Tammi Lyn [DISCONTINUED]

xv

I honestly didn't expect this book to reach almost 600+ reads but I am grateful all the same for readers that took an interest in this. I'm still thinking up on how to move this story along, so sorry if updates take too longg. Anywayz, enjoy!

The room was warm, the curtains pushed aside to allow sunlight to pass through. Due to the penetrating light the sun offered, it was easy to see the floor was a little dusty and needed some polishing but no matter. A cabinet leaned on the far wall, its drawers broken and empty. Boxes of different sizes littered the floor, some open and some closed. There were antiques here and there, a layer of dust covering them that almost made them unrecognizable. The door was shut, locked to avoid any intruders.

We were in the "sort-of" attic which was on the third floor, seeing as there was no other room in the house that could give us the privacy we needed.

I rested my shoulder on the wall, arms crossed, gaze steady on the hunched figure a few feet across me, seated on a chair, fists in her lap.

"How are you?" I asked, my voice steady and not betraying any emotion that was whirling inside me. It was hard to keep a straight face and just throw a punch at whoever maniac decided it was a good idea to hurt a girl, but my locked arms and cautious stance made me halt and focus at the matter at hand, which is find out the gist of what's happening with Tammi.

A tired sigh escaped me as I dragged a hand over my face, wanting to know the details but not wanting to push Tammi away like what I unintentionally did the last time.

"That psychopath finally cracked," said a voice, and I looked up to see Tammi abandon her ladylike posture and take on a more rogue and improper one, leaning one of her arms on the back of the chair and placing one ankle on the other knee.

My brows furrowed in confusion at the sudden change of attitude, but then I realized Gerry overtook her.

"What do you mean?" I asked, relaxing my arms.

Gerry rolled his eyes in annoyance, taking off the glasses to rest it on top of his head. He hummed but answered anyway.

"Threw a fucking frying pan on my girl's face. Who wouldn't be mad at that?"

My eyebrows jumped and my eyes widened in surprise.

"Who threw a frying pan?" I questioned immediately, panic rising in me and lodging my throat.

Gerry must have sensed this change since he was quick to add, "Calm down, lover boy. I clearly took care of it."

It was my turn to roll my eyes. This guy could be so reckless at most times I couldn't help but worry over Tammi.

"Personally, I don't think you handling the situation was a good idea."

Gerry just gave me the middle finger and stuck his tongue out at me mockingly. I rose a brow at his behavior but decided to keep my lips sealed lest he throw something at me.

"Gerry you haven't answered my question," I reminded him, pushing myself off the wall to look at him better. My eyes stayed on him, looking for any sign of hesitation or deflection of the topic. He couldn't or wouldn't meet my eye, so I spoke again. "Who threw a frying pan at her?"

Gerry scratched the back of his head and growled, "What's it to you, Ross? Last I checked, you and Tammi weren't married."

I was taken by surprise at his statement that I gaped and turned red almost immediately. This seemed to satisfy the other, as he was wearing a smirk that did not look good on Tammi's lips. I shot him an annoyed look and focused on trying to push the redness on my face way down. That was uncalled for, and I'm sure Gerry knew that.

"Don't dodge the question, Gerry," I told him exasperatedly. "I just wanna help."

"Yeah well tell me what's the deal between you and Tammi," he demanded. "Maybe then I'll think about answering you."

I frowned.

"That's not a good deal."

Then he paused, and I saw how another took over. She adjusted her posture and shot a bright smile at me, which was enough for me to identify her as Sarah.

"Sorry 'bout that crazy hothead," she said, and smiled apologetically. "He's obnoxious and overzealous and trust me, it irks the others too. We haven't been in the best of situations, as you can see, so keeping his temper is like asking the rain to stop for a week."

She rolled her eyes then, and flipped her hair over her shoulder.

"What happened exactly?" I asked again, fearing for the worst. "And - and Gerry said someone threw a frying pan at her?"

I was honestly close to losing it if even Sarah refuses to tell me what exactly was going on. I know I may seem clingy or pushy and on the verge of insanity but it seemed like over the years I've grown protective of Tammi. I'm not sure myself if 'protective' was the right word to describe this feeling I have for her but I just know in my gut that I have to do everything in my power to make sure she's alright.

"Denver," she said slowly, as if addressing a small child, "you have to listen carefully and I don't want anyone but you to know what's really going on."

I sighed in exasperation, growing restless at how they refused to tell me a single thing.

"Sarah, you know you have to tell me. And for the record, I don't approve of you keeping things to yourself. What if someone else should be involved?"

She scoffed and rolled her eyes, completely brushing the suggestion away.

"Oh trust me sweets, you can't even begin to comprehend what's happening."

Her tone was somewhat condescending that I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to keep my impatience in check. How could they be so good at keeping their lips sealed?

But before I could even continue to question Sarah, I felt rather than heard another transformation, and when I looked Tammi was sitting there quietly, almost as if nothing had transpired and we were just talking.

She refused to meet my gaze though, eyes trained on the dusty floor with her hands clasped on her lap. Her feet was back on the floor, knees touching together. She looked small even from where I stood, and her silence was slightly worrying me. Her hair served as a veil from her eyes, so I couldn't see her expression. Her bottom lip quivered though, and I prepared for the onslaught of tears that were bound to come.

I waited with bated breath but silence was the only thing that remained.

So I cleared my throat and said her name.

"Tammi?" When she didn't respond I added, "You okay?"

She raised her head, and I was met with a blank and almost haunted stare that was enough to make me shiver. Her lips pulled up in a smile, but even the blind could tell that there was no radiance or warmth from the gesture. It seemed almost empty, and I had no power to stop or even prevent that.

She looked back at the floor and said quietly, "Sorry for bothering you Denver. And thanks for letting me stay the night."

I only watched her as she made her way to the door, and had the mind to call out, "You know you're always welcome, right?"

Her back was to me, but I knew she smiled a little genuinely.

"I know. And that's why I like you."

That evening I laid in bed, thinking that I never gained any new information on what was really happening with Tammi. But I figured it didn't matter much since I was able to make her smile, albeit a little. Yeah, not that huge an accomplishment but one anyway.