the brave ones // h.s.

the talk

Four days pass since the moment that Eden told her roommate about the emails.

She'd done her best to swallow her misery and act normal, whereas Amenkha only seemed to be getting weirder by the day. While Eden was interviewing for jobs, taking care of the housework and the grocery shopping, and even taking time for herself for the first time in her life, Amenkha was barely around the house anymore. It was like she and Eden flipped personalities, and as much as Eden liked returning to a routine, it made her nervous that Amenkha was acting so aloof.

***

On the afternoon of her fifth day back in Florida, Eden returns home from the grocery store and the first thing she sees upon entering the apartment is Amenkha, her back to the front door as she hunches over something on the dining table.

"Hey, girl, I'm back," Eden calls, kicking the door shut behind her with her foot. "I have that protein stuff you asked for."

Amenkha whirls around, clearly caught off guard. A smile rises on Eden's face at her extreme surprise but it immediately falls when her eyes flicker past Amenkha's shoulder to land on the laptop behind her.

Eden's laptop, where she'd left it the previous night, open for the world to see. Or, at least Amenkha.

"What the hell?" Eden cries, dropping the groceries in her hands. She hastily crosses the room in a matter of seconds, brushing Amenkha out of her way and slamming her laptop shut. "You went on my computer?"

Amenkha stays quiet, her brown eyes carefully assessing Eden; but rather than seeing guilt on her face, Eden can sense that the intelligent gears behind Amenkha's brain are turning. Her eyes are narrowed, her telltale sign of deep concentration.

"Why would you do that?" Eden demands, her voice going shrill. The examining look in Amenkha's eyes and the lack of apology are only irritating her further.

"Why are you acting like you have something to hide?" Amenkha counters, her voice matching Eden's in vigor.

Thrown off by her response, Eden sputters for a cogent answer. "I-I don't, I'm not . . . i-it's my laptop! It's my privacy! You're the one who's been acting weird lately!"

Amenkha purses her lips as her head falls to one side, still observing Eden thoughtfully. "Eden, I know what happened with Harry really hurt you but-"

"Don't. He has nothing to do with this so just don't," Eden says firmly, rolling her eyes and turning away so Amenkha can't see the shameful look that passes her face. "I can't talk about him."

A beat passes before Amenkha sighs deeply in defeat. "I'm sorry, Eden. I shouldn't have looked through your computer. I know it was wrong, but . . . I dunno, you've been different since you came back. And after what you told me, I can't tell if it's a good thing or not. Your laptop was open and I saw the emails from him and I thought maybe they would give me answers."

Eden hangs her head, fighting back the tears that flood her eyes at the realization that Amenkha read the emails. Harry's private words, meant only for Eden's eyes, and she was too scared to even look at them. The beast in her chest wails, clawing at her ribcage for peace.

"You shouldn't have done that," Eden mumbles weakly. Why can't anyone respect her privacy?

You're weak. So weak for letting him still get to you as much as he is.

"I really think you should read them, Eden," Amenkha says softly. "There's a lot of things in there that . . . that you may not know. It might help you get past this."

Eden's lips part but no sound emerges. She merely shakes her head, trying to catch the breath suddenly slipping from her lungs. Faint footsteps sound as Amenkha approaches to place a warm hand on Eden's shoulder. "I hate seeing you like this."