Renewed

"She's human, we're all forgetful."

She was about to knock the very next morning but I’d already seen her approaching. I opened the door just as her hand raised to beat on it, softly I presumed, and the sheepish smile that crawled onto her lips managed to make my day significantly better already.

On her forearm she had my jacket draped and on her body she was sporting a coat of her own. 

“Coming in?” I arched a brow, taking a sip from the mug in my hand.

“Oh...do you want me to?”

“Would I have invited you in if I didn’t?”

“You always answer a question with a question.” She slipped passed me and made her way into the living room, making a beeline for Mrs. Ginger who seemed a little more prepared for the onslaught of affection this time. 

“Sorry,” Because I realised she was absolutely right. I let my work influence my social interactions too much. “Yes, I did want you to come in.”

“You have work soon?” Her eyes wandered over to my briefcase and then over to me, looking me up and down and I had never felt more open to a person in my life.

“Yep, just having my coffee and then I’m off. Did you want a cup?”

“I don’t remember if I like it.”

“Well, well, well,” Mila made her appearance known after slipping out of the shower with a towel still wrapped around her. “Morning visits already, you two are moving fast.”

“I hate you.” I shot a glare to my housemate as I poured Julissa a cup of coffee and handing it over to her. “Take a sip, if you don’t like it, we’ll throw it out, no big deal.”

“You’ve never had coffee?” I could have slapped the back of Mila’s head in that moment.

“Mind your business,” I warned the curious brunette I lived with. I watched as Julissa took a hesitant sip, letting the liquid settle on her tongue for a moment and swallowing but not before scrunching her face in disgust. “So coffee is a no.” I chuckled softly, taking the cup from her. 

“I like tea?” She shrugged, ducking her head just as a small smile touched her lips. “Um, my mom wants to meet you.”

“Whoa-”

“Don’t say a word,” I warned Mila because I knew exactly where her mind went in that moment. I looked back to my new friend with a small frown. “Why?”

“Oh, I mentioned coming back here to bring back your jacket and...I mean...she’s kind of protective ever since…” Julissa sighed softly, as if it were an irritant on her life. “She has this new habit of needing to know the people I’m surrounding myself with. I don’t blame her, I mean, it’s kind of annoying but….”

“But it’s warranted.” I nodded, tipping back the last of my coffee before dipping down to grab my briefcase. “I’ll see you later, Mils.”

“Only if you bring your girlfriend back with you.” Of course I couldn’t expect a normal goodbye from my housemate.

“I’m sorry,” I led Julissa out with me. “I swear she so much as sees me smile at a girl and suddenly in her mind I’m head over heels in love.”

“It’s fine, she seems harmless.” She waved off my concerns. “So...about meeting my mom…”

“Oh, yeah-uh-I mean, I could come after work, I guess?” It wasn’t something I was particularly eager for but something told me that her mother had a big influence in her life and the last thing I wanted was to lose contact with a new friend because I was disrespectful to her mother. 

“You sound like I’ve just told you to meet me at the gallows.”

“Parents don’t tend to like me very much.” I confessed.

“I mean, you saved me from freezing to death yesterday, I think you’re kind of already in her good books.”

“She’s really keeping tabs on you, huh?”

“She wasn’t always like this, she just-”

“She nearly lost you,” I nodded, leaning back against the porch railing. “I’d be protective as hell if I nearly lost someone I loved as well.”

I watched as embarrassment lingered on her face a little longer and something about that didn’t sit right with me. She wore her insecurities on her sleeve, they were never far off.

“Hey, think of it this way, if she likes me, she’s more likely to calm down about us hanging out.” I shrugged, pushing off the railing and making my way towards the gate, prolonging leaving this conversation for as long as I could. “Besides, I think you could do with a night out and now you can. With us.”

“You guys are gonna take me out?”

“Well yeah, we need to figure out which cocktail was your favourite.” I winked playfully.

“I just-” She reached up to touch her scar and the look of indecision playing in her eyes tugged at my heart. “I don’t know-it’s just-it’s...big.”

“Lissa,” I stopped us at the bus stop I’d approached her at the day before. “The scar...trust me, it’s just a scar, you’re still...I mean, I still think-” Why couldn’t I find the right words? Because there wasn’t yet a word discovered yet to correctly describe how beautiful she was? Maybe. Or because then it would be out there, the knowledge that she knew that I found her beautiful. “The scar doesn’t matter.”

It was a weak response. Even as I spoke it, I knew it was.

“Can I think about it?” She shrugged, seeming disappointed by my choice of words.

“Of course you can,” I checked the time on my phone and realised that, once again, I would be late. “I need to head off, but I’ll see you this afternoon? Text me the address.”

“I’ll see you later.” She nodded, biting her lip to stop the small smile from touching her lips. 

Her eyes held mine for a moment longer and something in them told me that maybe I’d said the wrong thing or...I’d forgotten to say something. There was a glimmer in her eyes begging me to say something but I couldn’t quite decipher what it was. 

And it weighed on me. 

In that moment that felt prolonged, it was a weight on my chest; heavy and unmoving. 

I offered her a gentle smile before turning around and began walking away, the weight making every step feel like an effort. 

I ran a hand through my hair, hating the feeling that seemed to be attacking me with every step I took away from her until I couldn’t handle it any longer. 

I spun around, seeing her walking the opposite direction.

“Lissa!” I called out, not sure when I decided on that nickname. She turned around quickly, her eyes instantly alert. “The scar doesn’t matter, it really f*****g doesn’t. You’re beautiful.” I let the wind carry my words over to her and waited as I watched her process them.

For a moment she looked stunned, as if she hadn’t heard the words before and I feared for a moment that she hadn’t. Because it would be such a shame if she didn’t know how breath-taking she was, if no one had told her or if she’d forgotten that someone had told her that. 

I didn’t want to be the first person she remembered telling her that. I didn’t feel I had that privilege yet.

“Get to work.” She chuckled softly, ducking her head down.

It was the first time I wanted to lift her head so I could see that smile she worked so hard to hide. I felt like she did the world a great disservice hiding it.

I sent her a wink before I spun back around and continued on my way to work, feeling significantly lighter.

I spent the majority of my work day messaging Mila in an attempt to avert her away from this fantasy she had of Julissa and I because the next time I had our new friend over, the last thing I needed was Mila going on about it some more. 

The partners in the firm were quick to announce that we’d be having another cocktail party, which would be the third one in the last two months. They’d been trying to build up morale in the office after a few of my colleagues had moved on to bigger and better places.

I usually tried my best to skip those events because everyone was always coupled off and the closest thing I had to a significant other was Mila. There wasn’t a chance in hell I could bring her along, no one I worked with was even slightly prepared for her energy. 

“If you leave me to fend for myself again this time, I’m gonna be pissed.” Clarice, my assistant, warned me over the rim of her glasses.

“You know I always bail on these company events, they’re not for me.”

“You know, I tell Drake about my awesome boss all the time but because you never go to those things, he doesn’t actually think you’re real. He thinks I work for Kent Lux and we’re having some illicit affair, that’s why I made you up.”

“So I have to go because we need to prove to your husband that you’re not screwing one of the partners?”

“See? This is why I like you, you catch on quickly.”

“You do realise you work under me, right? It’s not the other way around.”

“Please, you’d be lost without me.” She was absolutely right in that respect, I would be.

“I’ll think about it?” It was the most I could offer her in that moment. 

“You better.” She left the invitation on my desk before slipping out of my office. 

The rest of my day was about as uneventful as it could get. It was paperwork after paperwork. I received Julissa’s message an hour before I finished work letting me know to head over whenever I wanted along with the address attached. Mila, of course, made a point to mock me some more the moment I told her I’d be home late. I knew she’d stay up just to find out how the meeting with the mother went. 

She, too, was nothing if not consistent. 

When I finally did make it to Julissa’s house, I found that she really didn’t live too far from me at all. It was two blocks away, her math had been off but I knew we would be blaming the head injury for that. 

Like I had this morning, she anticipated my arrival, opening the door before I could knock and already boasting an apology in her eyes that I knew wasn’t warranted. I clutched the bottle of red in my hand extra tightly because if my mother had taught me anything, it was never to show up empty handed. And if we were to open the bottle in that moment, I don’t think I’d complain. 

Her mother was a petite Latine woman with salt and pepper hair that reached down to the nape of her back. She carried with her a soft, hesitant smile and wary eyes as I introduced myself, offering her the wine to which she seemed more than a little appreciative. 

I suppose being a full-time carer for a woman she thought she no longer needed to care for in that way warranted a newfound respect for a drink. The stress of constantly worrying about her daughter may also add to that newfound respect. 

“I’m Melanie,” She smiled. “Juli tells me you two met at the park.”

I looked to my new friend, sharing a smile only we knew the meaning of. “Yeah, we did. She decided freezing herself was on the to-do list yesterday.”

“She’s forgetful.” Melanie eyed her daughter with gentle eyes. 

“I’m getting there.” Julissa defended herself quickly. 

“Well I thought I would have to remind her this morning to grab a coat but turns out I was the one to forget this time.” I nudged her playfully which elicited a soft chuckle from both mother and daughter proving, for the first time, that I could get a parent to like me.

“Will you be staying for dinner, Winter?”

“Oh,” I looked to Julissa who just shrugged. “I mean, I guess?”

“Perfect,” Melanie’s smile widened if it were possible and she eagerly made her way to the kitchen.

“She’s adorable.” I gave my friend my opinion before she asked for it. “I was expecting a real hard ass, but she’s...like you but a little older.”

“So I’m adorable?”

“Don’t let it get to your head.” I winked, following her over to the couch where she perched herself cross-legged. 

She was quick to turn the TV on, scrolling through channels slowly and glancing at me every now and then. “What do you like watching?”

“I don’t watch all that much TV, I mean, I’m usually working.”

“So you go to work, go home...and work some more?”

“You make my life sound depressing.”

“You make your life sound depressing.” She rolled her eyes, handing me the remote. “Pick something and please not a documentary. Something that won’t involve you thinking too much.”

“You think I think too much?”

“When was the last time you sat and watched some trash TV show?”

“Probably never.”

“So this is why you want to take me out one night, it’s more for you than for me. You need it.” She arched a brow playfully and I decided I really enjoyed how relaxed she felt in her own home. She was mocking me, she was growing more and more comfortable with me with every interaction.

“So that’s a yes to us heading out one night?”

“Ask me after I’ve had a glass of wine.”

“You won’t like it,” I warned her. “Red wine shouldn’t be the first drink you remember having.”

“And what should be?”

“Something sugary and made with vodka.” I chuckled. “It’s a rite of passage.”

“I hate that I don’t remember basic things like that,” She sighed, tipping her head back. “I mean, I’m sure I probably snuck out to parties as a teenager, right?”

“Probably.”

“I should be allowed to remember that, my brain should give me that at least.”

“They are the golden years.” I agreed.

“It sucks.” It was the first time she’s openly voiced a dislike for what happened to her. When she’d told me about it, it was purely an explanation, she barely offered any kind of reaction with it.

“Do you have a lawyer working your case? Do they have anything to work with?”

“My mom...she can’t really afford-” She ran a hand through her hand and I saw that her scar travelled a little further up. “We have one but he’s not that great, he’s the best we can afford. They found skin under my nails that belonged to him but he said it was when I reached out to stop my fall, I scratched him as I went down.”

Of course that would be the story he’d go with, it was so perfectly scripted, any defence lawyer would urge him to stick with it. I would have bet money that he had no priors either, because any girl he’d hurt before Julissa would have been paid off or too scared to so much as breathe a word about it to the authorities.

“Some of the partners at my firm do pro bono cases sometimes,” I spoke hesitantly. “I mean, I’d offer to represent you but conflict of interest and, well, I don’t exactly have a huge array of wins on my belt just yet. I can definitely try to get you someone better, someone more versed in handling cases like this.”

“You’re a lawyer?” 

“A budding prosecution attorney, yeah.” I offered her a sheepish smile. “I mean, this will probably save you guys some money and I know the guys I work with have a budget for pro bono cases at the moment, we could help you out.”

“You barely know me.” She ducked a head as a small smile played on her lips, though this time I couldn’t quite see it reaching her eyes. She spoke her words softly too, like she was scared something would happen if she spoke too loud. 

“I’ve read countless cases like yours, not quite the memory loss aspect, but the guy creating this narrative and the jury falling for it, it’s a tale as old as time.” I sighed, tipping my head back this time. “If there’s a possibility of getting you that win, I want that for you. I want that because so many people never got that.”

“s**t, Mila may be right,” Julissa stared at me wide-eyed for a moment. “I think I’m gonna end up falling for you.” 

“Shut up.” I dismissed her teasing, chuckling as she allowed me to see the smile settle on her lips. “We can’t allow that to happen because she will never let us hear the end of it.”

“And you can do so much better.” She waved me off playfully.

“You really have no clue, do you?” I shook my head slowly, holding her gaze for a moment only to have her eyes flit down in embarrassment. “You’re seriously gorgeous, Lissa,” I reached out and tilted her head up this time, making sure our eyes met. “Anyone would be lucky to have you. Anyone.”

I let my hand drop and allowed her that moment to drop her head down again because I knew it would take more than some nice words from a near stranger to bring back any confidence she had in her life before. 

I let my eyes roam around her house for the first time. Where mine was modern and open, hers was warm and filled with...life. Or more so, lives. Every inch of it was a reminder of something. Pictures lined the walls, so many of her without her scar, some of her with friends, a lot of her with her mother. And there were a few with three people in the picture. I would assume the man, tall and dark-skinned, built like a wall, was her father. 

“That’s your dad?” I pointed to the one closest to us and watched as her eyes followed my finger.

“Mm-hmm.” She nodded, smiling fondly at the picture.

“You have his eyes.” I recognised that instantly. “His hair too.” 

“Winter, he’s bald.” She deadpanned and I couldn’t fight the smile that sprang to my lips, watching her roll her eyes at me.

“Dinner!” Melanie called out from the kitchen.

Julissa was quick to jump up and I couldn’t help the chuckle that slipped past my lips.

“What?” She frowned. “I like food.”

“I like this you,” I shrugged. “You were so nervous at my place and this morning a little.”

“This is my domain, I have the power here.” She winked and I felt my entire body heat up with joy. 

I followed her into the dining room and took the seat across from her while Melanie sat at the head. I took note that it was only set for three and I think Julissa caught onto my confusion.

“My dad was military,” She looked to her moment with a soft smile. “He died during a tour in Iraq when I was sixteen.”

“I didn’t mean to-”

“It’s completely okay,” Julissa began to dish up. “At least I can remember him.”

“Small blessings.” Melanie nodded, helping herself after her daughter had dished up and ushering me to do the same after her. 

Idle conversation filled the room as we ate. Julissa opened up to her mom about her therapy session and how they hadn’t progressed as much as her doctor had hoped they would have by now, she couldn’t offer any further information about what happened and it was frustrating her a little more every day. 

I could see why. I could see Melanie’s...fear. Fear that her daughter wouldn’t be granted the justice she deserved. Fear that Julissa would always live in doubt about what happened. Fear that the man that hurt her daughter would be able to walk away without any repercussions.

“Winter offered to speak to one of the partners at her firm,” Julissa drew the attention over to me. “She said they might do pro bono work, take over my case.”

“That’s a big ask, we couldn’t-”

“You didn’t ask,” I cut Melanie off with a gentle smile. “Besides, those guys can afford to do one case without getting paid, trust me. Most of the firm’s money is going towards these stupid cocktail parties I keep skipping.”

“Is that where you plan on taking me to?” Julissa c****d a brow. She nudged her mom and nodded over to me. “She’s trying to get me to go out and party.”

“Is that right?” Melanie raised both her brows and gave me a very skeptical look.

“She mentioned she doesn’t get out much,” I put my hands up defensively. “And in truth, neither do I, it might be good for both of us.”

“And I’m supposed to trust you, who she has known for a day, to take care of her?”

“I’d argue she’s capable of taking care of herself but...I’m not a heavy drinker, I would bring her right back here and it would be somewhere local so I’d know most of the people that were there.” I wondered how far she’d go with arguing this. I was very well-versed in arguing. “It’s safer for her to go out with me like this than for her to go out one day on some date with a guy she met online.”

“I wouldn’t-” Julissa chimed in quickly but her mother raised her hand to cut her off effectively.

Melanie held my gaze and she had this way of making me feel tiny through the weight of her eyes but I refused to submit. I would hold my ground on this because we both knew what I said was kind of exactly what she wanted me to hear. 

“She’s forgetful.”

“She’s human, we’re all forgetful.”

“If she gets lost in a crowd, she’ll have no idea how to find you.”

“She is sitting right here.” Julissa raised her hand in annoyance.

“Then she won’t get lost in a crowd. Besides, any place I go to...there aren’t exactly a lot of guys looking for girls.” I hoped she would catch onto exactly what I was throwing out to her. “The people in these clubs aren’t in the habit of letting anyone get hurt.”

“I want to go.” Julissa piped up, her eyes roaming from me to her mother. “I think I kind of deserve a night out.”

And she did. She was well within her right to want a night where she didn’t have to think about the happenings in her life. 

“We’ll talk about it later.” Melanie sighed softly and a part of me felt as if I’d overstepped. Because she was right, in truth, I had only known Julissa for a day and that wouldn’t exactly instil a lot of trust from a parent’s point-of-view. 

So I let the subject drop and Julissa seemed to notice it the moment I did because she was quick to change the topic. 

“I was thinking of maybe getting a job.” She announced and I could see the defeat hit Melanie’s eyes upon hearing the words. “It’s been a few months now and I think I’m more than capable of trying to move on with my life.” 

Melanie looked to me with a small smile settled on her lips as she shook her head slowly. “I have a feeling you’re going to be a very bad influence on my daughter.”

I put my hands up and chuckled lightly before looking to Julissa. “What can I say?” I shrugged. “I like her smile.” I winked to my new friend and it didn’t go amiss to me the light blush that bloomed on her cheeks.