As I sip the last of my coffee, the chills seem to subside. I mentally start building what-if scenarios. I start thinking about what path all of our lives would have taken if I had stayed that night and talked to River. Would he have brought Bell home if he didn't have to look for me? Would Bell have met up with Ben and would they be raising a child together? Would I have broken up with Ben and chosen River? Would Ben have not taken the L.A. Times job and gone to grad school instead? He took that job so he could buy us a house. If he never worked for The L.A. Times, would he have taken on that story? Without that story he never would have had to die. Would we all have had our happily ever after's?
My head is spinning, so I lie down on the bed and pull the comforter up, thinking I will just lie down for an hour and then . . . Exhaustion takes hold and my mind finally finds peace as I fade away into sleep.
Chapter 23
The Change
Ben's Journal
Today wasn't just another shitty day in a long list of shitty days; it was probably the shittiest day yet. I spent hours on the phone yesterday trying to secure a place for Trent in a facility. One finally called back last night, but I needed to check it out before sending him there. I could have called Caleb to come over and stay with Trent, but I really needed to see her again so I called Dahl. That was my first mistake of the whole fucking day.
When she got to the house in record time, of course I thought she really wanted to see me. Maybe she'd thought about yesterday and decided she missed me like I missed her. I was so sure spending time together would evoke those feelings. Fuck was I wrong. She not only rejected me but when I tried to pull her to me like I used to, she acted like I repulsed her.
For some reason I couldn't let her see that she got to me. Why? I wanted to explain my feelings, but, fuck, I've never been able to do that and even when it probably mattered the most I still couldn't. So instead I hightailed it out the door. When I got back she seemed even sadder than when she got here. I tried to talk to her, to comfort her, but she squashed my attempts once again. I'm seriously starting to wonder what kind of hold this guy has over her because when she left today, I got the feeling she wasn't coming back.
The day didn't get any fucking better when my sister showed up a few minutes later. She talked to her dirtbag ex-husband and he told her Trent was here. I had to explain everything to her but I wasn't in the right headspace to deal with her shit. She did agree to send Trent to rehab tomorrow. She stormed out pissed and said she'd be back to stay the night. She wanted to tell Mom in person.
Then as if the day wasn't already bad enough, the phone call came. The one I knew would come eventually after seeing S'belle at Dahlia's house. I hoped Dahl wouldn't find out. I tried to tell her yesterday to soften the blow, but just couldn't do it. Of course the college chick had to be the dick's sister. They look so much alike, no wonder I felt like I knew him. Fuck me.
That call ended any chance I had to get my Dahl back and now I'm left here wondering why the fuck I ever came back.
Chapter 24
Beneath Your Beautiful
I wake up and look at the clock; it's 5:45 a.m. Shit, I've been asleep for more than twelve hours. For the first time in my life, I don't like being in the dark. I quickly get up and open the curtains, letting the faint light of dawn into my room. I turn the fireplace back on and get under the thick mass of blankets, once again feeling chilled to the bone. I grab the hotel phone and decide I should at least tell Aerie where I am. But when she doesn't answer, I leave her a message. I don't call River-we need to talk in person.
Blasting the radio of the hotel alarm clock, I lie there and just listen to whatever songs come on. Music tells so many stories. It's a world within itself. It calms me. Speaks to me. Gives me the guidance I sometimes need. So as I listen to "Clarity," I close my eyes and think about everything again. I think about it as a story that accompanies the words to the song. And when I do this, really listen and visualize myself as part of the song, everything seems clearer than it did yesterday. Taking a series of deep breaths, I feel a little better.
I doze off, and when I wake up again it's 7:15 a.m. I actually fell asleep with the light coming in the room. I've never done that before. "Broken" is playing when I wake up again and I say out loud, "I'm not broken." Because I'm not. I know I'm not. What Ben did is unforgivable but he hasn't been my future for a long time. I can't let his infidelity change what's right in front of me.