Page 37 of White Raven (Nevermore Duet #2)

AGGRESSIVE

The pile of luggage sitting by the door was just another indication of how absolutely fucked everything continued to be, as Sarah paced back and forth across the apartment waiting to hear the sound of footsteps up the stairs outside her door.

She glanced at the phone she was white-knuckling in her hand, growing more irritated and nervous by the second when not a single text or call was missed.

Finally, after fifteen more agonizing minutes, Wren’s stomping thundered upstairs.

She burst through the unlocked door wheezing.

“Damn, I’m outta shape. And I gotta quit smoking.”

“Took you long enough,” Sarah said, tossing her hands up.

“Denver’s fat ass got out the door and I had to chase him down the hall. What was so important? You know my nerves can’t take this kinda shit right now, dude.”

Sarah shook her head. “Do you ever watch the news?”

“Are you being serious, right now? Why am I even here? You’re supposed to be landing in two hours…in Washington.”

Sarah handed her the phone and waited while Wren scrolled through unsettling images of Brent being loaded into a marked police car, bloodied and humble.

Her facial expressions were enough to spear Sarah straight through the chest. “Athan’s with him.

I haven’t heard from him in a couple hours. He took the bike.”

“What the fuck happened?”

“I’m not sure, but honestly…on the way back home to drop our shit off, Athan did refresh my memory about Brent looking a little worse for wear, even before the funeral.

He shouldn’t have gone back to work that soon.

I tried to talk to him that day we picked him up from the hospital about the antidepressants.

That doctor warned us. None of us listened. ”

Wren gave the phone back and trudged over to plop down on the couch, sighing and dragging a palm down her face.

“He told me he’d keep lying. That he wasn’t okay, and he’d continue to tell people he’s fine.

I was too wrapped up in my own shit to really say anything.

It’s just as much on me as it is anyone else. ”

“Wren, you went through a lot, too. You can’t shoulder his shit and yours,” Sarah offered, sitting down beside her. “You need to talk about it too, though. What’s the deal with you and Brent? I know I said I wouldn’t ask, but in light of recent events…”

Wren blew hair out of her face and rolled her eyes before leaning back against the couch and slapping her thighs.

“I don’t know, dude. I flutter…you know?

I like my options open. I cannot stand a textbook narcissist, or a stuck up, high-class individual.

They make everything around them stifling and reeking of pig shit.

I told you once…the night Athan found you in the alley…

when Brent came to that club, I told you that one day you’d wake up and be married to that fool.

That you’d be miserable and stuck with a pompous rich boy. ”

“I remember,” Sarah smirked.

“The Brent that I knew back then…I hated him so fucking much, Sarah. There wasn’t a single thing I wouldn’t say or do to make his life a living hell. And he deserved it. But…”

Sarah leaned in after a few seconds of silence, pushing her to finish. “But?”

“You’ve always been such a level-headed, decent person.

You’re smart, and you’re beautiful. You’re sweet, and compassionate.

You’re rough around the edges, but you’re not like other people, Sarah.

When you hit me with communion in this apartment, and you came down on me about what I said to Brent at the hospital?

I reflected back on that. I still do. I told him you weren’t like us.

That you had already grown out of him, and it was only a matter of time. I meant that. I meant every damn word.”

Her stomach twisted, recalling the way she’d treated Wren that night.

The betrayal that she’d felt, not having any idea that just weeks later, all this would happen to her best friend.

To Brent. It settled in and rolled in her gut, and the only answer she could come up with then was that Wren had been absolutely right that day in the stairwell.

While it might not have been her place, she wasn’t wrong, and it was her fault for not letting Brent go sooner and admitting it to herself .

“Looking back on that day…I remember feeling pity for the bastard. I distinctly remember staring at him too long. I dismissed it then and kept trying to dismiss it later. Like the day I saw him at Bunker’s.

Brent was unraveling, and I felt—drawn to him.

I guess the same way I feel drawn to all the other train wrecks I like to date.

That kind of attraction never gets me anywhere. And I don’t want it.”

“You still don’t want it?” Sarah asked.

Wren didn’t answer for a minute, lighting herself a cigarette and staring off towards the bathroom. “I’m terrified.”

“Why?”

She rolled the cigarette back and forth between her fingers and stared down at it. “Because this is different. I think I realized the one thing I’m most afraid of that day at his mom’s funeral.”

“Say it out loud, Wren.”

Another deafening silence. She looked like she was at a complete war with herself…and she was losing. “I love him… fuck .” That cigarette hit her lips so fast, Sarah chuckled. “That word tastes so disgusting, I don’t even think actual puke could take it away.”

“So…how long do you think you’ve loved him without knowing it?” Sarah asked, smiling.

“I can’t even begin to contemplate that. Isn’t this bad enough? Screw you.” Wren finally smiled, and took another drag, blowing the smoke a bit more harshly than necessary.

“Fair enough. But you need to tell him. Wren, that’s the one thing right now that he believes he doesn’t have. From anyone .”

“And that sucks, but a relationship is the last thing either of us needs to jump into right now, Sarah.”

“Nobody’s asking you to, stupid,” Sarah laughed, nudging her shoulder.

“Just because you talk about how you feel, doesn’t mean it auto-starts a relationship.

It’s just getting it out there so that you can decide what you’re willing to do about it.

Aren’t you the least bit curious if he feels the same way? ”

“Psh… no .” Another eye roll. Dramatic.

Liar.

It didn’t take a mountain of degrees, or even a high school diploma to figure out Brent did feel that way.

It was painfully obvious when he and Wren were in the hospital together.

And that was after Sarah had wheeled him back to his room following that ridiculously intense make-out session in Wren’s room.

Sarah’s phone finally rang. That picture of Athan sleeping popped up, and all the memories of what had happened between them only moments after she’d taken that picture, rushed back into her mind. She turned the phone to face Wren.

“Answer it!” Wren snapped, reaching for it. Sarah jerked the phone back.

“You see this picture? I took this about two seconds before you and Rhaena found me beating Athan half stupid and screaming at him. You remember everything you told me at the cabin?” Wren stilled and tensed, her cigarette only making it halfway to her mouth.

“You’re running, Wren. Like I ran from it.

You’re never gonna know how good it can be until you fucking stop.

You need to at least go talk to him.” Sarah slid the call open and pressed the phone to her ear. “Hey, you.”

“Not me immediately being turned on by two words,” Athan snorted.

“Everything makes you hot. You’re insane.”

“Ah…but I was never really insane except upon occasions when my heart was touched.”

The way her heart nearly stopped when he dropped that line. “Poe…”

He chuckled softly. “Are you home?”

“Yeah. What happened with Brent?”

“He was provoked. It’s been twisted up here, but he’s on his way home now. Oddly enough, I think he might get outta this. The rest is gonna take time. He’s alright, though. You can stop your worrying.”

“Who said I was worried?”

“Are we in Seattle right now?”

Sarah pressed her mouth in a tight line. “Touche, prick.”

“I’m coming home. I’d rather explain everything there. And I say we take the night, maybe try to book another flight tomorrow or something.”

“I don’t really see any point in rushing it. Maybe we were too headstrong to begin with. If Sykes is in the wind, it’s gonna be just as hard to find her next week as it would be today. If John wants to be found, he will be. Just come home.”

“You got it, love. I love you…”

“I’ll never get sick of hearing that. I love you too, punk.”

Call ended.

“See? I can’t—I dunno if I can do that. God, it’s so gross,” Wren gagged, putting her cigarette out in the ashtray on the coffee table.

“Jesus, Wren.”

“Like, I’m so happy for you…really. I’m happy for Athan. I’m happy for Rhaena. But me? It’s just not something I want, Sarah. I don’t know how to do… that .”

“Okay, so don’t. Just go talk to him. He deserves that much. Don’t you think?” Sarah raised up, just enough to lay over Wren’s legs and annoy her.

“God, stop! You’re getting happiness all over me!” She shoved Sarah in the shoulder, rolling her off the couch and onto the floor and Sarah cackled. Wren crossed both her pointer fingers and held them in an X in front of her. “Stay away!” Sarah laid on her back and stared up at her from the floor.

“You better get your ass to Brent’s apartment. Or I’ll start ripping Athan’s clothes off as soon as he walks in the door. You want that instead?”

“That depends. You gonna beat me for staring?”

“Get… out! ” Sarah laughed, smacking her leg.

Wren stood, helping her up from the floor and didn’t put up a fight when Sarah led her to the front door. Sarah pulled her in for a hug. “You helped me when I refused to see clearly. You know that’s all I’m trying to do, right?”