Southern Comfort: Chapter 5

Southern Comfort

Chapter Five

We are sitting in a seafood restaurant smack dab in the middle of Walnut Street. It's pretty vacant seeing as everyone is out in the cold. When our server asks for our order, a high pitched sound erupts from my throat and Alice, bless her heart, takes over, ordering my usual.

She and Jasper try to include me in their conversations, but eventually give up and we spend the remainder of dinner in silence. I feel bad for ruining their night, so I pick up the tab. I give them a hug and tell them to enjoy the rest of their night before heading home, avoiding anyone and everyone that I can. The good people of my town seem to sense that I'd like to be left alone and I'm grateful that they steer clear.

I enter my house and go through my nightly routine on auto pilot. Rather than curling up on my bed, I decide to lay in front of the fire with a book. The flames flicker, giving me enough light to read, but after twenty minutes I realize I'm not absorbing any of the words on the page. Wrapping my furry throw around my shoulders, I pull a cushion off the couch and use it as a pillow.

The fire is warm, but it doesn't thaw out the numb feeling that's taken over my body.

My phone dings with a text message, but I'm too tired to move. The past two days have drained me of any energy, so I close my eyes and fall asleep hugging myself. I rarely dream and tonight is no different.

When I wake up I'm in my bed instead of in front of the fire. My head is hurting and my cheeks are caked with dried up tears, so it's obvious I'd cried during the night. Figuring that I must have snuck back into my room on the way to the bathroom in the middle of the night, I get up and start my day.

I have an appointment today at the local Baptist church between services so that we can go over their summer vacation bible school program that we'll be adding to their website, but that's not for another two hours. I don't go to church, so it would be impolite just to go on the day where they will possibly be paying me for a service.

I enter the kitchen and realize that the coffee's already been started.

"Hey."

The scream that rips through me is painful and torturous to my already raw throat. I reach behind me for something anything to use as a weapon when a pair of arms wrap themselves around me.

"Shh. It's me." Edward says calmly.

"What are you doing here?" My throat is so raw it pains me to croak out my words.

"I came to check on you." He gives me a crooked smile. "I didn't see you at the carnival after ou-"

"Yeah, I went out to dinner with Alice and Jasper and then came home." I pull out of his embrace and reach for a cough drop.

"I had a lot of fun last night." He leans against the counter with a happy smile on his face.

My heart is practically in shreds, but his words set those pieces on fire.

"I'm sure you did." My voice is unintentionally full of venom and it doesn't go unnoticed.

"Are you ok?" Edward asks. His head cocks to the side and at this moment I just want to slap him silly, and I'm not a violent person.

"I'm perfectly fine, Edward," I snap. "I take it Jessica had fun?"

I don't know why I'm asking. It's pouring salt into an open wound, but I have to know. I have to be reassured.

"Yeah, I guess she did. I won her a stupid teddy bear and she named him Eddie." He rolls his eyes and I wish that he could see just how much pain I'm enduring at the moment.

"Sounds nice." I walk over to the door. "I have an appointment with Reverend Banner in a little while. You better go so I can take a shower and stuff. I can't be late."

He stands frozen in what I'm guessing is a state of shock before thawing out. "Oh, ok. Well good luck with the Reverend." He puts his jacket on and pulls me into a friendly hug. I'm frozen, stiff as a board and Edward squeezes me tighter until I reciprocate the hug. "I really wish we had another dance last night." His words are soft and full of hurt.

"Me too." My voice breaks and I pull away facing the opposite way so that he can't see the tears in my eyes.

"Do you want to have dinner tonight? I can bring take out over after your meeting," he offers.

"I can't. I have to get the church's website up and running. No distractions," I swallow thickly.

"Bells, you'd tell me if there was something wrong, wouldn't you?" he asks.

"Of course." I hate lying to him, but I'm so hurt. So unbelievably hurt that I don't think I can come back from this.

"I did have fun last night, Bells. But I wish I would have spent the entire night with you on that dance floor."

"Yeah, well I'm pretty sure your date would have had something to say about that." Another round of tears pour down my cheeks as the visual of Edward leaning towards her until their lips meet pops into my head.

"I'll call you tonight." He opens the door. "Bye Bells."

I struggle to keep from crying, but as soon as the door clicks shut, I let go. My sobs are choked and the pain is evident in the sounds coming from me. He doesn't return. I cancel the meeting with Reverend Banner and wallow in self-pity for a few hours before a knock on the door catches my attention. I shuffle over to the door and open it without looking out the peep hole immediately regretting doing so.

"Edward."