Chapter 2
Brianna had spent most of the previous day out of her mind with worry. Every moment from the time she’d gotten the call about River’s accident had been filled with some sort of concern. Last night she’d left the hospital and tried her best to get their apartment wheelchair-ready. She was grateful that they had elevator access on the third floor.
What she hadn’t counted on was Tiffany’s less than stellar attitude about the whole situation. Every single one of their friends had greeted the news with some form of concern. Willow had been reserved but had asked a ton of questions. The others had fallen somewhere along the concern spectrum. But Tiffany had acted more like River’s accident was an inconvenience. She had even gone as far as to mention how bad the timing was as she needed to get ready for a huge meeting. As if taking time out of her day to worry about River was asking too much of her.
She had managed to keep her composure. Though this morning when she’d received a text from Tiff saying she wouldn’t be able to pick her up from the hospital, Brianna was livid. What was the point in having a girlfriend if she never showed up?
Brianna drove her 2011 Camry back to the hospital with a box of doughnuts in her passenger seat. River loved doughnuts and Brianna was hoping to take the sting out of Tiffany not being there.
Brianna and River had only known one another for a short time. Initially, they had met when their best friends began dating. But there had always been a great energy between the two of them. To Brianna, River was one of the most gorgeous women she’d ever met. She simply couldn’t comprehend Tiffany not showing up for River.
There had ever been a chance at romance between the two of them. River and Tiffany had started dating a short time after they had met. Things had become serious between River and Tiff fairly quickly, so Brianna had slid comfortably into the friend zone. Not that she minded, River seemed like she’d always been in Brianna’s life. They were meant to know each other and be a part of each other’s lives. Brianna was certain of it.
River was waiting for her on the sidewalk when Brianna pulled up. She watched as River rearranged her facial expressions to hide the disappointment of Tiff not being there. Brianna couldn’t hold that against her. She’d be mad too if her girlfriend didn’t come pick her up from the hospital.
It was strange to see River in a wheelchair with two big casts on. For a moment Brianna felt a tinge of panic. How was she going to maneuver her friend into this tiny car? She swallowed her fear, she would find a way to make it work.
River gave Brianna a half grin when she saw her. Brianna moved a strand of her brunette hair behind her ear. She shrugged her shoulders and rubbed the palms of her hands against her shorts. Brianna was nothing if not enterprising, so she was sure she’d figure the situation out.
It did take some trial and error, but Brianna managed to get River safely loaded into her car. Brianna fought with the wheelchair until it was finally squished into the back. Brianna didn’t know how she was going to get the wheelchair back out again. She took in a deep breath before opening her car door and sitting in her seat. From the passenger’s side River ate a powdered doughnut. White powder dotted River’s face and Brianna had to fight back a laugh. River smirked and handed her a doughnut to enjoy. To her credit, River didn’t ask about Tiffany.
Brianna was careful to hit every bump she could see as carefully as possible. The last bump turning into the apartment complex caught them both by surprise. She shot River an apologetic glance, but her friend waved her off.
She yanked and fought with the wheelchair, but it wouldn’t budge.
“Is everything okay, friend?” River called from her seat.
“Absolutely. I just have to bargain with this wheelchair a little more.”
Brianna pushed the chair to the left then moved it slightly to the right. She gave one final yank and managed to free the chair from the car. She breathed a sigh of relief as she pushed the wheelchair around to River.
River shot her an apologetic look as she wrapped her arms around Brianna’s neck. Brianna smiled warmly and helped River out of the car and to the wheelchair.
Brianna didn’t take a full breath until she was upstairs in front of the door to their apartment. Brianna gave the key a turn in the lock.
“Thank you so much for helping me,” River said, her tone genuine.
“Of course. I would always do anything for you,” Brianna replied. The words came from the core of her being. Brianna had never learned to hold back her enthusiasm when it came to speaking to her friends. River smiled warmly, and Brianna thought she saw a touch of red spreading across her cheeks. Brianna felt her insides turning to mush. She turned the key and pushed open the door.
“Surprise!”
Brianna stood frozen for a moment, taking in the scene in front of her. Tiffany stood in their living room with a huge arrangement of roses. Brianna blinked once, then again. Apparently, what she saw was real. Tiffany came forward and gave River a hug then bumped Brianna out of the way and pushed River’s chair into the apartment. There was lunch, prepared and plated on the kitchen table.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t be there to pick you up. I wanted to get this ready,” Tiff said with a smile.
“Thanks for taking such good care of her,” Tiff said, meeting Brianna’s eyes.
“Of course. Anytime,” Brianna offered a small smile.
Brianna watched as a smile spread across River’s face. She pushed her annoyance down below the surface. River was happy, and, today, that was the only thing that mattered. Brianna went to her bedroom to give the two of them some privacy. She sank onto her bed and closed her eyes. She’d taken the day off from work and nothing sounded better than a nap.
After about an hour Brianna heard River and Tiffany tell each other goodbye. The front door opened and closed a moment later. Brianna gathered her wits and came back to the living room.
“Welcome back, stranger. You know you don’t have to disappear every time Tiffany comes over?” River laughed.
“I just wanted to give you both some privacy,” Brianna said stiffly.
“Well, there’s food for you in the kitchen,” River said.
“Thanks,” Brianna offered a smile.
“That was nice of Tiffany,” Brianna forced herself to add.
“It really was. But I also want to thank you for picking me up,” River insisted.
“It was just a ride,” Brianna waved her off.
“Still, it meant a lot.”
“In that case you’re welcome.”
Brianna looked at the vegan feast in front of her. As a lifelong meat eater she wasn’t sure what to do with a meal that didn’t include meat.
“What did the doctor say about taking care of yourself?” Brianna asked.
“I’m not supposed to get the casts wet. Mostly, I need to rest up. The casts will stay on for six to eight weeks. I’ll obviously need to limit my physical activity during that time.”
“All of that sounds very doable. Or at least easy enough to work around,” Brianna smiled. She tried her best to sound encouraging. Her efforts seemed to work as River’s lips quirked into a smile.
“I love how encouraging you always are,” River stated. Brianna felt her neck and cheeks go red hot.
“Well, you make that easy,” Brianna met River’s dark eyes.
She had never noticed how deep River’s eyes were. Brianna felt as though she could fall into those eyes. She chastised herself internally, swallowing a groan. What was all of this nonsense about eyes and falling?
“The whole gang wanted to come visit you. I hope you don’t mind but I insisted on them giving you a couple days before swarming you,” Brianna laughed.
“Look at you being all protective,” River teased. This time Brianna knew for sure she was blushing.
“Well, you asked me to help take care of you. And part of that is making sure you get some rest.”
“Yes, ma’am,” River laughed.
“Good girl,” Brianna teased. She was pretty sure they were taking their fun banter to a whole new level today. River had the benefit of being on pain medicine, so what was her excuse?
“Seriously, thank you. I don’t know if I would want to do this with anyone else,” River said, her tone suddenly genuine.
“What do you mean?” Brianna asked.
River started to twist a strand of her dark hair. Brianna waited patiently. She knew that her friend would find the words she was looking for.
“You always make me feel safe. When you’re around I know everything is going to be okay. You know what I mean?” River asked.
“I do. I feel the same way about you,” Brianna admitted.
“I don’t know how safe I am. After all, I just got hit by a car,” River chuckled unconvincingly.
Brianna had been struggling to put any thoughts of River’s accident out of her mind. She wasn’t prepared to look into the reality. The fact was River was lucky. If the car that hit her had been going even a little faster, she could have experienced something much worse than a couple broken bones. She could have died. Brianna’s mind wasn’t prepared to imagine a reality without River in it.
“Sure. But you’ll get through this,” Brianna assured.
“Do you really think so?”
“Are you kidding me? You’re one of the strongest people I know. Of course, you’ll get through it. And I’ll be here to make sure things go smoothly.”
“My hero,” River laughed.
“Don’t you forget it,” Brianna chuckled. She paused for a moment.
“What about work?” Brianna asked.
“I took off for the next couple of days.”
“Good for you,” Brianna insisted.
“I figure it’s the least I can do for my body,” River said with a smile.
“You’ve got that right.” Brianna agreed.
Brianna sat beside River on the couch. For the first time that day she allowed herself to think about how grateful she was to have River here.
“Everything okay, B?” River asked, a look of concern creasing her face.
“Yeah. I’m good. I was just taking a minute to be grateful that you’re here,” Brianna answered.
“That’s incredibly sweet. Possibly a little morbid. But I can appreciate it given the circumstances.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I think I’m still processing yesterday,” Brianna admitted.
“I need you to know how grateful I am that I have a friend like you who always shows up for me. You got in touch with everyone I needed to have called. You made sure everyone was updated. You gave me a ride home. And you did all of that even though you’re still processing everything yourself.”
“I still feel kind of bad. I mean how torn up am I allowed to be? It isn’t as if I got hit by a car.”
“Sure. But you care about me and I got hit by a car. Sometimes it’s worse watching someone you care about suffer. I mean I do still think I have it way worse. But you’re allowed to be a close second,” River laughed. Brianna shook her head and laughed.
“Well thanks for that,” Brianna sighed. River lay her head on Brianna’s shoulder. She listened to River’s breathing. There had never been a more comforting sound. A sudden flash in her mind showed Brianna what it might be like to bring her mouth closer to River’s. What it might be like to kiss River’s full gorgeous lips. Brianna quickly shoved the thoughts out of her mind.
What was she doing? Why now? They had been living together for a while, and Brianna had never had a hard time being friends. Now here she was imagining what it would be like to kiss River. Brianna lay her head back against the couch.
“Everything, okay? River asked.
“Everything is great. I’m just happy you’re alright.”
River leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Brianna’s face turned a deep shade of red.
“You’re the best. Do you know that?”
“Eh, I’ll do in a pinch.”
Brianna tried to play the words off. Not that she didn’t think she was a good friend, she knew that she was a fantastic friend. But there was something suddenly uncomfortable about River considering her a good friend. She managed to hold in a sigh. Brianna pulled out her phone and shot Mel a quick message. She wished she could work through what she was feeling with River, but that would be unfair. River was still dealing with all the trauma the accident had done to her body. It wouldn’t be fair to stack her newfound feelings on top of everything River was already feeling. Her phone dinged and Brianna checked it. Mel wanted to meet her for coffee.
Brianna rose carefully from the couch. River glanced up at her in confusion.
“Are you going somewhere?” River asked.
“Yeah. I need to run a quick errand. I’ll be back in an hour. Will you be okay until I get back?”
“Of course, I’ll be fine. Go run your errand. I’m sure I can survive for an hour on my own.”
Brianna gave River a genuine smile before walking towards the door. Mel had asked to meet at Mallie’s, which meant she could be working. Brianna pulled into the first parking spot she could find at Mallie’s and laid her head against the steering wheel.
Mel was waiting for her in a booth when Brianna stepped inside. Her crisp uniform was neat and clean. This would have to be a short visit. Brianna sat down in the booth and offered a haggard smile.
“Hey buddy, is everything okay?”
Brianna’s head swam with how to answer that question.
“Is River, okay?” Mel added. That question brought Brianna out of her existential crisis.
“River’s fine. All things considered.”
“Okay. Your message made it sound as though something serious was going on.”
“I think I might be developing feelings for River.” Brianna blurted the words out before she had a chance to overthink them.
“Let’s analyze that for a moment. When did these feelings start showing up?”
“Today, mostly. Since I picked River up from the hospital. But she has a girlfriend, and plus we’re really good friends. I don’t want to ruin how great things are between us.”
Mel laughed but quickly covered her mouth with her hand.
“I apologize. I just don’t think you should worry about this.”
“What do you mean? This could be a disaster.”
“Not if you keep it to yourself. Listen, your friend was in a pretty scary accident. It’s normal for you to be dealing with complex emotions. You’re trying to reason out how it would have felt if you had lost River, while being glad that she’s still here. It’s a lot to ask your brain to scroll through. And the easiest explanation for your brain is that you’ve developed feelings for River. But I think you just had a moment to realize how grateful you are for River. Give yourself a couple weeks and see if the feelings dissipate.”
Brianna nodded her head. Everything that Mel said made sense. There was a gentle ring as more people stepped inside.
“I need to get back to work. Do you feel a little better?” Mel asked.
“I do.”
Brianna watched as Mel began helping customers. Give it a couple weeks. She could do this. How hard could it be to not fall for River before then?