Becca's Moments

Chapter TwentyNine

Becca

Two weeks flew by, and a lot changed. The nightmares had stopped, and my nights of sleep were peaceful again. All the telltale blemishes on my skin vanished, and I'd healed mentally, too. Not that I didn't get apprehensive from time to time, but deep in my heart, I knew Leon would never hurt me again.

My return to work was uneventful. The long shifts drained me quicker than normal, but it was nice to see my colleagues again. I missed Stacey; she lived in Manchester permanently now, but we caught up on the phone whenever we could.

Chris returned from God knows where, but he was hardly questioned by the boys, who all welcomed him with open arms. He didn't look any different, but there was a hardness in his eyes that was easy to miss if you didn't know him well enough. Grace hadn't forgiven him just yet, but he was grafting for her every day. I reckon she would crack soon enough—Chris was too charming for his own good.

Uncle Clayton, Claycia and Diamond were still around. The project with Nan's house was coming along nicely, but it was a slow process, so there was no telling how much longer they would stick around.

Everything was back to normal ... sort of. I just needed to overcome this lust for Kayden. We hadn't had sex. When he left me in his room that day, he returned two hours later, and I'd fallen asleep. He hasn't tried again since.

It was obvious why he did what he did, and although I should be pissed at him, I didn't have the energy to hold a grudge. He made me feel good, even if it was for underhanded reasons. Sadly, it didn't stop me from wanting his dick.

"Bitch, I'm talking to you!" I looked at Brooklyn, who was gaping at me over her laptop screen, her glasses perched on her thin nose. "You zone out a lot these days."

"That's what happens when you're boring." She shoved me with her foot, and I laughed. Brooklyn and I were working on our sociology coursework in her room. Once again, I'd fallen behind and Brooks offered to work with me to catch me up to speed. At the rate I was going, I'd fail. But I couldn't face Dad if that happened. Plus, Kayden encouraged me to get the extra work in while I still had the chance. If it were up to me, I'd be in bed bingeing a show, but I'd had enough time to relax and lament my life. "What did you say, anyway?"

"Section three, the crime and deviance question. What did you put?"

I glanced at my laptop and scanned my answers. "I mentioned the lack of confidence or trust in the police's ability and fear of retribution from the offender. What about you?"

She rubbed her chin. "I basically spoke about a victim's unwillingness to go through the ordeal of giving evidence and reliving the experience. Then I used domestic abuse or sexual assault as an example."

Her words hit a bit too close to home. It didn't cross my mind to report anything I'd been through with Leon, mainly because I was just as guilty as him. I'd started the battle and lost the war. He had a strong case against me, no matter what he'd done. I cleared my throat and shut the laptop.

"Breaktime," I muttered.

Brooklyn nodded, but continued tapping on her laptop, a determined look on her face.

"What are you doing?" I asked, crawling closer to rest against the headboard.

"Checking Charles' relationship status." I watched as she clicked on Charles' Facebook profile. Then she smiled when she saw the words 'In a relationship'. "Damn right," she said.

I chuckled. "Since when?"

"Yesterday. He took me for a meal in Central and asked me."

"That's so cute," I cooed. Brooklyn and Charles made a nice couple. Besides getting on well, they complemented each other and worked through their issues like mature adults. Plus, their sex was amazing, according to Brooklyn, which helped in a relationship, I guess?