Chapter 31
Wren
I wake up on the silky soft bed I’ve come to love in this past week. My arms come out on their own, stretching the sleep away as I blink open my eyes. When I don’t find Briggs lying next to me, a jolt of disappointment rushes through me, followed by a slither of fear.
Sitting up quickly, I glance around the room, looking for Briggs. I don’t find him anywhere in sight, but when I notice the shower running in the attached bathroom, I breathe a sigh of relief.
I still can’t believe somewhere along the broken road that is our relationship, Briggs became somewhat of a security blanket to me.
In school, he takes me to every class and picks me back up, making sure no one bothers me.
When we’re at his house, he keeps me in his room, and away from his father, who still gives me the creeps.
No matter where we are, he makes sure I’m fed, either buying me food when we are out or bringing it to his room when we’re at his house.
Wherever I go, he is there by my side, protecting and taking care of me.
Throwing the comforter off my legs, I hop off the king-sized bed. I’m wearing nothing but one of Briggs’s shirts as I make my way to the bathroom.
I slowly push the door open just as the water turns off. I enter the room as Briggs steps out of the shower. He is completely nude, water dripping from his muscular body as he reaches for one of the fluffy towels on the rack.
“See anything you like?” Briggs asks with a grin when he realizes I’m ogling his abs. He wraps the towel around his hips.
Looking away, I clear my throat, feeling like I was just caught with my hands in the cookie jar. “I was looking for you.”
“Well, you found me.”
“Well, good,” I say awkwardly, standing in the bathroom without knowing what to do.
“Let’s get dressed before I fuck you again,” Briggs tells me, making me remember all the times we’ve had sex over the last week.
He walks past me into his room, and I follow him like a lost puppy.
“What are we going to do today?” It’s Saturday, and we have no classes to go to.
“I actually need to go and see Paul Wilder.” Briggs walks over to his closet and starts to pull out clothes to wear. He goes for a pair of dark jeans and a gray shirt.
“I want to come with you,” I protest.
“I need you to stay here with Tia,” Briggs tells me.
“Oh, really? I mean, you trust me with your sister?”
Briggs raises an eyebrow. “Shouldn’t I?”
“What? No. I mean yes, of course you can! I’m just surprised, I guess.” I don’t even know why I’m so shocked. I’m still not used to Briggs actually liking me, let alone trusting me.
“Then it’s decided. You stay here with Tia while I go talk to Paul.”
I get dressed in a comfortable pair of shorts and a yellow shirt while Briggs pulls on his socks and shoes.
“Come on, let’s find Tia,” Briggs offers, heading toward the door.
I follow him to the living room, still feeling a bit out of place in this huge, fancy house.
We find Tia sitting in the middle of the oversized sectional, wearing bright pink pajamas with unicorns on them. Her eyes are glued to the TV, where some kind of cartoon is playing.
“Did you eat breakfast yet, nugget?” Briggs asks.
“Not yet. Can I finish watching this before, though?”
“Sure, finish the episode, but then eat some cereal or something.”
“Okay!” Tia says excitingly.
“I have to go somewhere for an hour or so, but Wren is going to stay with you,” he explains.
Tia simply gives him a thumbs up while she keeps watching her show. I walk across the room and take a seat next to Tia.
Briggs walks around the couch, leaning down, he kisses Tia on the top of her head.
When he straightens back up, she looks up at him walking away. “What about Wren? Doesn’t she get a kiss goodbye?” Tia asks curiously.
Briggs’s lips curl up into a smile. He walks back toward us, stopping in front of me. He leans down and kisses the top of my head. It’s an innocent gesture, but one that has butterflies taking flight in my stomach. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this tender side of him.
Briggs leaves, and I finish watching Tia’s show with her. It’s a cute little cartoon that almost holds my interest, if it wasn’t for my stomach growling.
When the show is finally over, I take Tia to the kitchen. She sits down at the table and looks at me expectantly.
“Just bear with me. I don’t know where anything is.” I giggle nervously as I open the fridge first to pull out the milk. Then I start looking through the cabinets for bowls. When I find those, I open the drawers for spoons.
“Cereal is in there.” Tia points at a door.
I open it, realizing it’s a large walk-in pantry with shelves stacked of food. I find the cereal with ease and take everything over to Tia, where I pour her a bowl and one for myself.
“Thank you!” Tia says, before digging into her breakfast.
I pick up my own spoon and dip it into my Frosted Flakes. I bring it to my mouth but don’t get chance to get the spoon past my lips.
“Are you my brother’s girlfriend now?” Tia asks between bites.
I slowly bring my spoon back to my bowl, desperately trying to find a good answer. The truth is, I don’t know what we are. We never discussed it, but it’s clear that we are something.
“Mhhh, I don’t know,” I tell her honestly. “It’s complicated.” That’s an understatement. Me and Briggs are more than complicated. A seasoned couples therapist couldn’t figure us out.
I think about all the bad things he has done to me and frown, but then I think about all the good times, the ones where he protected me and was sweet to me. He definitely changed, but is it enough to actually build a relationship on?
We eat the rest of our breakfast in silence, and I’m grateful for no more questions coming from Tia’s curious mind. When we are done, I take both bowls and load them in the dishwasher.
I’m about to ask Tia what she wants to do next when I hear the front door unlock. “Sounds like your brother is back already,” I say, a moment before I realize it’s not Briggs who has returned.
Robert stumbles into the kitchen, a menacing look on his face as he realizes I’m here. “Tia, go to your room, now,” he orders harshly.
Tia gives me a scared glance, and I nod in response, telling her without words to listen to her dad. Tia gets up from the kitchen table and speed walks toward the staircase.
“What the fuck do you think you are doing in my house, you ungrateful little slut?” he sneers at me when Tia is out of earshot.
“Briggs invited me to stay here,” I say, my voice small and unsure.
“My son doesn’t have the right to! This is still my house, and you don’t belong here.” He takes a menacing step toward me, and all I can think about is how I wish Briggs was here. I glance toward the door, willing him to appear and protect me from his father, but we remain alone.
“I’ll just leave,” I offer, not knowing where to go or how I’m going to get there.
“I have a better idea,” Robert spits, taking another step toward me. “Why don’t I show you the rest of the house?”
My heart beats out of my chest as I realize he is not letting me go. Fear spreads through me faster than it ever has with Briggs. I glance around the room, looking for a way to escape, but Robert is standing in front of the only exit.
Nevertheless, I have to at least try. Making my feet move as fast as I can, I run around Robert and head toward the door.
“No you don’t!” he yells, grabbing me by my hair as I try to push past him. His fingers tighten around my hair, my scalp burning as he pulls me toward him so hard I almost lose my footing. “You little slut, are coming with me.”
I can barely make my legs move fast enough as he drags me down the hallway while I fight him tooth and nail.
“Let go of me!” My desperate pleas fall on deaf ears.
He opens a door and flings me into the doorway, letting go of my hair. I stumble forward, realizing too late that the door leads to a set of stairs.
My foot steps into nothing, my stomach sinks and my arms flail around, hoping to catch myself on something. Only, there is nothing to hold on to. I helplessly fall into nothingness.
A scream rips from my throat as I hit the first set of stairs. My back slams against the harsh corner of steps, knocking the wind out of me.
My arms come up to protect my head as I keep tumbling down the stairs, violently hitting my knees, my elbows, and my back over and over again before my body collapses on the cold concrete floor of what I’m assuming is the basement.
Groaning, I try to push myself to my feet, but I only make it to my knees when Robert’s foot connects with my ribs, knocking me back to the ground.
“Stay down on the floor where you belong, roach!”
I’m gasping for breath, pain radiating from multiple spots on my body. I’m so out of it, it takes me a moment to realize what he just said. He called me roach.
“It was you,” I grit through my teeth. “You sent me the notes.”
“Ahh, looks like you are not as dumb as I thought.” Robert circles me like a vulture. “Yes, I sent the notes, and now I’m going to stand by my threat. You little cunt, need to die.”
“But why? What have I ever done to you?”
“You don’t think I see what you are trying to do to my son?
You seduced him just like your whore mother seduced me!
You know how many favors I had to call in to get you into Wicked Falls University?
You and your mother are nothing but bloodsucking cunts and I should have killed her along with the bastard child she was carrying.
I won’t make the same mistake again. I won’t let you live. ”
My whole body is shaking now, my mind going a million miles per hour and all I can think about is how I wish Briggs would come down the stairs and save me.