Reforget [h.s]

Three

Olivia Harding

My brother didn't say two words to me on the way across town to his apartment. As I sat in silence and stared out of the window aimlessly, I realized I had never seen nor entered his apartment before. He always kept it secret where he lived. I had been too busy with school anyway to even notice he was gone.

We pulled up to a house and Jake put the truck in park.

"I thought you said you lived in an apartment?" I turned to face him with a confused look on my face.

"I say a lot of things, Olivia. All of them are to protect you," he replied and looked at me hard. I scrunched my eyebrows at his dramatic choice of words. "Come on, let's go inside."

Jake opened the door and stepped out.

"No," I said blankly.

Jake took a deep breath and walked around to my door to open it.

"Don't do this right now, Olivia. Get out of the truck," Jake pleaded with me angrily. He went to grab my arm and I snatched it out of his grip, feeling my anxiety begin to overwhelm me.

"Jake, tell me what that was about. Uncle James is dead." I could feel the familiar sting in the corner of my eyes. Tears welled up as I stared into his pretty blue eyes.

"Olivia, please."

I buried my face into my palms and wept silently. I couldn't fathom it. My uncle was gone. It was just me and Jake now. He was the only person left. The only one left to protect me from whatever those men wanted me for. I felt his hand gently rub my back. He unbuckled my seatbelt and lifted me out of the truck. I slammed my head against his chest out of anger just letting it rest there and kept my hands over my face.

I hated crying. I was an ugly crier.

Jake was the only one who ever saw me cry though. I hadn't cried since the day that my parents died. As unrealistic as that sounds, it was true. I cried enough for a lifetime that night.

Jake placed me down on the couch and gave me a blanket. I cuddled into the couch and buried my face into the blanket.

"He was all we had left," I sobbed.

I felt the couch move beside me letting me know Jake had sat close to me, then feeling his arms wrap around me.

"I know. I know," he cooed and silenced me with a long, tight hug.

I woke up later to the front door opening and shutting silently. The house was quiet until it opened again, but never shut.

"Don't you dare wake her up. It took forever to get her to sleep. So just bring those in and put them in the back room as quietly as possible," my brother whispered.

"Okay, dude," a voice much like Harry's answered.

I kept my eyes closed and tried to focus on sleep. Tonight had been a hell of a night. Maybe I would wake up in the morning and it would all be a dream. Man, I hoped it would.

Throughout the night, I heard faint footsteps walking back and forth from the front door and then to the back of the house. Once they finally stopped, Jake started talking. I tried my best to listen. I still was completely unaware of what was happening. I needed answers and faking sleep to eavesdrop on my brother seemed like the best way to get them.

I slightly opened my eyes and saw two shadows standing in the kitchen. I closed them again and opened my ears.

"What are you going to tell her?" Harry asked in a serious tone, his British accent shining through.