SAVAGE LOVE

Chapter 11

“Hell if I know. The guy’s a douche, but I thought he might want to help his friend.”

“Some friend, Bi. He’s done f**k all to help Timothy these past few months.”

Franklyn clamped his mouth shut then, realizing he’d said too much.

“You knew?” I tried to rein in my fury, but it’d started seeping out of every tiny pore. “You knew about Timothy’s drug problem and you didn’t think to tell me? What the hell sort of brother are you? What sort of friend? You two were inseparable the last time I was down here. He’s been your friend for years. What happened? Did you just dump his ass when the going got too tough for you?”

“It wasn’t like that, Bi. I wanted to tell you, but he begged me not to. I tried to get him help, but he kept saying he could get himself clean. I thought he was handling it. I’m so sorry. I know now how shitty that looks. Honestly, if I had any idea about the state he was in, how far down that rabbit hole he’d fallen, I would’ve done more, I swear. I’ve kinda been… distracted lately.”

I could see my brother was hurting, and to be honest even I was struggling with the new and so not improved Timothy. I couldn’t berate him for what had transpired. Timothy was a grown man; he had to take some responsibility for this. We were the pawns in his game of life. He was the master of his own destiny.

“How’s he been?” I gestured to the closed bedroom door behind me, where my strung out fiancé lay drowning in his demons.

“He’s moaned, whined and called me every foul name under the sun, but I just gave him my version of a pep talk and left him to wallow.”

I nodded. I wasn’t looking forward to meeting that version of Timothy later.

“So, what’s happening with you, bro? You look like shit.”

“Thanks. I feel like it too.” He smiled sadly then rubbed his hands over his face. “Jessica and me… I think it’s over.”

“What? But you guys are perfect for each other, what happened? Did she cheat on you?”

I was getting ready to storm round to Jessica’s and give her a piece of my mind. Franklyn was a good guy, a great catch. If she’d f****d him over, I’d make her pay. My revenge plan fell short as soon as I saw my brother’s guilty face.

“Franklyn, what did you do?”

“I didn’t mean to hurt her. I didn’t mean to hurt anyone, it just kinda happened. I met someone. She… bewitched me.”

“Jeez bro, we’re not in a Twilight novel. Bewitched, my ass. What the hell is wrong with you?”

“I don’t know. I thought I had it all figured out. I loved Jess. I do love Jess. But this girl, Bianca, she… I don’t know. I can’t explain it, but I’ve fallen for her hard. I can’t marry Jessica when I’m in love with someone else.”

“Like hell you can’t. You need to do the right thing, Frank. You need to be honest with her.”

“That’s the problem. She’s already found out, and in a f*****g brutal way too.”

“How? What happened?” I sat down next to him and put my hand on his trembling knee to show him some support, even though I could’ve throttled him for being so weak.

“She caught us… in a hotel room. s**t, Bi, it was bad. Really bad. I’ve no idea how Jessica knew we were there in the first place, not to mention how she got hold of a key card for the room, but she did. How the hell are we supposed to get over that?”

“f**k. That’s so bad.”

I couldn’t imagine how Jessica must’ve felt seeing that. I’d have probably thrown up if it was Timothy with someone else. Cheating was a massive no-no for me. It was something I’d certainly never forgive, ever.

“She stormed off, obviously, and is refusing to see me now.” He hung his head down and sighed like it was his last day on earth.

“Can you blame her? I’d have kicked your ass, and the w***e you were with. Where does she figure into all this?”

“That’s the thing, Bi. I have absolutely no idea what the deal is with her. One minute she’s telling me she loves me and can’t live without me, then next thing I know she just ups and disappears. I don’t know where she is, or why she’s gone. I’m gonna sound like a paranoid freak, and I don’t know for sure, but I feel like someone’s out to get me. I can’t bring myself to believe that Karen would just up and leave me like that. Something’s not right. How did Jessica get into that room? Did Karen tip her off? Or someone else? Jeez, I just miss her so much. She’s the sweetest, kindest-”

“Biggest w***e to walk the planet, and you’re no better either.”

He turned to face me, giving me his most intense stare. “Don’t say that. You don’t know her.”

“No, but I know Jessica, and she’d never do anything to hurt you. She doesn’t deserve this, and to be honest you don’t deserve her, Frank. I love you and you’re my brother and all, but you’ve been an ass. The worst kind. I wouldn’t blame her if she never forgives you for this, but you could at least try to make it work.”

“But what if I don’t want her forgiveness?”

“Jesus, Frank. She’s the love of your life. Don’t throw that away for some cheap w***e out to cause trouble. Maybe this Karen had her eyes on your money all along. Maybe she’s one of those girls who likes causing trouble and breaking up relationships. There are girls like that out there, you know. Guys too. You can be so naive sometimes.”

“No, she wouldn’t use me like that.”

“You’d be surprised what desperate people do.” I nodded over to the bedroom again to hit my point home.

“No. It’s not like that. It wasn’t like that with Karen. Look, I shouldn’t have come. I just wanted to give you a heads up about all this. The wedding is supposed to be in three months, but I doubt that’ll go ahead. I’m done, Bianca. I’ve no idea how to come back from this.”

“Never say never. Jessica is perfect for you, Frank. You’ve just lost your way. Take a bit of time out, then talk to her. If it’s meant to be, then you’ll find a way to work things out.”

I couldn’t give my brother much more than that, because quite frankly, I had enough of my own s**t to deal with, and I was mad as hell at him. Cheating was a hard limit for me. I wouldn’t put up with it. I loved my brother, but I was finding it hard not to yell at him and throw things right now.

“I’m taking a bit of time out myself, to be honest. I’ve managed to get Timothy into a ninety day rehab program out of town. I’m going to rent somewhere nearby to be close to him, so I won’t be around for the next few months.”

I was quite impressed with my excuse for being out of the apartment, which I’d thought up in the last few seconds. It wasn’t the same excuse I’d give Timothy when he woke, but the two wouldn’t have time to compare notes. It didn’t matter if I was the dutiful girlfriend staying near the rehab centre, or the wayward daughter who’d asked her father for his help. They were both pretty feasible stories, and would keep the two most important men in my life away from the awful truth. A truth that would crucify them if they ever found out.

“I’m proud of you, Bi. You’re taking all this really well.”

He grabbed my hand to hold in his and gave a sheepish, guilt-ridden smile. He used his finger to gently trace the silver scar on my arm, just below my elbow. My ‘brotherly war wound’, as my parents called it, was just as much a part of me now as any other body part. A badge of honor, if the stories my brother told were anything to go by. I was, as he liked to remind everyone, a feisty little sister and a handful to control. I remembered our childhood differently though. I was his shadow, his little minion, and I got on his last nerve until we got older and realized we were each other’s biggest supporters.

That day, when the two of us were mucking about at the tree house was a bit of a blur, but I remember being carried back by big strong arms, to the safety of my mum and dad. I’d always be grateful to Franklyn for doing that. He stepped up when I needed him the most. I wanted to do the same for him, always.

“This mark right here always reminds me that I need to be a better brother to you. That was such a shitty day.”

“Good job I barely remember it then.” I smiled. “You weren’t that shitty though. You carried me back to mum and dad. You looked after me that day.”

“I… yeah… whatever.” He scratched his head and frowned, as if he was trying to remember something. “It was a long time ago, but I’ll always have your back.”

Franklyn stood up and gave me a much-needed brotherly hug. I buried my face into his chest and felt the pain of missing my family. It’d been so long since I’d last seen my parents. I guess my longing was more obvious than I thought. I really missed them.

“You know, Mum and Dad ask about you most days. They really miss you, Bi. It wouldn’t hurt to give them a call once in a while, or even pop over to see them. They’re not getting any younger.”

“I know, it’s just difficult at the moment. They don’t approve of Timothy at the best of times. I doubt they’d approve right now.”

“Well, don’t leave it too late. They’re still in the middle of the Med somewhere, on their cruise of the month, but they’ll be home in a few weeks. They’d really love to see you.”

Franklyn kissed the top of my head, then headed out of the apartment, carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. If I ever met his Karen, I’d be sure to give her a piece of my mind. Well, it would be a lot more than that, but I couldn’t get caught up with my outrage for Franklyn’s situation. I had my own to conquer.

True to his word, Michael sent a driver to collect Timothy at midday. My haggard, grey-faced fiancé stood next to the shiny, black Bentley, looking like he was on his way to the gallows.

“I wish I didn’t have to say goodbye to you for so long. Three months feels like forever. I’m gonna miss you so much,” he moaned, as if this was our final goodbye.

The painful lump in my throat thickened to an unbearable level, and I tried to swallow it down and stifle the sobs that were fighting to break free. I felt bad letting him go off and check himself in, without someone being there to see him to the door, but I had to stay strong. He wasn’t a kid, and besides, I needed to be here for my own ‘collection’. If I wasn’t here when Michael sent his second minion to do his bidding, I had no doubt we’d be in a s**t ton of trouble. More than we were in already.

“You’ll be fine. You’ve got this,” I said with false bravado. I couldn’t let him see how anxious I felt. I didn’t want him questioning my resolve, or my alibi for that matter. I needed him focused and ready to begin his recovery, not worried about me back home.

I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him, hoping I could convey what I felt without putting it into words. I was finding it hard to speak. My love for him and my hopes for our future were all I had to cling on to. They helped to keep me focused on the end goal. Our happily ever after.

“I’ll be home in no time. Clean, healthy, and ready to be your husband.” He winked at me and I chuckled, even though I felt anything but jovial.

“I’ll miss you so much, Bi. But I need to do this. I should’ve done this months ago.”

I gave him one last hug, breathing him into my memory for the long days and nights ahead, then reluctantly, I let him go.

“I’ll come and see you the first chance I get.”

Truthfully, I had no idea whether Michael would allow me to visit. Would it go against his rules? To be honest, I didn’t really care. He wasn’t my keeper and if I wanted to see my fiancé, I would.