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Chapter 8
It was not like Leah to get all worked up. But she had paced feverishly in front of Marianne. In moments like those, where someone paced, Marianne knew that there was little that anyone could do to stop them. That was why Marianne always chose to keep herself calm. Leah was like that as well, just not on that day.
It was all understandable. The situation had been unprecedented among the friends. Although they had always led their own lives, they had still kept a level of friendliness. There was a bonding there that could not be easily produced. One look at Michael’s face and it was as though that sturdy friendship had been broken. When two in the group fought, they all felt it. And how could Marianne remedy that? It wasn’t her battle, but she was in it in a sense.
“Your ankle,” Marianne finally said to Leah. “It cannot be well after your fall the other day. The pacing is probably not in your best interest Leah.”
Leah did not respond. Instead, she continued to pace the room as if it were her duty to do so. She had more rhythm than people about to duel.
And so, Marianne kept quiet for a while. She ran everything through her mind once more, trying to make sense of everything. Brian was not a bad man. He had just always been the more reserved of the group. He did not have an ill heart despite what he had done to Connor as a child. That was all in good fun.
Perhaps, all of it would fix itself. Could a long friendship end over one fight? Surely, if faces were damaged bonds were ruined. But did that have to be a means to an end? Is forgiveness off the table? If the tables had been turned, Brian might not have forgiven Michael. But Michael at times appeared more mature than Brian. So maybe, just maybe, the situation could repair itself.
Marianne had explained it all to Leah, but she kept her silence in place.
What could calm her down at the moment? What words and in what order? It wasn’t long before her measured steps began to make Marianne feel out of sorts. Irritable by association, it seemed. “Is there anything that I could say or do to get you to stop pacing? If not for your wounded ankle that you are ignoring, then for my sanity.”
“I am angered and frustrated,” Leah said. “This was not how it was all supposed to be.”
“I cannot agree more. I believe that we all had our visions for how our group would eventually split in the future. But that is not how life works. We are not fortune tellers. There is truly no way of telling what tomorrow will bring.”
Leah had reverted to her silent pacing. Her ears were closed. But Marianne still felt the desire to speak. “The way I envisioned it all, I would be with Brian, as crazy as that sounds. Harper would have been with Connor. He needs a woman who is strong-minded like her. And you would have been with Michael.”
Leah stopped pacing for a moment and lent Marianne an odd look. It was probably not the best time to run down potential futures when the present had been in such shambles.
“I am just trying to think positively. Do not forget, there is still a ball tomorrow night, everything can still change on a whim. You know how balls go. The atmosphere can be majestic at times. Grudges can be forgotten, and friendships mended.
It was then that Leah left with little to be said for the conversation. She had taken the situation to heart. That was just her way. She was the more sensitive one out of the bunch. Her positive disposition was her backbone. She thrived on it. So, when situations took a turn for the worse, sadness was an understatement for Leah.
Marianne stood up and went directly to the window from her chair, not wanting to break into a pace herself. She vowed to stay level-headed because it appeared that everyone else was doing quite the opposite. It boggled her mind as to how one fight could throw off their entire dynamic.
Outside the window, Marianne spotted a few children at play. They all wore grand smiles and chased after one another as if their lives depended on it. It reminded Marianne of how they all used to be. They had not a care in the world. There was no such thing as romance or life-changing fistfights. If someone was mad at the other, they were over it in a matter of minutes. If only life could have remained that way. Simplicity was great.
In came Connor who looked better than Leah but still looked more frazzled than his usual self. He tended to be just like his sister in dealing with situations except ever since his tree incident with Brian, he was better at hiding how he felt.
“Leah seemed rather distressed when she left.”
Marianne shrugged.
“Perhaps you should not meddle.”
It was like Marianne had heard the words, but they did not rest in her ears properly. What had she meddled in? All she had done was try to soothe Leah’s concerns. “I am not sure that I understand what you mean? I have not meddled in anything.”
“I know Leah best. And I think that she takes things rather hard when they are not according to her plan. That means that she needs to be left alone. Not berated with ideas.”
Marianne chose not to be bothered by Connor’s comments, understanding that he too, was probably agitated by the situation. It seemed that everyone spoke without thinking when there was conflict right around the corner. “Very well.” She grabbed her book from the table and took her leave without saying anything else to Connor.
Once she was gone, that had been the first time where she felt that everything had been falling apart at the seams. Everyone that she tried to speak with had their complicated perspective on the matter. Marianne was the only one trying to remain unaffected. It didn’t matter, though. She made her way home.
For whatever reason, she thought about Brian. Perhaps it was because he had been the one that she had always seen herself one day with. She enjoyed his ability to shut off his emotions when he needed to. It was a strong sign of strength in her eyes. Emotions could sometimes be the deciding factor in the outcome of a situation. She likened it to being a king. A King could not rule if he was emotional.
But Brian, even though he always remained stressed around Harper, there was something there. The both of them had an essence between them that Marianne could not explain. They may have seemed like they hated each other, but underneath, the feelings were complex. They may have not even realised it. It was like Harper knew the man she was dealing with, and Brian knew the man that he was and always would be. And they both hated that.
And then, Marianne thought about the incident with Michael. Why was Brian so worked up over Michael taking Harper out if he was the one that set them up? It just did not make any sense. The only plausible explanation would be that Brian was jealous. But how was that fair? Brian was the man who kept his emotions away like they were prisoners, yet he expected Harper to remain unmarried. What it came down to was that Brian was deeply conflicted. Anyone could see that.
The leaves crinkled beneath Marianne’s feet as she walked, and she continued to find the situation fascinating. How could she not? It involved the people closest to her. She also couldn’t help but to try and find a solution. It was tearing everyone apart. If she could somehow find a remedy for it all, she would feel like some hero in a story.
She thought back to a rainy day in London five years prior. Everything about that day had appeared dreary when it happened, even in hindsight.
