Heaven Nor Hell

It was late in the afternoon when I started making my way home from work. Last weekend, Brian and I had gone to a car dealership so I could purchase my own car. After months of being stuck with Kyle, and being without work, it felt incredible to have something I worked so hard for.

I parked my car in the driveway, planning on quickly changing and running to the grocery store. I pulled my keys out of my purse, and went to unlock the door, but was confused to find it already unlocked. Brian had left early this morning for a meeting in LA with Schecter, to talk about building his own amp, and I knew that I had locked the door before I left for work. I slowly opened the door, and gasped as I saw our entryway in ruins. All of the mirrors and picture frames that lined the hallway had been shattered, tables were overturned, and papers covered the floor. In tears, I slammed the door shut and ran back to my car, locking the doors, before dialing Brian. After a few rings, he finally answered.

“Hey Lil, I was just about to call you. I just – “

“Brian, someone broke into the house,” I interrupted him, as my tears started falling harder. “The front door was unlocked, and the entryway was trashed. I-I need you, please. Please come home.”

“Fuck!” he screamed, and I heard a loud thud in the background, before I heard him whisper a harsh “I need to go, I’ll call you,” before bringing the phone back to his ear. “Where are you now Lil?”

“I’m in my car, in the driveway.”

“Good, stay there. Don’t go back in the house, for anything. Call the police, and have them come. I’m leaving Schecter right now; I’ll be there as soon as I can. Just lock your car and stay put until the police get there.”

“Okay,” I whimpered, wiping at my tears.

“I love you Lil. It’s okay, you’re safe. Just call the police, and I’ll be there soon, okay?”

“Okay, I love you too,” I replied, before hanging up. I took a moment to try to collect myself, before calling the police. Luckily, the woman who answered was patient, and gently worked with me to help calm me down, before promising someone was on their way. I only had to wait about twenty minutes before a police car pulled up outside the house, and two officers, a man and a woman, came out to meet me. After introducing themselves, the man went inside to look around, while the woman took my statement. I had a hunch as to who was behind the destruction of our house, so I described to the officer all that Kyle had done to me during our relationship, as well as the threats he had made to me at the beach a few months prior.

About forty five minutes later, Brian pulled into the driveway, and ran to me, drawing me into his body. For the first time since I arrived home, I started to feel safe. Minutes later, the officers were done searching the house, and promised to call as soon as they had a lead.

Slowly, we walked in the house, and took in the damage that surrounded us. Luckily, the destruction seemed to be confined just to the entryway and living room, the upstairs and the basement were untouched. Brian and I walked to the kitchen, an uneasy feeling lingering among us. I couldn’t help but feel anxious, knowing someone unwanted had broken into our home.

“I’m going to call one of my friend’s quickly, and see if he has time to come over tonight and change the locks,” Brian stated, rubbing a hand over his forehead. “The officer said that there was no signs of forced entry, whoever got in must have somehow gotten a key. I doubt they would come back tonight, but I don’t really want to risk it.”

“Probably a good idea,” I mumbled, resting my arms on the kitchen counter. “I should start cleaning up a bit. The last thing we need is for one of us to get hurt.” Brian sighed, and nodded his head, before coming to stand behind me, and wrapping his arms around my waist. I quickly turned, and threw my arms around his neck, crushing myself to his chest. Brian’s arms tightened around me, as he pressed his lips to the top of my head.

“I am so sorry I wasn’t here for you today. I wish I never would have gone today, not when we knew that Kyle had come back around,” he rambled, shaking his head.

“Brian, stop,” I replied, sliding my hands down until they rested on his chest. “Yes, Kyle is back, and yes, I was a little scared today, but that doesn’t mean you have to stop living your life just to keep me safe. You still have a job, and responsibilities. We’re just going to have to be a little more careful until they catch him.”

“I love you so much Lily. I swear, we won’t have another close call like this,” Brian insisted, pulling me back into his chest. For a few minutes, I stood, curled in Brian’s arms, before I pulled away and reached up on my tip toes to give him a kiss.

“Why don’t you go give your friend a call, and see if he would be willing to come over tonight. I’ll clean up a bit, and then we can order Chinese for dinner. We’ll have a relaxing night, just the two of us. Brian nodded his head, and gave me a soft kiss, before heading to his office to make the phone call.

A few hours later, the majority of the house was cleaned up, and all the locks were changed. Brian and I had laid down together on the couch, and were watching a movie, with Pinkly curled up in front of me. Thankfully, we had been keeping Pinkly locked up in our bedroom any time both of us left the house, so she was safe and sound.

“How did the meeting with Schecter go?” I asked Brian, tracing the tattoos on his forearm.

“It went well,” he replied, watching my hand. “They liked the ideas that I had, and they’re bringing in James Brown to help design and tweak it. He’s a fucking legend in the amp world. I’m hoping to have it done before we start recording again, so I can use it in the studio.”

“I’m glad the meeting went so well. I can’t wait to see how it turns out when it’s finished,” I beamed, pressing a kiss to his lips before turning back to the movie.

I didn’t even make it halfway through the movie before I fell asleep, exhausted from the stressful day. I vaguely remembered Brian carrying me upstairs to our bedroom, pulling me close to his body, and whispering one last “I love you”, before we both fell into a deep sleep.