Encounters With Abigail

Chapter Two

    The next week passes in a blur as Abigail haunts my thoughts, distracting me constantly, what happened to make her react that way? Every time I start to think too much about it a small rage builds in my chest. Someone has hurt her and by forcing myself into her space I've made her feel unsafe. I am a truly horrible human.

  How would I like it if Anna told a guy to go away and he didn't? I scour my brain for the reason why I didn't leave, it can't be just her insane beauty. Something in my soul just said to stay but I should have ignored that because now she is hurting thanks to me.

  I'd told Anna I would help her with painting today but not entirely sure that I can face it. The chance of seeing Abigail is slim but what if she does see me and it brings back those bad memories from before. 

  I'm sitting in my car at the bottom of the road contemplating this when a loud peep startles me from behind. Thomas overtakes with a wave, shit no going back now. It's only a short drive to their house Anna and Abigail have mirrored houses attached at the middle, small front gardens, Anna currently has a skip in hers and a long side garden both of which have been converted into driveways. 

  Thankfully I don't see a car in Abigail's driveway, silently praying that she is out, but my brain is struggling to even remember if there was one last time I was here.

   Jogging up to the house and slip through the open door I barely say hi before Anna is thrusting a paintbrush and pot into my hands and ordering me to the guest bedroom. 

  The paint is deep teal very in keeping with rest of the green and blue shades she has all over the house, I decide to start with the window and almost drop the paint when my eyes find Abigail in the same position as last week a red and black checked dress skims her knees, dark hair pleated to one side, she's looking immeasurably gorgeous and significantly further through the book from last week of which I still have a bruise.

  I try to ignore her and focus on painting, but my eyes can't resist sneaking glances whenever I need to dip the brush into the pot. Maybe I should apologize but would that just piss her off more having to look at me again, I've already decided to leave her alone no matter the weird pull my soul seems to have to her. Abigail has made her feelings about me obvious, and I will respect them this time since I failed so enormously last week.

  "You were invited here to paint not stare at the neighbours" Anna's so close to my ear I jump splattering paint all over myself, gaining a giggle from her in the process.

"Sorry boss, I'll get right on it" I salute, and she continues to giggle

"Why don't you invite her to our housewarming next week?"

  My eyes get so wide I fear that they may pop out of my head "You would be better to do it. I didn't make a very good first impression" nervously pushing my hair away from my face and running my hand roughly through it before glancing back out the window.

Anna gets close and talks directly into my ear as if Abigail would be able to hear us "You can't have made that bad an impression considering how many times she looked at you last week. I don't think she read a single page the whole time you were there" heat rises to my cheeks. "Go! You are going to get nothing done here until you ask her" she removes the paint from my hand pushes me toward the door, "Her name is Catherine by the way". 

Stopping in my tracks I turn back to her. "She told me it was Abigail" I say absently it wouldn't be the first time Anna got a name wrong.

"Nope, It's Catherine,  we took in one of her packages it's definitely Catherine" nodding her head sending her short blonde curls bouncing. Turning confused I head down the stairs, standing at the door my joints turn to stone, she would never say yes to me after last week.

  Sucking in a deep breath, then swinging the door open, I stride across the garden toward the fence her eyes are already boring into mine before my feet even leave the doorstep. 

  She is utterly radiant, like a lighthouse at midnight. Whoever she is guiding home is a lucky son of a bitch.

"If you jump that fence again, I'm buying barbed wire" her voice is flat, but I can't help laughing raising my hands taking a long step backward and I swear the briefest smile lights her face.

"I come in peace. Just wanted to invite you to the housewarming next Saturday. It starts at eight" I make sure to keep my tone light regardless of the fact that she is without a doubt the most gorgeous woman I've ever met.

"I don't like crowds" she answers

"Only like fifteen people have been invited and you know they won't all turn up so, if you are up for it, we would love to have you"

  Abigail scans my face searching for something before replying "I'll think about it." Since that is my favourite response to plans, I know that, that means no. I simply nod and head back to the house. My eyes glance up to the guest room just in time to see Anna dart away; great this is going to be embarrassing.

  Once I finally finish painting, Anna swaps my paint brush for a drill and thrusts a stack of picture frames into my hands with specific locations for their placement. When Anna deems my memory to incompetent, small crosses are placed on the walls instead. I'm quite glad she does 'cause no way would my sluggish brain remember where all these fucking pictures need to go.

   Drilling the screw into place I hang up the last frame, it's one of Anna, mum and me when I was fifteen. We are standing knee deep in water, that was the summer of the Algarve holiday. Mum wasn't prepared for the waves to be quite as strong leading to her constantly worry about tiny eleven-year-old Anna getting swept away at sea.

  If only we knew then what was waiting for us just three years later.

  The room begins to get fuzzy and I'm not sure if it's me or the floor beneath that begins to rock. Tendrils of the past wrap tightly around my throat and body quickly yanking me into the past.

  I can't breathe I can't move. I'm wholly consumed by the hideous video reel flashing through my head.

My clenched fingers relax releasing the drill, it slams into my foot and I use the resulting explosion of pain to help me shake off the tight coils around my chest.

Gasping for air Anna's room slowly comes back into focus.

"Alex are you OK?" She sounds concerned and I instantly become aware of my wildly swaying body so I lock my joints into place and attempt a normal expression.

"Yeah, I'm fine the drill just slipped out if my hand, my foot is fucking throbbing" firing on a smile for good measure but Anna still eyes me suspiciously. I glance back at the picture that caused this and feel physically sick. 

  Turning my back to it doesn't help with the many memories that are now living right behind my eyes desperately trying to drag me back inside my head.

  "You know you could tell me, right? If it was getting bad again, we will all help you. You don't have to deal with it alone" hating myself for making her worry about me again, I close my eyes to lock away those memories. 

  Anna's eyes are a storm of sadness, but I can't tell her about this it's humiliating that they still effect me so greatly. All this shit was meant to be sorted years ago.

  I can hold it together for her. I need to hold it together.

"You worry too much. I'm completely fine... well minus my fucked foot anyway" I add extra cheer to my voice and throw in a laugh for believability.

Anna analyses my face intently before she flashes me that wonderful broad smile, wrapping me in a hug. "You would tell me, wouldn't you? If it was happening again?" Her voice is still tinged with worry, making a heavy anchor of guilt wrap around my chest.

"Of course, I would dragonfly" smiling at her again, but the facade is waning I'll need to get out of here soon.

"Good well let's get this shoe off and make sure you haven't broken anything."