Burning Bridges (Part I)

Chapter 10

We drive towards my office first, and listen to some music in the car. We are both in such a good mood and he starts singing along to one of the songs on the radio. I realize how great his voice is, and that I have never heard him sing live before. I look directly at him and see he is in his own bubble singing and taping his fingers on the steering wheel. Seeing him like this, carefree, makes me happy and I smile.

"You're staring" he says and looks at me from the corner of his eye."

"I would think you're used to it by now." I joke.

He laughs as he turns the car towards the entrance of the garage. We stop at the security booth and I roll down my window. I get out my work ID and I hand it to the security guard on shift.

"Hello sir, I am here to pick up my car. I left it here earlier." I say to the security.

He scans my ID number with a remote scanner and then hands it back to me.

"Of course miss Hoffman. Go right ahead." he says and lets us through.

We drive down to my parking space and when we arrive a surprise hits me like a wave of ice cold water. My car, it's vandalized. There are insults spray painted, in red no less, all over: "Slut", "Bitch", "Whore". Tears come to my eyes.

"What the hell?!" yells out Shawn as he comes to a screeching halt in front of my car.

"We are going to the police, now! And how the fuck can security be so useless?!" he yells and hits the gas.

He turns toward me and sees me with my hand covering my mouth and struggling not to cry. He stops at the security guards booth, jumps out of the car and pushes his door in. The security guard jumps from his seat in surprise.

"By the look on your stupid face I'm guessing you have no idea what's been going on underneath your nose!" yells Shawn at the security guard.

"How can you be so useless at your job, sitting in front of monitors all day, and not see what someone's done to her car?!?" he continues louder.

"I....the cameras are down today... what? What happened?" stammers the security guard.

-"Go see for yourself idiot!" says Shawn and jumps back in the car.

He slams the door as I am too out of it to react or say anything, and he drives off.

"We're going to your apartment and you are packing a bag. You're staying with me for a while, and I don't want to hear anything about it. I'll call the police to my house to get your statement. I don't want this getting out." he says angrily.

I say nothing and just stare forward into space. I don't realize we are in front of my apartment building until Shawn turns the engine off. He gets out of the car, opens my door and pulls me out by my hand. He puts an arm around me and leads me inside. In a moment we are in front of my door as I fumble with the keys trying to open it. He takes the keys from me and opens the door. I go in and stop in the hallway petrified.

"Come on." he nudges me gently.

"Get your things. I need to call Andrew." he says as he puts a hand on my cheek.

I go to the bedroom and move like a robot. I put some clothes and underwear in a bag, then grab another bag and throw toiletries in. I hear Shawn on the phone in the other room talking then yelling, but I understand nothing he says. I sit on the bed and try to figure out who would do this.

Is it Sam? It can't be him, that would be crazy. Is it a crazy fan? But how would they get in the building? As I try to make sense of this, I hear Shawn come in the bedroom and kneel in front of me. He looks me in the eyes and takes my hands in his.