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She’dbeenthere.
Most of the day yesterday and for hours already today, even though I’d told her repeatedly I didn’t want her there. That I didn’t want to see anyone until I’d had a chance to talk to Harper.
“I know,”was all she’d said each time.
Scarlet.. .
She didn’t try talking to me. She didn’t try feeding me the same bullshit she had when I’d woken.
She just sat there, staring at nothing or reading or doing whatever she did on her laptop. Her silent presence grating on me simply because she was still there.
Still wearing the ring that wasn’t meant for her.
A near-constant reminder that my family was trying to hurt me for what I’d apparently done.
I rubbed a hand over my face, wincing when I roughed over the bruising and cuts without a thought. “There has to be somewhere else you can be,” I said irritably. “A job. School. Somewhere.”
“The doctor assured us this wouldn’t cause mood or personality changes, but you’ve never been this much of an asshole,” she muttered before her midnight eyes met mine. “And I do have a job. I’ve been rearranging or rescheduling so I could be here.”
“I don’t want you here,” I said on an aggravated laugh.
“I’m aware,” she said tightly.
“Then why are you?”
“Because if I was the one lying there, you would be sitting right here,” she said unquestionably.
“God,” I said on a groan, an irritated smile pulling at my mouth. “Don’t you think it’s gone on long enough?” When her eyebrows drew close in question, I gestured to her. “We don’t know each other. We aren’t engaged. This act was pointless two days ago. It’s fucking old now.”
Her jaw wavered but she just held my stare a little longer before looking at her laptop again.
And I fought back my aggravation as we fell into the same silence we’d been in the past two days. With her seeming to wait for something from me. With me waiting for her togo.
“I understand you’re unable to access the last two years,” she said a handful of minutes later, voice soft and shaky and drawing my attention back to her. “I’mtryingto understand that the same injury that took away your memories of us gave you memories of a life with someone else. But the thing is that you don’t need to be able to access those memories to know that I’m not someact. That I’m not someprankto make you miserable.” She hurried to brush away the tears that quickly formed and raced down her cheeks. “You already have the proof you need.”
Something about the ache in Scarlet’s voice pulled at me. Made my fingers twitch, almost as if I’d been about to reach out toward her.
But I curled them into a fist. Ignored the stinging in my chest. Played it off as a result of making a woman cry. Of being such an asshole to her, as she’d said. It wasn’t her fault my family had roped her into this.
Then again, she’d agreed to it.
Before I could think to respond to her, the door opened, and a breath rushed from my lungs on a pained wheeze. “Harper.”
She paused in the doorway, hesitation warring on her face as she glanced between Scarlet and me, before continuing inside—
With Brandon right behind her.
Jesus Christ.
“What, are you guarding her now?” The question ripped from me on a growl and had Brandon’s eyebrows lifting.
“Chase, this is awkward as hell,” he began, voice edged with warning, even though he sounded like he was trying to be placating, “but I’m here for you just as much as I’m here for her.”
“And I asked him to come with me,” Harper added as she came to a stop at the foot of the bed I was propped up in. “Why do you need to talk to me before you’ll talk to Mom and Dad?” she asked, using the affectionate name she’d always used for my parents.
“Because you’re who I need to see—to talk to. You’re who I need to figure shit out with.” I tossed my hand in Scarlet’s direction as she put her laptop away. “And all anyone’s doing is lying to me to give me shit for what happened.”
Two lines formed between Harper’s eyebrows as she studied Scarlet. “And what do you think happened?” she asked before meeting my stare again.
