Show Me

18.

"Bradley?" Gloria's voice floated from the kitchen, "everything okay?"

Lea's chatter could be heard in the background and he could see the sound land on Irina's face, saw her eyes shift.

"Everything's fine, Mom. Just a little discrepancy with the pizza. Be right in."

"Hallway," he pushed out the air from somewhere down low in his stomach, opening the door.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Stefani lay a hand on his forearm, her jaw visibly tightening.

"Always," he replied softly.

His breathing had gone a little off course and he had to brace one hand on the nearby wall to control the dizziness.

What could he possibly say to someone who had caused so much strife, who had left their daughter without a thought to the damage she'd done? And at the same time, she had become a stranger, too; not holding relevance or importance, any longer.

She still looked exactly the same, still strikingly beautiful and she carried herself with a confidence and an air that had initially drawn him in.

But looks could be deceiving, disastrously so, and as they stood in the long hall, he and Stefani on one side of the closed door, Irina on the other, he knew whatever it was that she wanted, he wouldn't fall victim to her manipulation again.

The silence that followed was ominous and when she realized no one else was going to speak, Irina turned to him.

"I'm sorry for just showing up. I would've called but you changed your phone number. I knew you still lived here because the cards I sent never came back to me, so..." She trailed off, hands hanging limply by her sides. "I know I'm probably the last person you expected to see."

Bradley remained quiet, coming to terms with the knowledge that when he did say something, he needed to keep his emotions in check. She didn't deserve any of him and he was determined to remain neutral, to not put his cards on display.

He opened his mouth to reply but nothing came out. Nothing, and suddenly, he felt sick. It was as if he was seeing a ghost and in a way, he was. A self-appointed one.

Sweat gathered at his temples and he removed his hat, bringing it down to sit on a closed fist.

Bullshit.

He wanted the word to reverberate off the walls, so that it would convey just how unwelcome her presence was.

Instinctively, Stefani reached for his hand, grasping it to offer her own strength to him, but keeping quiet, allowing him to make the first move.

"Hi," Irina said, extending her hand to Stefani. "I'm Irina. It's nice to meet you. Formally." She glanced at Bradley. "I saw pictures of you together in People."

Her expression was impassive but something struck a chord of anger in him and he angled his body in front of Stefani protectively.

"Is that why you're here?"

Her mouth crumbled for just a second before she squared her jaw, shaking her head. "I understand why you're angry, Bradley. I don't blame you."

"Then you'll understand why I'm confused. As to what you could possibly want from us, after three years."

There was so much more he could've said, that he wanted to say, but he was steadied only by the weight of Stefani's fingers intertwined with his.

Breathe, the small squeeze she gave him seemed to convey. Breathe right into it. You're good.