Need You -N.H- Book Two

Eight; Someone New

Someone New

"Rosa," I yell from Greg's former bedroom, I had spent most of the day cleaning it out and up from the dust that had settled. With no answer from the housekeeper I set down the boxes that I had planned on shoving in the attic on the floor.

Bounding down the stairs I see Rosa brushing her hands from water and walking from the kitchen with a hardened look on her face. I let her continue towards the door, stopping on the landing of the large, old stairway. Rosa smiles at me gently before pulling the front door open, a young girl stands in the door frame.

I stare at her trying to figure out where I've see that face from, my heart in my throat I almost say her name before she has the chance. Chelsea.

"Hey there, I'm Chelsea I was told that you guys needed a temporary hand around the house." She holds out her hand to Rosa who raises to meet it and bring the girl into the house.

Almost a whole year had passed since I had seen her last, her hair was now cut short, tucked around her ears. Her skin was less tanned, she seemed happy. As much as I tried to push the thought from my head it still came through asking loud and clear, who's making her happy?

Her smile fades the second she steps into the house, her eyes are still a soft brown, freckles running across her nose in little patterns that could only be traced with hours of time spent in bed. She doesn't drop her stare but her large duffle bag slips from her shoulder and hits the floor with a loud thump.

I knew she had gone into nursing, she had been studying it when we met. But now that she was a public nurse I would have never expected her to take a job with my sickly mother. She must have known, seen the name on the papers.

"Rosa can you make some tea for our guest?" I ask my throat almost too dry to form actual words. Seeing the tension Rosa nods her head quickly and scurries back to the kitchen.

I walk down the rest of the stairs, still staring at Chelsea like if I were to blink she would be gone forever. Just like the first time around.

"Ni," she says softly, I swallow the feelings growing and pick her bag off the floor. I needed to space myself from her desperately before I did something stupid, like fall in love all over again.

She just stands there as I turn away and float back up the stairs, pushing my brothers door open and throwing the bag on the bed. I finally give out and sink into my dark feelings that had now puddled on the floor below me. I tuck my head into my hands, trying not to sob out loud but trying to keep my composure.

You love Sarah, you love Sarah so much it's painful. The little voice in my head repeats itself until I push off the floor and open the door back up. Quietly coming down the stairs I can hear Rosa talking to her in the kitchen about how she got the placement.

"They phoned this morning, I've been desperate looking for work and I jumped on the opportunity. Packed my bags and got on the road."

I wanted to walk in there, ask her questions like How was it so easy to leave? Where have you been living? Who was important enough to leave me for?

Shes pushed a piece of loose hair behind her ear again and I can see the small diamond stud that adorns her ear lobe. I had given her the set for christmas, she was now taunting me with them.

I walk into the kitchen, Rosa hands me the tray of tea and I extend my look across the island to Chelsea, "Mom's out back," I say dryly. "Come say hello."

This was never the way I expected her to meet my mother, of course my mom had heard of her, I told my mother almost everything. But I was never given the chance to bring the brown eyed beauty up for the weekend to meet her. I wish I had when she was feeling better, now she was sick, tired and falling apart. Now my mother probably wouldn't remember the mention of the girl that stole my heart. She didn't remember much anymore.