“What happened?” I asked the girl in the glass, but all she did was stare back at me, eyes too wide and startled in her pale face.
I took a deep breath and squared my shoulders, ghosting back over to the bathroom door. Another deep breath, I unlocked it and opened it up to an unfamiliar man standing it its frame. I let out a little startled shriek and jumped backwards in the small space, but I think I startled him just as much. He jumped too, and leapt back, his back crashing into the wall behind him.
“Jimmy!” He called out, “You better get down here!”
I folded back in on myself and cowered, I couldn’t help it; it was almost an ingrained response to being trapped in a corner with a large man looming in front of me. He stood just outside the bathroom door, his hand pressed to the center of his chest, which heaved with him being out of breath.
“Sorry,” he said, “You scared the shit out of me.”
I tried to speak, but all that came out was a forced whimper. He looked familiar, yet he was a stranger to me. His light brown hair with golden highlights was cut business short, and was a little bit off from the rest of his appearance which consisted of soft, light blue, broken in jeans faded to near white along the tops of his thighs, and a vintage looking medium blue cotton tee with a distressed darker blue image of a swordfish leaping out of the water. A hook was in the corner of the creature’s mouth and a fishing line leading back to the viewer that faded off into nothing.
“I’m not helping here, am I?” he asked and backed off a little further. When he moved I flinched and he sighed and swore softly and yelled out, “JIMMY!”
I sank down onto the closed lid of the toilet and bit my lips together. I didn’t know where I was, I didn’t know who he was and I didn’t know a Jimmy. Marlin appeared in the doorway a moment later and shoved the other man aside, “I got it, Johnny. Go take care of the customers,” he said.
I swallowed hard and the other man, Johnny, squeezed around Marlin and that’s when it clicked.
“He’s your brother,” I murmured.
“Yeah, that’s my dumbassed brother,” Marlin smiled.
“You wanna come out of there?” he asked and I unfolded myself and stood up. Marlin stepped back towards the living area and I exited the small bathroom.
“Where are we? Why can’t I remember?” I asked.
Marlin sighed, “What’s the last thing youdoremember?”
I stared at him and licked suddenly dry lips, “I didn’t know you could play – or sing,” I said finally.
He smiled, “It’s a hobby, and that song? Only for you.”
“Why?”
“What do you mean why?”
I shook my head back and forth and covered my face with my hands, breathing in and out slowly. Marlin sighed and I felt his fingers close around my wrist. I jerked my face out of my hands just in time for him to jerk me in against his chest. His arms went around me and his breath was warm in my hair, but all I could do was stand there stiff as a board.
“I’m so confused…” I moaned.
“Why? Talk to me, Baby Girl. I’m right here, and it’s high time wedidtalk about it.”
“Talk about what?”
“Let’s start with why you lied to me, hmm?” His voice held no accusation and no reproach. It did, however, hold hurt which was rich, considering…
I tried to shove away from him but he was firm, and didn’t let go.
“There’s no running away from this one, Faith. I’m not going to let you go without an answer on this. I’m sorry I have to push, Baby Girl, but I need an answer. I need to understand why you did what you did last night.”
“Idon’t even know what I did last night!” I half wailed, my eyes filling with tears, my heart surging in my chest and crowding my throat.
“Why’d you lie to me, Faith?”
“About what?” I demanded, the anger coming in a hot flood.
“About me. Tellin’ me your shrink told you to stay away from me or some shit.”
I froze, like a rabbit in a trap, I looked up at him slowly and the expression on his face was stony, but clearly hurt.
