stop by my house unannounced, especially at this hour. It was one of the rules; I wasn’t allowed to have company over without Andrew’s okay, and I wasn’t allowed to call, e-mail, or anything else without his say so. Maybe it was just a solicitor or Jehovah’s Witness making their rounds through the neighborhood.

I reached for the knob and turned it, slowly opening the door. I peeked out to see who was on the other side. My heart pounded when I saw him standing on my doorstep. Under any other circumstances, I would have been overjoyed to see him. But not now…Not while Andrew was home…

“Brian.” The surprise in my voice was difficult to mask. Of all the people I knew, he was one of the last people I had expected to see. But there he was, wearing his leather jacket, with his usually spiky dark brown hair down. It was a good look for him.

“Hey, Mel,” he smiled. “How are you doing?”

“Um, I’m okay,” I answered, nervously licking my lips. “Uh, what are you doing here, Bri?”

He shrugged. “Just thought I’d stop by to see how you’re doing, that’s all.”

“Oh…”

“So, what are you up to tonight?”

“Nothing much; just watching a movie.”

“Cool, what are you watching?”

“Captain America.”

“Do you mind if I join you?”

“Oh… Um…” I looked over my shoulder at Andrew, who was focused on the movie. It’s not like I really needed to check with him, though. I knew that he wouldn’t be happy to have Brian over. He’s never liked Brian, and I was sure that he wasn’t going to start tonight. I had to think of a way to make Brian leave. “It’s already halfway through…” I mumbled, hoping that he won’t feel like sticking around with the movie nearly over.

“That’s fine. It’s just that I haven’t seen you in a while; I just want to spend some time with you. I miss you, Mel.”

I felt the corners of my lips curl up into a smile. There was no way that I could tell him no now-- not without feeling guilty, at least… “I’ve missed you, too, Bri…” I said, keeping my voice low in fear that Andrew would overhear. “Come on in.”

“Thanks,” he beamed as he stepped inside the house. “It looks great in here,” he commented as he took off his jacket and hung it up on the coatrack, right next to Andrew’s jacket.

“Thanks. I cleaned today.”

“I can see that.”

I smiled. I couldn’t help it. It was nice to have someone appreciate what I did-- to have someone notice all the work I put into this house. I stopped smiling and sat down on the couch, giving Andrew an apologetic glance. He gave a curt nod and kept his eyes focused on the screen. Brian sat down in a nearby recliner and rested his arms on his thighs as he leaned forward.

“So, what have you been up to, Mel?” Brian asked.

I fretfully glanced over at Andrew before replying. His jaw was set, and he didn’t say a word. But I could tell that he was frustrated. I knew that he didn’t want Brian there to begin with, and now Brian was having the nerve to talk during the movie. Bri definitely wasn’t earning any points with Andrew…

“Not much,” I answered, turning my attention back to the movie in hopes that he’d get the hint.

“Oh, have you tried the new Japanese place? I think it opened up a few weeks ago.”

I shook my head. “No, I haven’t.”

“Neither have I. Maybe we could go check it out sometime.”

“Maybe…” I trailed off. Again, I glanced back at Andrew. Even though I had figured that he wouldn’t be happy with the idea of me going to lunch with Brian, I was trying to gauge how he’d feel about it when he heard Brian suggest it. The answer was going to be no, but I had hoped that maybe he’d ease up…

“Maybe sometime next week?” he suggested.

I sighed softly. “I don’t know, Brian. I’ll have to check my schedule, but it’s not likely…”

Andrew smiled smugly, his eyes still trained on the movie, but it was obvious that he had been listening in on my conversation with Brian.

Brian’s gaze shifted to Andrew and he furrowed his brow. I chewed on the inside of my bottom lip in worry as I watched Bri out of the corner of my eye. He stared at Andrew for a while longer, and I could see the wheels in his head were turning-- he was starting to piece things together. Anxiety gnawed and knotted in the bit of my stomach. He was trying to figure it out. And that was the last thing I wanted him to do.

Relief washed over me when I saw him shake his head, dismissing his train of thought. “So, h--”

“Can it wait until after the movie, Bri?” I asked with a polite smile. “It’s just that I haven’t seen this movie in a while and my memory’s a little rusty around this part.”

“Oh… Yeah, that’s fine,” he said, smiling back at me.

I sighed and let eyes return to the screen. Andrew gently placed his hand on my wrist. Although his touch was gentle, there was no comfort in his touch. I knew that something was going to happen, and it wasn’t going to be good. My heart raced as I felt his fingers slowly tighten around my wrist. I winced in pain, but did my best not to make a sound.

He held onto my wrist for a few more seconds before he relaxed his grip. Through the whole thing, he had kept watching the movie, never looking at me for a second. But I didn’t need him to give me a disapproving glare. I knew that he was giving me a warning. I must have done something wrong-- something to upset him. And I had to make sure that I didn’t do it again. Because next time, well, next time he wasn’t going to let me off with a warning…

Through the remainder of the movie, I couldn’t focus on the movie. Instead, I was trying to think of ways to get rid of Brian as soon as possible. Andrew did not want him in our home; and as much as I would have loved to catch up with him, I didn’t want him there anymore, either. It was too dangerous to have him there while my fiancé was home-- he was too much of a hazard to have around, period.

When the movie ended, I quickly got up to my feet, picked up the bowl of popcorn, and without a word, scurried off into the kitchen. I would have said something to Brian, but I still didn’t know how I was going to get rid of him, and I needed more time to think of excuses. I set the bowl down on the kitchen countertop and released a heavy sigh.

I hadn’t planned for any of this. This was supposed to be a nice night with Andrew, it was supposed to be a chance to mend our crumbling relationship, but instead, it’s only thrown back onto the wrong track. Things were supposed to be looking up. They had been, they really had, until Brian showed up. Why did he have to just ruin everything?

“Are you alright, Mel?”

I jumped at the sound of his voice. “Yeah, I’m fine,” I answered, glancing over at Brian, who was standing a couple of feet away from me. “Why don’t you go back to the living room? I’ve just gotta straighten up a bit in here.”

“What do you need to do? Maybe I can help,” he offered, taking a couple of steps closer to me.

“It’s okay, Brian,” I said, smiling politely, “I think I’ve got it handled pretty well on my own.”

“Okay…” he trailed off. He clicked his tongue as he looked around the kitchen. He walked over to the dining table and sat down in the chair at the head of the table-- Andrew’s chair.

My body went ridged, and I had to fight back the urge to scream at him to get out of the chair. Only Andrew was allowed to sit there-- it was his chair, no one else’s. I licked my lips and hoped that he wasn’t paying any attention to me and Brian.

“So how are you doing, Mel?”

“I’m well,” I replied as I dumped the remainder of the popcorn into the trashcan. “How have you been?”

“I’ve been alright.”

“That’s good. And how about the guys, how are they?”

“They’re doing pretty well. Oh, you missed it a couple of weeks ago. Short Shit got engaged.”

My mouth dropped down in surprise, and it was quickly replaced by a smile. “Johnny, our Johnny? Johnny Seward is engaged?”

“I know, right?” Brian chuckled. “I guess we all should have seen it coming, though. He’s been with Hanna for years now; it was only a matter of time before he popped the question.”

“Yeah, I guess, but Johnny getting married?” I repeated in disbelief, taking a couple of steps to where Brian was sitting. “I don’t know… I guess I had always figured that he’d be the last one to get married. You know, since he’s the youngest and all.”

“I know what you mean. I mean, I’ll be honest, I had kind of figured that I’d be married or at least engaged before him.” Brian’s eyes met mine for a moment, and he sighed. “I guess I just haven’t met the right girl yet.”

“Aw, don’t talk like that. You’ll find her someday, Bri,” I gently assured him, resting my hand on his shoulder. I smiled warmly. “I know that you will.”

“But what if I’ve already met her and I was an idiot and missed my shot?”

Our eyes met again, and this time he held my gaze for several seconds. I could feel my heart begin to race, like it had many times earlier today. But there was something different about this… It felt different. I swallowed hard, my eyes still locked onto his. As much as I wanted to turn and look away from him, I couldn’t bring myself to do so-- I simply couldn’t stop myself from getting lost in his eyes.

There was just something about them-- his eyes. They were brown, just like Andrew’s, but Brian’s were…different somehow. While Andrew’s eyes always seemed cold and hard, Brian’s were always so warm and kind. Brian’s eyes would always light up whenever he’d see me, like he was just happy to have me around. With Andrew, it always felt like he was judging me, inspecting me to make sure that I was perfect. I never had to worry about being perfect around Brian.

“Um…” I closed my eyes for a second, breaking out of the trance that I had fallen under, and pulled my hand away from his shoulder. “I’ sure that hasn’t happened, Bri. She is there, you will find her, and everything is going to work out just fine.”

I hurriedly turned away from him and chewed on my lip as I walked back to the counter. I grabbed a dishtowel from the countertop, turned the faucet on, and stuck the towel underneath the tap. Once the cloth was wet, I shut off the water, rung out the excess water, and started wiping down the countertops. It wasn’t really necessary since the kitchen was spotless, but I needed something to keep my mind off of--

“Mel,” Brian rested his comforting hand on my shoulder, “what’s wrong?”

I pulled away from him and moved to the stove, cleaning off imaginary splashes of grease. “Nothing is wrong; I just have to clean. This whole place is just a mess…”

“What are you talking about? This place is fucking spotless. You’re acting--”

“I am fine!” I snapped, glaring back at him.

And I instantly regretted it when I saw his expression fall. “Okay… Um, sorry to upset you…” he mumbled.

I sighed and tossed the rag onto the counter. Shaking my head, I turned to face him. “I’m so sorry, Bri. I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that. I’m just a little…stressed out right, that’s all.”

“It’s okay. You’ve been through a lot lately. I understand,” he answered. He gently tucked my hair behind my ear, and small shivers ran down my spine as his fingertips grazed my skin. “I just want to make sure that you’re okay. You are okay, right?”

“Yeah, I’m okay. I’m just a little tired right now, that’s all,” I said, giving him my best attempt at a reassuring smile. “I think I might call it a night soon.”

“Okay. I guess I’ll let you rest, then.”

“Thanks, Bri.”

“It’s not a problem, Mel,” he said, smiling down at me. “So, I guess this is goodnight?”

“Yeah, I guess so. I’ll walk you to the door, though.”

“You sure? I wouldn’t want you to fall asleep on me,” he replied with a chuckle.

I gently smacked his chest. “You’re just so, so funny, Haner. I’m sure that I will have enough energy to walk with you to the door.”

“Alright.”

Brian and I walked out into the living room, and I knit my brow when I saw that Andrew wasn’t there anymore. He must have gone upstairs while I was in the kitchen. But it was weird; I thought I would have seen him walk by…

“You okay?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, I’m fine,” I told Brian.

“You really are tired, huh?”

“Yeah, I guess so,” I answered as I grabbed his leather jacket off of the coat hanger. I handed him his jacket and smiled. “Anyway, it was really good to see you, Bri.”

“It was good seeing you, too, Mel,” he beamed, slipping into his jacket. “So, I’ll see you later, right?”

“Yeah,” I said, reaching for the doorknob and opening the door for him.

Maybe in a few more weeks, if we were lucky…

He leaned in and wrapped his arms around me, hugging me tightly. My eyes fell shut and I hugged him back. “I missed you, Melody,” he murmured into my ear.

“I missed you, too, Brian.”

“I’ll call you sometime so we can check out that Japanese place.”

“Okay.”

He broke the hug, that same faint smile lingered on his lips while he lightly pushed my hair out of my face. He leaned in again and his lips brushed over my cheek; my heart started to pound. He pulled away and our eyes met. “Goodnight, Mel.”

“Goodnight, Bri,” I breathed.

He gave me one more smile before he turned to walk to his car. My lips were curled up as I closed the door behind him. Part of me wished that he didn’t have to leave, but I knew that it’d be best for him to go home.

“Well, wasn’t that just precious?”

My expression fell at the sound of his voice, and I gulped before I turned around to see Andrew. I had expected him to look livid, but he wasn’t. He was scarily calm; and it sent a cold chill down my back. “Wh--what are you talking about, baby?”

“Don’t fucking ‘baby’ me,” he growled, drawing in closer to me. “How long has that bullshit been going on behind my fucking back?”

“What are you--”

I gasped in pain at the sting as his hand came into contact with my face.

“Don’t act like you don’t fucking know what I’m talking about. You know damn well what the hell I’m talking about.” He pushed me against the door, his hand wrapped around my neck. “How long have you been fucking him behind my back? A month? Two? Has it been longer than that? Maybe six? How long have you been cheating on me? Tell me!” he shouted.

I gasped for air. “I-- I-- I haven’t--”

“Bullshit! You stupid fucking bitch! Don’t you fucking lie to me again!” He banged my head against the door, hard. “How…long…have…you…been…fucking…him?” he demanded.

Tears were rolling down my cheeks as I struggled for air. I wanted to beg him to stop, but I knew that it would do no good. Begging only egged him on to keep going. I had learned the hard way that to shut my mouth and just let him take his frustration out.

“Fucking answer me, Melody!” he yelled as he continued to smash my head against the door. With each hit, I felt the room begin to spin and my vision started to go spotty. I’m not sure if it was lack of oxygen, the blows to my head, or a combination of both, but either way, I knew I wasn’t going to last much longer. “Why are you doing this to me?” he asked; his voice slightly cracked. “Don’t you love me?”

“I do,” I rasped. “I do love you, Andrew.”

“Fucking liar!”

This time, the side of my face came into contact with the door, and I cried out in pain-- I just couldn’t hold it back. His grasp around me loosened just enough, and I managed to slip out of his grasp. I knew that it wasn’t a good idea, but I ran. I ran past him towards the stairs. In hindsight, it probably would have been better to run out the front door, but I wasn’t thinking. I just wanted to get away from him.

I don’t remember much after that. I remembered tripping as I ran up the steps. I remembered Andrew pulling me down. And the last thing I remembered was seeing his face before he bashed mine into the step that my head was resting on.

~

I groaned in discomfort as I felt the haze of unconsciousness slowly begin to lift. Pain shot through my body as I was shaken. A voice was faintly calling my name, but I couldn’t place it; all I knew was that it was familiar. My blood ran cold at the dawning realization that it could be Andrew. Maybe he wasn’t finished with me. Maybe he didn’t get the chance to let out all of his frustration before I had passed out.

“Mel! Mel! Jesus, Mel, wake up!”

I whimpered softly and opened my eyes. My vision was blurry at first, but it slowly shifted into focus. I gave a tiny smile when I saw Brian looking down at me. At least it wasn’t Andrew. “Bri?” I whispered; my throat was so dry that it felt like it was being ripped apart when I spoke.

“Oh, thank God you’re awake! How are you feeling?”

“I need water.”

“Okay, just wait a second. I’ll be right back. You stay awake, okay?” he said, his brown eyes filled with panic.

I nodded my head, and instantly regretted it when pain shot through my stiff neck. “Fuck…”

“Here,” he said as he returned with a glass of water. “Don’t drink it too fast, okay? Just, take your time.”

“Okay.”

“Here, let’s sit you up so you can drink.” He put his arm around me and supported me as I tried to sit up just enough to sip the water. He held the bottom of the glass with his free hand, acting as if he wasn’t sure if my hands would be able to hold onto the glass properly. But I appreciated the concern. I took a couple of gulps of water and gave the cup back to him.

“Thanks.” I looked around for a moment and realized that I was at the bottom of the staircase, where Andrew had pulled me down.

“Mel, can you get up? Do you think you can walk?”

I tried to sit up, but couldn’t pull myself up enough. “Not on my own…”

“Okay,” he sighed, shaking his head. “I just want you to be comfortable, and that doesn’t look comfortable. But I don’t to move you because I can’t tell if you broke anything…”

“I’ll be okay for now. Bri, what happened?”

“I was hoping that you would be able to answer that one, actually.”

“I don’t-- How did you get in here?”

“I stopped by to see if you were okay. I had called, but you didn’t answer the phone. And when you didn’t return my messages, I got worried. So I came in to check on you. You didn’t answer, and the door was unlocked.”

I knit my brow, and grimaced in pain. Why would the door be unlocked? That was not like Andrew… He’d always been so careful to always lock up whenever he’d leave. “It was?” I asked as I tried to sit up. It wasn’t a good move, though. I ended up feeling another surge of pain.

“Easy there, Mel. Just don’t move, okay? I’m going to call an ambulance, and--”

“No! Not an ambulance, Bri. Please don’t call an ambulance,” I pleaded.

He bit his lip and sighed. “Okay, but you do need to see a doctor. I’m going to call Zack and ask him to come over. I can’t move you on my own if you’ve broken anything.”

“Okay.”

“You just don’t move, okay? I don’t want you hurting,” he told me, brushing his thumb lightly across my cheek. Thankfully, there was more comfort than pain in his touch.

“Okay. Call him. I’ll stay put, I promise. It’s not like I can run away or anything.”

He chuckled humorlessly and kissed the top of my head. “Look at you, you still have the energy to be a smart-ass even when you’re all beat up.”

“I do what I can.”

He gave me a tiny smile and stood up to fish his phone out of his pocket. He dialed Zacky’s number and I watched him pace as he talked to him. They kept the conversation brief, and in a matter of minutes Brian was back by my side.

“Mel, do you remember what happened to you?”

I sucked in my bottom lip. I did remember, but I didn’t want to tell him. I couldn’t tell him. If Andrew found out that I told Brian about this… Well, I didn’t even want to think about that… “No, I-- I don’t…”

He stared at me, and I knew that he didn’t believe a word that came out of my mouth. He knew that I was lying to him. “Mel, tell me what really happened. You’re going to have to tell me anyway, we have to tell the doctor what happened to you.”

“I-- I fell down the stairs?” I offered feebly.

“Melody,” he said sternly, his brown eyes the most serious I had probably ever seen them before. “I want the truth.”

I sighed. “It was Andrew, Bri,” I said, my voice hushed. “He did this to me. He didn’t like it when you came over. He got upset and he thought that there was something going on with us. And I told him that there isn’t anything, but he didn’t believe me.” I sniffled as tears ran down my face.

His face went hard. “Andrew did this to you?”

I nodded my head just slightly, making sure that I wouldn’t feel even more pain than I already was.

“He’d done this for a while now?”

“Ever since we moved in here…”

“So…Not being able to hang out or talk, that was Andrew?”

“Mmhmm.”

“And those times that I’d see you with bruises, it was Andrew?”

I nodded.

“I should have known that…” He let out a heavy breath and gently cupped my face in his hand. “I’m so sorry that he’s done this to you, and I didn’t help you. But I promise, Mel, that he is never going to hurt you again. Okay? I promise you. You’re going to be safe.”

“Thanks, Bri,” I whispered; more tears fell from my eyes.

“There’s no need to thank me, Mel. It’s my job to take care of you; you’re one of my best friends.”

Just moments later, Zacky showed up with Jimmy in tow. Apparently Jimmy was over at Zack’s when Brian called. Brian and Zacky carried me out to Brian’s car and Jimmy grabbed whatever I needed, like my purse with my IDs, and helped open and close doors. Zack and Brian sat in the backseat of the car while Jimmy drove us to the ER.

Matt and Johnny were already there when we arrived. I gathered that Jimmy or Zacky must have called them right after Brian told them about me. Jimmy, Zacky, Matt, and Johnny all fussed over me as we waited in the ER. Only Brian stayed quiet, answering their questions for me every now and then. He kept his arm around me and held me close, and I appreciated it more than anything.

After an hour’s wait, I was in to see a doctor. Only Brian went in with me, the other four had to wait. The doctor examined me to check for any noticeable breaks and bruises-- there were obviously plenty of bruises, but no breaks that he could see. Just to be on the safe side, he had me in for x-rays and had them rushed. Thankfully, there were no breaks, but something had to be wrong, because he said that he wanted to talk to Brian.

Bri requested that I get a private room, and they took me to it before he talked to the doctor. The other guys were able to come in. All of them were thrilled to see that I was okay. Well, as okay as I could be in my condition. I tried to smile as they talked to me, but I couldn’t help but worry while Brian talked to the doctor. What could be on those x-rays that he couldn’t tell me about?

Brian returned to the room after several minutes. I wanted to ask him what the doctor had said, but he didn’t seem like he wanted to talk about it-- at least not yet. Instead, he just sat at my side as Jimmy went on about how we were all going to go out after I healed up, his treat. I guess everyone had missed me more than I had realized.

A little while later, we were told that I was free to go. Zacky and Jimmy said that they would catch rides with Matt and Johnny so that Brian could take me home so that I could get the rest that I needed. I gave them all hugs, thanking each of them for coming to see me. I even made sure to congratulate Johnny on his engagement.

Once the guys had left and Brian and I were in the car, I finally got to ask him what I had been dying to ask ever since he returned from his little chat with the doctor.

“Bri?” I quietly piped up, biting on the inside of my lip.

“Yeah?” he asked as he started up the car.

“What was wrong with my x-rays?” I queried.

He licked his lips and sighed, shaking his head. “There was nothing wrong, Mel. You heard him, you’re fine. No broken bones, just a lot of really deep bruises that are going to hurt really bad for a while. But you’ll be fine in a couple of weeks.”

“Brian…” I knew that he was lying to me. “Tell me the truth. I told you what happened to me, why can’t you tell me what the doctor told you?”

“Because…” He paused, trying to carefully choose his words. “Because it’s not that easy…”

“What do you mean?” I could feel the worry begin to rise up inside of me. What could be so wrong with me if it was hard to tell me?

“It’s about your injuries.”

“What? Is there something wrong? I thought he said that I was going to heal up in a few weeks. What’s wrong with me, Brian? What’s going on?” I asked as panicked tears began to prick at my eyes.

“No, it’s not about how long you’ll heal. It’s more of…” He closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He opened his eyes, and those warm brown orbs locked onto my gaze. “Mel, your injuries…they were all self-inflicted. Andrew didn’t do anything to you.”

“W-- what do you mean?” I couldn’t believe that he was saying this. He didn’t believe that Andrew would do something like this to me? Did he think that I was lying? “I know what happened, Brian! He was there! I--”

“No, he wasn’t, Mel. And I already knew he wasn’t there before the doctor told me.”

My blood ran cold. He didn’t believe me. He thought that I wasn’t telling him the truth. My best friend thought that I would lie about being abused… “Brian, what are you talking about?” I asked, completely confused.

“Andrew’s dead, Mel. He’s been dead for the last six months. He died in a car wreck on his way home from work one night.”

I stared at Brian. If this was a joke he was playing on me, it was one fucked up, sick joke. “What? No, you’re…you’re wrong. He--”

And then it hit me. Everything hit me all at once. Brian was right; Andrew had died six months ago. He was on his way home from work-- I had prepared a stew that night for his dinner, I remembered because I was anxious to see if he’d like it-- and he was hit head-on by a truck that had lost control and swerved into his lane. He had died on impact.

“He’s dead… Oh, my God, he’s dead…” I whispered in shock.

“He was abusing you when he was alive, though. I should have seen it before-- all the warning signs were there. He isolated you; he basically controlled everything that you did… But it just never hit me until you said it today.”

“But… what happened to me now…”

“You did to yourself…” he trailed off uncomfortably.

“But why? Why would I hurt myself like this?”

He shrugged. “The doctor’s best guess is that you were in such shock from losing Andrew so suddenly, you weren’t able to cope properly. Your best way of coping was imagining that Andrew’s been there; that he never died. And when Andrew was there, you were hurt.” He sighed and shook his head. “I should have seen it when you started hiding yourself away in your house like he used to do to you. I should have paid more attention--”

“You couldn’t have known, Brian…” I murmured, taking his hand in mine.

He smiled, but it was only for a moment. He rubbed his thumb across the back of my hand. “Mel, you understand what’s going on with you now. But… your mind is in a very fragile state right now-- it’s delicate. You’re still considered a danger to yourself until you get treatment.”

“Treatment?”

“You need to seek psychological help, to ensure that you’re not going to hurt yourself anymore. We have to make sure that you’re finally going to come to grips with Andrew’s death the right way.”

I swallowed and slowly nodded my head. “Okay, so, what do I have to do? See a counselor a couple times a week? Start taking meds?”

“Unfortunately, because you’ve been hurting yourself and we’re not sure how you’ll be alone, you have to…” He bit his lip and let out a shaky breath. “We have to get you into a mental health facility. You’re going to have to live there and see a counselor every day. They have to monitor your progress until you’re ready to be on your own again.”

“Oh…”

“We can do this without your consent, because it’s clear that you’re dangerous to yourself, but I didn’t want to do it that way if it was at all possible…” He licked his lips. “Mel, I have to have you committed.”

“Committed? You mean like crazy person? Bri, I’m not insane! You know that!”

“I know… But, you’re not…completely right, at the moment, either.”

I nodded. As much as I hated to admit it, he was right about that. If I was at the point where I was imagining my dead fiancé still beating me every day, there was clearly something wrong. But I wasn’t crazy…At least not completely… Not to where I needed to be in a facility.

“Will you show me where I’m going to have to go?” I mumbled.

“Do you really want to see it?” he asked, his eyes meeting mine.

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll take you.”

We pulled out of the hospital parking lot and drove in silence. Brian kept his eyes out for the proper street sign, and because he was focused on trying to find it, he was driving slower than usual. But I didn’t mind. There was still a part of me that dreaded to see where I was going to be locked up. Maybe I would get my own padded cell, like all the other loons.

When we finally pulled into the building’s parking lot, I was surprised. It didn’t look like I had imagined. Then again, I had imagined a building like Bedlam. But this was nothing at all like that. This place was…cozier than I had imagined it would be. It was a single story building; it looked very much like an oversized one-story home. It didn’t look the type to have padded cells inside, which was nice. Sort of…

“This is where your doctor suggested. I think I like it better than the hospital’s psych ward,” Brian said as he stopped the engine. “And I can come in to visit you whenever I like. Well, within reason, that is.”

I felt a grin pull at the corners of my mouth. That was good news to hear. At least I wouldn’t be isolated. “You can?”

He smiled. “Yep.”

“That’s good… Um, so, how long will I be staying here?”

“Don’t know for sure. It all depends on you, I guess. Depends on how you progress. Probably a month, maybe longer…”

“And I have to do this?” I asked, scared.

“Yeah, there’s no way around it. We can either get you in here on your own will, which I would like to do. Or we can force you in, which I can do because the doctor declared you a danger to yourself and I have all the forms to show them. It all depends on how you wanna do it.”

“Why do you want me to do this of my own will?” I asked him.

He smiled faintly and gently squeezed my hand. “Because I want you to come back to me; I want you to want to come back to me.”

“What do you mean come back to you?” I was perplexed.

His smile lingered on his lips a little longer before he spoke. “I mean that I want my best friend to come back to me. But most importantly,” he gently brushed my cheek with his thumb. “I want the girl that I fell in love with to come back to me.”

My eyes grew wide, and I stared up at him, shocked. “You love me?”

He laughed softly. “Isn’t it obvious?”

I shook my head. “No… At least I never saw it…”

“Well, I do.” He leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on my lips. My heart raced, and my body felt warm-- I had never felt that with a kiss before. “I just want my Melody back,” he breathed.

I sighed and rested my forehead against his. “You still love me even when I’m all banged up and bruised? Even when I’m a little crazy?”

“Well, I wasn’t expecting the crazy…” he teased. “But yeah, I do. So what do you say, Mel?”

I glanced back at the building and nodded. “I’ll do it-- for you, and for me. But you have to promise that you’ll see me. I don’t know how I’ll manage in there if you don’t stop by every now and then.”

“If I’m not touring, I’ll be there every day. I promise.”

“And when I come out, we can be all happy and lovey and maybe even be a normal couple?”

A smirk pulled at his lips. “You want to be a couple?”

I blushed. “Yeah, I think I’d like that.”

“Then we’ll be the best damn couple in the world. But that’s only going to happen one way,” he said, jerking his head in the direction of the building. “You can go in now, we can look around, and I’ll come back with whatever stuff you need.”

“Okay.” I exhaled slowly out my mouth, mustering up my courage. “Let’s do this.”

We stepped out of the car. Brian held my hand all the way to the door. He held it as I was shown around the facility and given a room to stay in. And he held it until it as time for him to leave. Before he left, he gave me one more hug and kiss, one more reminder of why I was doing this-- why I had to do this. And as I looked up into those loving brown eyes of his, I thanked him for everything-- for caring, for being there for me, for loving me, and most of all, for saving me.