Come Back to Me

Chapter 2 Present Day

**Author's note: I'm in the process of changing some names within the story as I update this working draft.  Mark will be changed to Maleko or Mal. **

"You could have easily done this by yourself."

Grumbling, I stomped along the sidewalk behind Beth as she led me past the Main Street shops like I was a bitchy little teenager out with her mother.

"Yes," she said simply.

Sighing dramatically, I came to a stop and threw my hands up.  "Then why am I here?"  A few people passing by gave us wary looks.  "And people are looking at me weird."

Beth's melodic giggle filled the space between us.  "That's because you're being weird."

I jogged the few steps it took to catch up with her.  "No, I mean, people have been staring at me like I'm a goddamned zoo exhibit."

A bell tinkled above us as we entered yet another store.  Someone's distant greeting floated up to us, the employee stocking an aisle near the back of the shop.

"Take your time, Sammy!  It's just me," Beth called back and meandered over to the front counter.

The scent of a thousand different candles assaulted me as I glanced around.  Had I ever been in here?  No.  I was pretty sure this used to be a video game shop when we were in high school.  Riley would come here all the time with Mark.  He'd be so disappointed that one of his favorite places was now a frilly beige-toned candle boutique.  I leaned over, sniffing a pink one.

Bleh. What scent is that supposed to be?

Whatever it was, I was going to sneeze all over it.

"Beth!  So great to see you."   Sammy, a short, curvy redhead greeted my best friend with a smile so infectious, it was almost enough to affect me. 

Almost.

Because that beautiful smile reversed itself when she caught a glimpse of me lurking near the door. 

I knew I looked like a wreck.  My usually bright auburn hair was dull and unbrushed. The shadows beneath my green eyes were a dark purple and only deepened as each sleepless night passed.  I was pale, even by my fair-skinned standards, and I hadn't stepped outside my house in a week.  Riley's old sweatpants, my mom's winter coat, and mismatched boots weren't helping anything.

That's why Beth insisted on dragging me out this morning while she visited every shop and restaurant on Main Street to pass out promo coupons for a fundraiser her cafe was putting on.  First and foremost, her reason for trying to get me out of the house was due to her concern for me.  I wasn't handling my grief well and being holed up in that house surrounded by my dead family's things was not helping me recover.  

Her second reason was because her fundraiser was for me. To cover up her extreme worry about my current state, she said it would help sales when people saw how pitiful I was.  Then she promptly forced me from my hideout.

I didn't need the money.  My parents had left Riley and me a substantial amount and with the sale of the house, I would have been comfortable for a long time.  Even more so now that he was dead and I took his share.  Riley's lawyer had also been leaving me like a thousand messages a day so we could review whatever inheritance I was getting from him.  I couldn't bring myself to call him back.  It made things too final.

"Uh, hi, Regan," Sammy awkwardly gave me a wave.  "How're you doing?"

I opened my mouth to answer but Beth cut me off.  It was probably for the best since my brutally honest answer would have made this interaction super uncomfortable.