Repair the Broken

Chapter 11

Brody’s eyes get large as he looks at me in disbelief.   “Wait…What?  Can you repeat that again?”

I sit back in my seat and I say what I really meant to say.  “I said okay.  You can help me.  You can help me by not asking any questions about that night or about my bucket list.  That’s how you can help.”

“That’s not fair.  You know I can help you but you are being hardheaded.”  He is not going to bully me into caving to him.  I will not sit here and allow him to talk to me this way again. 

“I’m not being hardheaded Brody.”

“But you are.  I saw what you have on that list.  You’re going to have to ask me to help you anyways.  Let's work on number ten.  You want to know what happened that night.”

“I know what happened that night.  I don’t need you to tell me again.”

“Why won’t you just let me help you?”

I was too broken the last time to stand up for myself but not this time.  I sit up straight and look him straight in the eyes before I continue this conversation.  He will know that what I say is fact and that I mean every word.

“I don’t trust you!  Just in case you forgot, let me remind you of the last three years.  You walked out of my life.  You accused me of things I had no control over and then to top that off you called me a whore. I needed you and that’s what I got.  So no, I won’t ask you for your help and no I don’t want to fix this.  There’s no going back for me Brody.”  I feel adrenaline pumping through me as I sit here and look at him. 

“Fine then, we won’t fix this.  Have it your way.”  Brody gets up, throws twenty dollars on the table and goes to walks away.

He’s made it three tables from mine when I stand up and yell, “Fine, walk away, that’s what you are good at.”

There are several other patrons in the diner that stop talking and watch us.  It’s like a radio was on blast and someone cut the electricity.  There’s no sound coming from in the building right now and if a pin did drop it would sound like a bomb going off.  All time and space has come to a halt and no one breathes a sound.

He stops midstep and stands in that same spot for what feels like an eternity.  He straightens his posture, slowly turns around, and looks at me.  Still not moving, he just stares.  There’s something in the way he is looking at me like he just made up his mind.  I’m haven’t seen this look before and it awakens something in me I haven't felt in a long time. 

He takes an unhurried step around the table and then as if his life depended on it, he walks right up to me. He is in my face before I know it and I just stand there. I’m frozen in place unable to move a muscle.  He is inches from my face where I can feel his warm breath.

He slowly, oh so slowly lifts his hand to my face. He caresses my cheek in his palm while he takes the other hand carressing my hair.  He looks me deep in my eyes.  I feel I can see his soul right now.  I’m too scared to breathe, unwilling to break the connection.  His hand strokes my cheek and his other hand brings me closer to him.

I am a willing participant as I lean forward.  He is so close.  Our faces are millimeters apart.  His lips are hovering just over mine.  I wait in anticipation hoping to feel him even closer.  His breathing accelerates as he leans in even farther.  I can feel his lips just linging over mine.  It would only take me leaning in to make the connection. 

His nose grazes mine in the most sensual way.  He leans in even further taking his hands and holding my face just so.  He looks me in the eye and whispers softly, “I will not walk away again.”