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"Will you stay?"
"I feel like this is my second chance, and I needed to let go of the past in order to have it."
"I think so, too. A second chance for all of us." He pulled me closer and kissed the top of my head.
It felt nice to be wanted, especially after hearing I was left for dead. Sitting here on the beach with Brandt just felt right. He never judged me. He never questioned me. He just accepted me. Broken and all.
"Can I ask you something?" He was cautious.
"Of course."
"What was the memory of?" My eyes widened and my chest tightened. "You don't have to tell me, but I'd like to know, if you're okay sharing."
I started twirling my finger around my hair again. "It was when you were kissing me. I remembered someone." I looked at him with my big blue eyes, asking him silently if he wanted me to tell him more. He didn't say anything, so I continued, "It was a man. I was kissing him, and I could feel that I loved him." I tore my eyes away from him, feeling guilty. I didn't want to hurt him, but most of all, I didn't want to lose him.
"I see. It's okay, you know? I understand helping you find out who you are might not fare well for me, but I'm not doing this for me. I'm doing this for you. Even if it means I will be handing you over to someone else in the end."
My eyes went back to him. His kindness was unwavering and possibly undeserving. "Thank you," was all I could say.
He moved in close, putting his face only inches from mine, and took my chin carefully in his hand, forcing me to look at him. "No matter what," he whispered and then kissed me gently on the forehead.
Every time he touched me, I wanted to pretend he was that man. That he was my past and future. And while my body was saying to let him kiss me, to claim my heart as his, I couldn't.
He put a little space between us. "I think we should start looking into your past tomorrow. We can start on the internet. Maybe we'll figure out something there."
"Okay," I agreed.
After we were done eating, we gathered everything into a pile for the staff to pick up, and Brandt threw sand onto the fire to extinguish it, and drove me home. It was hard not inviting him in after everything we shared, and when I said goodbye and closed the door, I pounded my head on it lightly, wishing I had.
"Head pounding can cause head trauma." I heard from behind me, startling me.
"Grady, what the hell?" I clutched my chest. “You scared me.”
"Sorry, Freckles. I didn't mean to. Brandt called me from the restaurant and asked if I would stay with you tonight."
Brandt was afraid for me. Did he think I would try to kill myself again? "Did he really ask you to babysit me?"
"Last time I looked, you seemed well over the age of thirteen." He walked over to me. "Look, he told me what happened today, and he didn't want you to be alone. And apparently, he didn't think he was capable of being alone with you all night without tearing your clothes off, so voilà. I'm here."
I started laughing. "Did he really say that?"
"Actually, yes, but you better not tell him I told you that."
"Pinky swear," I said with my pinky out.
He grabbed my pinky in his. "Pinky swear. Now, let's get me a drink," he said as he headed toward the kitchen.
"Oh, so you're that brother." I followed him into the kitchen.
"Yep, but none for you this time." He pulled a bottle of vodka out of a paper bag.
"Wow, okay, so you're going for drunk."
"No, you don't understand. Vodka is the one alcohol you can drink a lot of and not get sick like you did with wine, little missy."
"Okay, since apparently you're not letting me drink, I'll take your word for it."
He poured himself straight vodka. I had a feeling he wasn't supposed to be drinking after the exchange he and Brandt had at the restaurant, but it wasn't any of my business until one of them made it my business.
