Page 78 of Abigail's King
Chapter Thirty-Six
Kye
Iwoke up before my alarm this morning after a restful night’s sleep. I thought finally admitting everything to Davi last night had eased my conscious slightly. I knew I wasn’t cured, that I had a long road ahead of me, but admitting to myself that I had a problem was the first step. I was still shocked at his outburst last night. He had never stood up to me in all the years I had known him, including when I was going through everything with Mateus and Sofia. So why now? What had made him come around last night, and how did he know where I lived, come to think of it?
Then it came to me: Mateus. I knew he had been trying to reach me, even after the way we had parted that evening. Like Davi, he would never give up on me. Would always be there for me whenever I needed him. He must have contacted Davi and sent him around here. Probably because he didn’t know how I would take him walking back into the house. I couldn’t blame him. The person I had been at that time wasn’t someone even I would have liked to know.
I still wasn’t sure whether I would go to the hall of my own accord. It could be the one thing I needed to start building my life back up, or it could be the biggest mistake of my life. Either way, I wasn’t going to know lying here in bed. I decided to go grab a shower and then head downstairs and have some breakfast. That was, if I actually had any food to eat.
After my shower and getting dressed, I felt almost human. I headed downstairs and into the kitchen, made myself a coffee, and checked the fridge and cupboards. As I suspected, there was nothing in the house to eat. It shouldn’t have surprised me. The only thing I’d had delivered the past few weeks was bottles of bourbon. I sat down at the table and started to drink my coffee. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I could eat anything, anyway. The thought of food turned my stomach, and it wasn’t because of the alcohol.
For the first time in my life, I was nervous. I was worried about how the guys would react to me turning up at practice after nearly nineteen years. I knew that I needed to do it. The first step of a recovering alcoholic, so to speak. Only for me, it was facing my fears and demons, and seeing the guys again felt exactly like that. Facing a fear. We had been like brothers, and I had walked out on them with no word or explanation. It seemed Davi had forgiven me, but would the rest of the band? I wasn’t sure if I wanted to find out.
As I continued to drink my coffee, a wave of nausea came over me and I placed my cup down. I could feel myself starting to sweat as my whole body started to shake. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to throw up because of the alcohol I had drunk, whether it was withdrawal symptoms, or if I was just afraid. I had never felt fear in my life, and if this was what it felt like, I never wanted to feel it again.
I sat for a moment taking deep breaths, hoping the nausea would pass. When I was sure it had, along with the shaking, I picked up my coffee and tried to drink it again. To my relief, I felt fine. I sat there for a while contemplating what to do. I knew that Davi would just send someone to get me, so I might as well head down there. First, though, I had to finish tidying the place up, as well as try to get at least some food in the house.
I was just pulling into the car park of the hall after spending the whole morning clearing up my house and waiting for the food delivery that I had ordered. I pulled into a space and noticed that Mateus’s car was parked there. I wasn’t suspicious of that, as he knew the guys as well as I did. Some of them were the same age as him, which was how we all ended up hanging out with each other back in the day.
I got out of my truck and headed towards the front door just as Mateus was walking out. I stopped in my tracks. I hadn’t been worried until I actually saw him. I wasn’t sure what he was going to do or say, especially after the way we had left things on the night Abigail had left.
To my surprise, he smiled and continued to walk over to me. Without saying a word, he walked right up to me and pulled me into his arms. I could feel myself starting to lose it as the emotions of my brother accepting and forgiving me took over. He may not have said the words, but he didn’t need to. The hug said it all. Pulling myself together, I placed my arms around him to hug back. We stood there for a few moments until Mateus loosened his hold and took a step back.
“It’s good to see you, Ricardo.”
“Mateus, I’m so —”
Mateus immediately cut me off before I could continue. “We aren’t going to go over old ground. Now isn’t the time. All I need to know now is if you are okay.”
I wasn’t sure how to answer that. Was I okay? I was certainly better than yesterday.
“Honestly, I’m not sure. I’m not the drunken mess that Davi found last night. But I know I’m not well and need help, if that is what you want to hear. If I’m ever going to get Abigail back, I know I need to get help. Have you heard from her?”
I saw a look of worry come across his face. I suspected because he thought if he told me he had, then I would make accusations towards him like I had done two months ago.
“I won’t be angry if you have. I just need to know that she is okay.”
“In which case, yes, I have. She is doing okay. She’s not fine, for obvious reasons, but she is doing better than you were.”
I felt relief wash through me at his words. At least she hadn’t left my life completely. The fact that she was still talking to Mateus meant there was still a chance.
“When did you last speak to her?”
“This morning, actually. She was doing well.”
I wasn’t sure why, but I suddenly felt suspicious of my brother. Like he knew something was about to happen. He almost had a smirk on his face.
“Why don’t you come in and say hi to the guys? I’m sure they will be glad to see you.”
There was that sudden wave of fear again. I couldn’t do this. My hands started to sweat, and I started to feel hot as my heartrate increased. Mateus had started walking back to the hall, but stopped when he realised I wasn’t following him. He walked back towards me and placed his hand on my shoulder.
“There is nothing to worry about. They won’t judge you. They all know what you went through eighteen years ago. How that affected you. They will just be pleased to see you, I promise. They are looking forward to you turning up. Come on, I’ll walk in with you.”
Nodding my head, I started to walk towards the hall and through the front door. As soon as I got into the entrance, I heard a piano play. I wasn’t sure who could be playing it, as none of the other band members could play. I hadn’t even noticed the song that was playing as I continued over to the door the led to the hall where they were. It was only when I went to open it and heard the voice that everything clicked into place.
The song. The voice. I would have recognised that anywhere, as it was ingrained into my memory from our first night together. It was my Bonita. It was Abigail.
I stood there for a moment, listening to her voice as she sang. She sounded like an angel. I could feel the tears starting to fall down my face, more from relief that she was back than from sorrow. I walked through the doorway and stood in the hall next to Mateus, looking over at Abigail as she sang. I’d had no idea that she could play the piano, and seeing the tears that were rolling down her face as she sang, I just wanted to rush over and pick her up in my arms. But I was rooted to the spot, just gazing at her. What if she rejected me? Told me she no longer wanted to see me again?
