By the time I pulled my attention back to the film, the credits were rolling up the screen, and Harvey was pulling away from me. I sighed in regret for not tuning in and cursed myself for paying too much attention to my unattainable stepbrother. Disappointment rolled through me that the film hadn't been a little longer.
Harvey excused himself and went to the bathroom, and I felt a light buzz beside me. I stared down and noticed his phone had escaped the tight confines of his pants and had slipped down the sofa cushions. The screen lit up in my hand as I pulled it free. An unfamiliar number and name appeared on the device, and I sat watching it for a moment.
I glanced towards the bathroom and waited for him to emerge. A minute later the ringing stopped and started back up again. I bit down on my bottom lip.
“Hello?” I said.
“Harvey?” A female voice asked. She sounded hot and impatient—a woman not to be messed with—and I wondered if she was his girlfriend, or perhaps a regular fuck-buddy.
“Sorry, he’s in the bathroom at the moment. Oh, hold on. He’s here.” Right in time, Harvey appeared, and I passed the phone to him. He smiled, took the phone from me and walked into the hallway. I perched on the edge of the sofa and waited patiently. I was desperate for us to recreate our little moment again—safe in his arms, watching movies and thinking of nothing else.
“Is something wrong?” A line marred my forehead when he ended the call and came back into the room.
“Sorry to cut our night short, but Sadie needs me.”
I need you, though.
Sadie, so that’s her name, I thought. Another twinge of disappointment gripped me. It was foolish to think I’d have him all to myself; he had his own life that didn’t revolve around me. I knew I shouldn’t be jealous of her and her relationship with my stepbrother, but every fibre of my being coloured itself green with envy.
He must be dating this Sadie, otherwise what could possibly be the reason? I scattered the thoughts away and told myself that it was none of my damn business. Harvey could fuck whomever he wanted, and I wasn’t entitled to pry into his business or feel jealous.
“I gotta run and see what she needs. I’ll check up on you later, OK?” he said and bent down to kiss my cheek. Surprised at his movements, I sat rigid, my eyes closing softly as his lips caressed my face. I felt his warm breath, and then he was gone.
“Bye,” I whispered.
10
Sara
My life was falling to pieces as the weeks passed by. During those weeks I received three missed mortgage payment notices from the bank, one of them demanding full payment of my arrears within thirty days. Did they expect me to perform miracles or something? The money I was bringing in from the minimum wage café job was simply not enough, and dark days lurked in the corner as I became more and more stressed. Desperation crept into my life, suffocating me, and though I wanted to stand on my own two feet and shy away from the damsel-in-distress routine, I knew I had to swallow my pride and ask for help.
I chewed on my nails as I placed my phone against my ear, waiting for Harvey to pick up. I hoped that maybe he’d had some luck with the insurance investigation.
When I heard his voicemail on the other end, I ended the call and tried again. I speed-dialled his number, brought the mobile back to my ear and listened intently as it continued to ring. I tapped my foot against the carpeted floor, growing restless and troubled. I began to pace around the room.
The ringing stopped and went straight to his voicemail again. A sob slipped free from my lips. Why wasn’t he answering? A worst-case scenario formed in my head, but I shoved it aside, replacing my fear of Harvey’s unanswered calls with fear of the never-ending nightmare Eric had seen fit to leave me with.
“I’m never going to get past this,” I murmured into my hands, wracking my brain for anything I could do to get myself out of this mess. Eric was dead, and yet he was still tormenting me, and I was powerless to stop it. He was still dictating the course of my life.
It had to stop.
I worried my lips and gnawed down on the flesh, nipping at it as my anxiety increased.
First things first. I had to think logically. I needed a way to pay the mortgage before the bank took possession of the house and kicked me out of my own home, forcing me to live out in the streets, or worse, with my sister or mother.
A knock sounded on the back door. With a quick look in the hallway mirror, tidying away a couple loose strands of hair and wiping my tear-stained cheeks, I went to see who it was. But I knew there was only one person who ever came to the back door. Over six feet of muscle was revealed as I pulled open the door. Harvey stood before me, looking grim.