Lovers of Yesterday

Chapter 13 • Chain

I sat curled up on the bed, staring at the texts Liam sent me. He hasn't sent anything else since last night. When I finally built up the courage to listen to the voice mails, I was equally stunned. I could clearing hear him slurring. He was spitting angry and I could hear things crashing in the background of all the voice mails.

I wanted to cry but I stopped myself. He just got really drunk and broke a few things. He'll clean it up and apologize. I know he will.

I made sure to delete all evidence that he tried to talk to me last night so I wouldn't worry Dria. What she doesn't know won't hurt her. I checked myself in the bathroom mirror to make sure I didn't look like a wreck before heading back out to the kitchen to fix my coffee. It'll only take her maybe twenty minutes to get to and from the café so it won't be long before she's back.

Once my coffee was fixed, I brought it out to the living room where I started folding blankets to put back in the closet. As I lifted a blanket, something silver fell out and dropped onto the couch. I hastily folded the blanket and draped it over the back of the couch so I could pick up the item.

It was a silver chain with a cross on it. The cross was engraved with a name- Miranda- and two sets of dates. It didn't take a genius to guess they were birth and death dates. I also took notice of the broken clasp which led me to believe something else might have fallen off.

I set the necklace on the coffee table and set to searching the couch to look for anything else. I refolded the blanket neatly and set it on the arm of the couch. I moved the pillows and checked in the pillow cases. I checked in between the cushions as well where I brushed against cold metal.

Taking hold of the small object, I pulled it out to examine it. It was a simple gold wedding band with an engraving on the inside- To my beautiful wife, who I will spend the rest of my life with. I stared at it a little longer before picking up the chain and slipping it on. I almost set it back down but I glanced at the broken clasp again and decided to find a small bag I could put it in.

Heading to the kitchen, I sifted through drawers until I found a little snack bag I could put it in. After making sure the bag was sealed tight, I tucked it in my jeans pocket. I'll need to go to a jeweler to get it fixed. Maybe that's something we can do today.

I picked up to pile of folded blankets that I abandoned and brought them over to the closet to stuff them in. Once they were in neatly, I closed the door just as the front door opened. Dria crossed the threshold, shutting the door behind her.

She took a second to set her keys and wallet down on the little table she keeps by the door before turning and addressing me.

"So what do we want to do today? We could go to the mall 'cause they have almost everything there," she offered.

I nodded, "That sounds nice. Um, do you think they would have a jewelry store there?"

"I think so. Why would you need a jewelry store?"

I pulled out the small bag that held the broken chain, "I believe this is Lynch's. I found it when I was folding the blankets but the clasp is broken so I was wondering if we could drop it off to get it fixed."

"Of course, we can do that first. He was talking about missing something when we got to the café but he couldn't come back to find it."

"Ok, should I change or will this be fine?"

She studied my outfit for a minute, then her eyes glittered. Without a word, she grabbed my hand and dragged me back to her room. She pointed to her bed while making a beeline for her closet. I gradually sat down, watching her as she dug through her clothes. As she stood up, accomplished, I noticed a black bag in her hands and it clicked. She wanted me to wear something she bought a couple days ago.

I kept my mouth shut as she dropped the bag next to me and started digging through it. She pulled out a few items and snatched the bag up to return it to the closet. I slouched, watching her glance between the outfit on the bed and another bag she was kneeling in front of. When she stood up, she had a pair of heels in her hands.

She set them on the floor next to my feet and rested her fists on her hips. When I didn't move to do what she silently asked, her hands dropped and she huffed.

"It'll be fine, Ry. If Liam somehow manages to find out that you kept the clothes, blame me. I'll take the hit but you need to get your confidence back. Put that on then meet me out in the living room," she bent and gave me a quick hug, disappearing out of the room a second later.

I stared at the door and then the pile of clothes, finally deciding to comply with Dria's demand. She probably wouldn't let me out of the apartment until I change. Quickly slipping out of my current clothes, I pulled on the shorts first and then attempted to pull the shirt on. I struggled only slightly, slowly figuring out how the cross halter top fit over my head.

I didn't need to wear a bra with the top and self consciousness flooded my system. I made sure my phone was in my back pocket and the heels were secure on my feet before I curled my arms over my chest and stepped out of the room. I could hear the faint noise of something Dria was watching, probably on her phone.

I hesitated when I rounded the corner of the short hallway because I was expecting her to be sitting facing away from me, not standing and facing me. She looked up when she heard me and her eyes went wide. She stared at me for what felt like an eternity. Those few long seconds made me second guess myself and what I was wearing. Before I could turn back to go change, she was on me in a flash. She shrieked and started bouncing on her toes.

"You look so fucking sexy, Ryder! Oh, we definitely have to stop by the coffeeshop. Everyone needs to see how good you look!" I opened my mouth to objext but she was already whipping out her phone and texting someone.

"Dria, I can't go to the café like this. What if I happen to be lucky enough to run into Liam? He'll be seriously angry that I lied and went behind his back. Plus, this is the old me that had no responsibilities, I need to stay on the conservative side," I tried to reason.

She raised her eyebrows, her face impassive, "First step to becoming your own person: forget what everyone wants you to be."

I opened my mouth but I couldn't form even a sentence, "I..."

"Do you see what I mean?" She moved closer and pulled me into her arms, "You need to stop letting him control you. Let's go to the coffeeshop. We don't have to stay, we just have to be there long enough to say hey to Bridget."

I slowly warmed up to the idea, "Ok."