later?”
He grinned, “Very funny.”
He had taken to staying at her house so often he was starting to leave things behind. Last week he had left behind a spare set of scrubs; this week he had left three new sets of underwear. She liked that he obviously loved to be with her so much because she felt exactly the same way and she would have hated to think it was one-sided. Sometimes he came straight from work, so she had just given him a key. He had gotten the story of Darren and Deb out of her and he had been so angry on her behalf that she had actually felt a bit better. Sherina pinched herself sometimes; she couldn’t believe she was so happy. She had been keeping Andre at arm’s length since the last time they went to dinner and the Frenchman had grown even more persistent in his efforts, pressing gifts of flower and jewellery on her.
With one last lingering kiss, she turned and walked out the door, pretending she didn’t notice the way his eyes scanned her legs as she left. Her small secretive smile played across her lips all the way home.
It died though when she walked up to her apartment and saw the unexpected visitor who was hunched up and waiting for her on the floor in front of her door with a gash on her forehead, bruised lips and a seriously black eye... the visitor was Deb.
“What the hell?” she blurted.
“Please. Please just hear me out. I’m sorry okay? Please Sher,” Deb pleaded, rising from her sitting position on the floor to hold out beseeching hands to her former friend.
Sherina’s heart squeezed in her chest at the name; only Deb called her Sher. She remembered the last time she had seen her best friend standing half-naked beside Sherina’s fiancé just seven days to their wedding. She waited to feel the familiar burn of hot, almost violent anger, but all she felt was pity. Sherina paused in disbelief, examining her feelings anew as she waited for the familiar fiery pit in her stomach. All she felt was relief that Deb had taken Darren off her hands.
Her eyes returned to the other woman’s; Deb was hurting. She had wounds so severe that Sherina didn’t even want to think about how she had gotten them.
“You’re hurt. Come on in. You should go to the hospital though; get checked out.”
“No hospitals thanks,” Deb said dully, too dully.
Sherina looked over at her; her eyes were completely faded. They were just as green as ever but there was no sparkle in them anymore; they were flat, cold and lifeless. Her hair was not red anymore, it was a dull, mousy brown and everything in Sherina revolted at this sight. She had spent the past few months hating Deb’s guts and damning her to perdition true; but even so she would never have wished this on her. This was something else; someone had beaten the crap out of Deb and taken her spirit with it.
Sherina guided her to a seat, fighting back tears as she watched Deb lower herself onto the seat gingerly as though every bone in her body ached.
“Would you like something to eat?”
Deb nodded.
Sherina handed her a plate of cookies and a glass of warm milk and watched as Deb ate the whole thing in a hurry.
Sherina ignored the screams of her subconscious and sank onto the seat beside Deb. “What happened to you?”
Deb paused in the art of eating, naked shame flashing across her features; and before she even said a word, Sherina knew exactly what she was going to say.
“It was Darren.”
Sherina’s heart froze in her chest and she looked over at her former best friend, her heart in her throat as she silently begged Deb to deny this new fact she had learned about Darren. The truth was in the other woman’s eyes though; in the naked pain and fear and shame. Sherina faced an unwelcome truth in that moment; in the months since she had left, somehow Deb had become a battered woman and Darren was responsible.
Sherina defied every last shred of common sense; she extended her arms to her friend and the other woman turned into them, crying
He grinned, “Very funny.”
He had taken to staying at her house so often he was starting to leave things behind. Last week he had left behind a spare set of scrubs; this week he had left three new sets of underwear. She liked that he obviously loved to be with her so much because she felt exactly the same way and she would have hated to think it was one-sided. Sometimes he came straight from work, so she had just given him a key. He had gotten the story of Darren and Deb out of her and he had been so angry on her behalf that she had actually felt a bit better. Sherina pinched herself sometimes; she couldn’t believe she was so happy. She had been keeping Andre at arm’s length since the last time they went to dinner and the Frenchman had grown even more persistent in his efforts, pressing gifts of flower and jewellery on her.
With one last lingering kiss, she turned and walked out the door, pretending she didn’t notice the way his eyes scanned her legs as she left. Her small secretive smile played across her lips all the way home.
It died though when she walked up to her apartment and saw the unexpected visitor who was hunched up and waiting for her on the floor in front of her door with a gash on her forehead, bruised lips and a seriously black eye... the visitor was Deb.
“What the hell?” she blurted.
“Please. Please just hear me out. I’m sorry okay? Please Sher,” Deb pleaded, rising from her sitting position on the floor to hold out beseeching hands to her former friend.
Sherina’s heart squeezed in her chest at the name; only Deb called her Sher. She remembered the last time she had seen her best friend standing half-naked beside Sherina’s fiancé just seven days to their wedding. She waited to feel the familiar burn of hot, almost violent anger, but all she felt was pity. Sherina paused in disbelief, examining her feelings anew as she waited for the familiar fiery pit in her stomach. All she felt was relief that Deb had taken Darren off her hands.
Her eyes returned to the other woman’s; Deb was hurting. She had wounds so severe that Sherina didn’t even want to think about how she had gotten them.
“You’re hurt. Come on in. You should go to the hospital though; get checked out.”
“No hospitals thanks,” Deb said dully, too dully.
Sherina looked over at her; her eyes were completely faded. They were just as green as ever but there was no sparkle in them anymore; they were flat, cold and lifeless. Her hair was not red anymore, it was a dull, mousy brown and everything in Sherina revolted at this sight. She had spent the past few months hating Deb’s guts and damning her to perdition true; but even so she would never have wished this on her. This was something else; someone had beaten the crap out of Deb and taken her spirit with it.
Sherina guided her to a seat, fighting back tears as she watched Deb lower herself onto the seat gingerly as though every bone in her body ached.
“Would you like something to eat?”
Deb nodded.
Sherina handed her a plate of cookies and a glass of warm milk and watched as Deb ate the whole thing in a hurry.
Sherina ignored the screams of her subconscious and sank onto the seat beside Deb. “What happened to you?”
Deb paused in the art of eating, naked shame flashing across her features; and before she even said a word, Sherina knew exactly what she was going to say.
“It was Darren.”
Sherina’s heart froze in her chest and she looked over at her former best friend, her heart in her throat as she silently begged Deb to deny this new fact she had learned about Darren. The truth was in the other woman’s eyes though; in the naked pain and fear and shame. Sherina faced an unwelcome truth in that moment; in the months since she had left, somehow Deb had become a battered woman and Darren was responsible.
Sherina defied every last shred of common sense; she extended her arms to her friend and the other woman turned into them, crying
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