Mysterious

Chapter 68

"Bruno...I'm not doing that. I'm just not." she said sliding out of the seat from the other side taking both their plates. "I don't like people knowing about me, Bruno. I don't want to anyone to find out it happened. The whole being a spokesperson for the earthquake really showed me that I can't do it. I just can't. I'm not a role model. I'm just not. I'm just a normal person. And you don't realize that. There's nothing extraordinary about me. I will never be the super hero girls are looking for. I'm just one of the however many girls in the world that have gone through this. That's it." she said walking the dishes to the dishwasher.

"Arissssssaaaa...." he continued calling her name until he ended up right next to her.

"You are extraordinary....There is nothing ordinary about you. Not a single thing. Arissa. I just want you to be okay. I know you're hurting. And I tell you every single day that it breaks my heart to see you like that. I want you happy. And until you're happy, I won't be happy."

"Don't make me out to be a bad person because I won't take him to court, Bruno. Please."

"I'm not, Rissa...I'm not."

"It sounds like you are." she told him bluntly.

"That's not what I'm trying to do to you, Arissa. You were never the bad guy. You were always the good guy. You always will be. And I don't think you know that...." he said taking her hands holding them up to kiss them. He saw a tear come down her cheek.

"Bruno, you make me all tingly." she smiled watching his fingers come up to wipe the tears away from her cheek.

"Don't cry, babe. Don't cry." he told her.

"I just want it to go away, Bruno. It just never goes away. "

**

Arissa walked toward the big historic building surrounded by others near the court house. Bruno walked behind her inconspicuously not being noticed by any of the lawyers, workers or jury members hustling to get to court by 8am.

"Bruno..." Arissa called him.

"I'm right here, babe." he said taking the hand she held out.

"There it is...Jenna Evans, J.D." Arissa read out loud. After their exchange the day after they came home from their trip she decided that he was right. It's not going to get any better if I don't just do it. I have to. Bruno had somehow found out the days Robert wasn't at the airport ensuring no other run-ins in Los Angeles when they flew back to her hometown. She had called one of her classmates that had run off to law school after graduation. She had several friends that had gone that route, but Jenna had somehow found her way to partnership in a small three person firm.

Bruno opened the heavy door for Arissa leading her into the office.

"Arissa?" she heard a voice from the side.

"Jenna! Oh my gosh!" Arissa said giving her a hug.

"You look so hot!" Jenna exclaimed as she hadn't seen Arissa in 4 years.

"Yeah. I try.." she said.

"And who is this?" Jenna asked eyeing Bruno."

"Nice to meet you, Jenna. I'm Bruno." he smiled at her making Jenna obviously weak in the knees.

"Yeah. He'll do that to you." Arissa smiled.

"Alright...let's go talk about why you're here..." Jenna said leading them into a large conference room closing the door behind them. Jenna began asking her routine questions with a tape recorder near her.

"He's usually the one being taped..." Arissa said as she clicked on the record button.

"Sorry, hun. You know the deal." Jenna said.

"Okay, now tell me about the night when all this happened."

"Which time?" Arissa asked.

"The first time, and then we can talk about the others." Jenna answered. Bruno looked at Arissa slightly caught off guard by the last part of their exchange.

"The first time was on our third date...."

"And where was that at?" Jenna asked.

"We went to Kona. And after that he said he wanted to spend more time with me, just to get to know me...I didn't think that was a bad idea...until he took me to the greenway at 9 at night. And he started kissing me. I was okay with that...but then he got uber handsy. Like he touch my butt and tried to get into my shirt...my shirt was kind of big..but still. He had to try. He kissed me all over...and I kissed him back...and then he undid my pants. I didn't stop him...but then he started taking off his shirt and I was like 'no...not yet...no...' he kept pushing...and pushing.." Bruno sat there in awe. This wasn't the story she had told him before. "And he knew..he knew I...I was a virgin. He knew it. But he kept saying that 'life isn't a romance movie...' while he kept touching me. I figured he was probably right...for a few seconds. Then I told him to stop..I didn't know him. That's not what it was about for me...but he didn't listen. He just kept going,...I kept saying no...but he didn't stop. And then when he took me home...he texted me saying how great it was...how great the night was. How he wanted to do it again. I just put it away as a shitty way to lose my virginity...I wouldn't be the first nor would I be the last for it to happen to." Arissa continued telling Jenna about all the times it happened. Bruno listened to her go on about he touched her when she didn't want to be touched, when he verbally abused her for not wanting to be touched, how he hurt her almost every single time he did touch her, how she put everything in the back of her head letting him take advantage of her. She recalled only two times when she enjoyed their time together. When she finished her statement she turned around to say something to Bruno. "I'm sorry."

"Arissa...don't be sorry." he said to her quietly. Jenna got up from her seat.

"I'll be right back. Did you want some coffee?"

"Oh please.." Arissa answered not taking her eyes off of Bruno.

"Bruno...I just couldn't tell you. I told Rachel the last time I was home and we talked about it....she said it would take me time to be able to talk about the whole thing... that I would have to do it on my own time. She said it was okay...I talk to her all the time...I talked to her the day we got back from the Seychelles. She told me the same thing you told me. When you told me I had to do this, that's when I decided I had to...I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

"Arissa Hernandez..." Bruno said touching her hand.

"You are the strongest person I have ever met in my life." he told her quietly wiping a small tear from her cheek.