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Without hesitation, I removed my shirt – ignoring the fact Reese was in the room – allowing Brent to remove the hideous charcoal handprints from my chest. When he removed his hands, his face looked tortured.
“What, what’s the matter?” I asked worriedly.
Brent choked out his answer. “I’m fine. I just felt all of it, Claire. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”
His eyes glassed over, threatening to spill tears. He set his jaw firm, holding them back.
/> I took his hands in mine. “Don’t, please don’t cry. I’m okay because you were there.”
“Dammit, Claire. I should have protected you,” Brent revealed. “Nobody is ever going to hurt you again,” he promised, holding my gaze, his life taking on a whole new purpose. Not just to protect The Locket, but to protect me as the woman eternally sealed to him. “If anything happens to you, it will kill me.”
My heart swelled.
“I know, but we’ll be okay. We’re going to do this, together. That’s how it’s supposed to be now,” I reassured him as he removed the last of the markings and put my shirt back on. Watching him dress me stirred a feeling of security inside of me.
“What the hell is going on, Brent?” Reese interrupted the intimacy. “How did you do that?”
Brent responded. “I’m not exactly sure how it happened or why, but I’m positive that I’m her Paramour.”
“That can’t be, Brent. You know that. It’s impossible,” Reese barked, looking between both Brent and I, waiting for clarification.
“I know Reese, but I saw it with my own eyes in Claire’s vision and it’s true.”
Reese looked defeated and I had no clue how to help him.
“So what I am supposed to do now? Sit here without a purpose and be completely useless? I’ve waited for this my entire life, and now it’s changed, just like that?” His voice cracked and I felt the sense of emptiness inside of him. He was left hallow and I was miserable knowing that it was my fault. There was nothing I could provide him with to fill the hole. Words were inadequate as my heart belonged to someone else. To Brent.
Interrupting them, I made a misguided attempt to defend myself. “No Reese, you are supposed to be here. I can feel it. I do need you here. I can’t see clearly why and I can’t explain it. I only know this will take the three of us and I want you to stay. Please,” I urged him, taking his hand in mine.
Reese pulled his hand away. Guilt clawed at me, as he hung his head.
“Claire, do you even know what you’re asking me and how hard this is? Everything I have ever thought, it’s all wrong,” he said, his grey eyes looking dull and tired.
“I know Reese, and I’m sorry, I really am, but stay, please?” I pleaded with him because I didn’t want him to leave. I knew it wasn’t because I was in love with him, but for reasons we would figure out together.
The lines around his eyes relaxed.
“Fine, I’ll stay because I need answers too. I want to have a normal life for once. The sooner we figure this out, the sooner that can happen,” he spelled out, asserting his feelings.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” I said excitedly, throwing my arms around his neck, hugging him in a brotherly manner.
Pulling my arms from his neck, he spoke straight-faced.
“Um, let’s not, okay?” His obvious discomfort made me sad. I hoped that we would be able to get past the awkwardness soon and be friends.
Reese smiled slyly at me. “Hey, I brought you something, a birthday present,” he announced, leaping to his feet and leaving the room.
What could he have possibly gotten me for a birthday present? Reese hardly knew me. I looked at Brent, who shrugged.
Brent helped me up and hugged me like he never wanted to let go and I didn’t want him to.
When Reese came back in the room, I couldn’t believe my eyes. “Oh my God, Reese, thank you so much. I can’t believe you did this for me,” I squealed, running to him and grabbing the guitar case from his hands. “How did you know?”
He boasted with boyish charm. “I heard you talking to Layken at lunch about how much you liked to play and I figured you’d be missing it,” he said sweetly, shifting nervously from one foot to the other.
He was right. I missed playing. It was something I often did as a coping mechanism. Not having it here the last couple of days had been hard for me.
Accepting responsibility for the choice I made, I felt a nudge of doubt, thinking how much thought he put into bringing this to me. He obviously wanted to make a good impression when he got here, going out of his way to remember my birthday and do something special for it. Had I made a mistake? Was my vision truthful or just a tool to mislead me? Focusing on how I felt in my heart, I shook off the doubt, confident Brent was the right choice. Reese was sweet, but I could never think of him as anything more than a friend – or a brother I never had.
