"You save yourself or you remain unsaved." - Alice Sebold.
°°°
Florence Rosa Brine - this is her story.
It's a sad one, to be honest. Her version of events is one that would surprise even those who think they knew everything about her.
After a s...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Recap
In the previous chapter, Flo gave Jake a letter explaining everything that happened to her two years ago which led her to up and leave to Australia. This included how her parent's divorce affected her - specifically how it lead to her party-animal ways and drunken habits where one night she kissed River, one of her close friends but also Georgia's (her best friend at the time) boyfriend at the time, and this messed up her relationship with all her friends, including Jake. The letter also exposed that she was raped, and how this ultimately lead to her fleeing to Australia.
Part One
Jake left. I didn't realise the extent to which I was shaking until he did. With a wish to relieve my tensed up body, I retired to my bed. Wrapping myself up in the covers did little to ease my shivers, mainly because the shivers weren't caused by the cold.
He will know everything now.
An hour or two have passed; neither sleep nor calmness have taken me under their wing. So here I am, fixed in a stare down with my ceiling, picturing Jake's face as he reads the letter. It stresses me out. Eventually, the anxiety takes its toll, pushing me into a sleep, only I'm abruptly awakened just as I'm about to go under by three hurried knocks which make my body jolt upright. I freeze. My stillness brings about another three impatient knocks, forcing me to climb out of bed and walk to the door.
With a firm hand wrapped around the handle, I open it. A red-eyed and jaw-clenched Jake stands before me with his fist in mid-air, ready to knock again. When his eyes meet mine, his fist relaxes until his arm turns floppy and drops back to his side.
A tense stare ensues between us.
His lips part slightly, as if he's going to say something, but they quickly seal back together again. It isn't until he shuffles forwards that I break out of a daze I didn't even know I was in. I step aside to let him in. Looking down at the door handle, I begin to edge the door closed, knowing very well his gaze is glued on me. My hand that pushes against the handle sets aflame when his reaches down to hold it, pushing the door closed with me. Once it's firmly shut, he grasps my hand a little tighter and uses his grip to inch me closer to him. I find myself being drawn into the stone hard surface of his chest.
The embrace comes as a shock. I do little to mask the gasp which escapes my lips as my face buries itself in the crook of his neck. My surprise, however, doesn't phase him as he continues to weave his arms around my fragile frame. I hug him back, lacing my arms the same way around him and press my palms against the firmness of his back.
In two years, this is the second man that I've hugged, aside from my father.
It is serene and quiet for a few moments. I feel his feet shuffle closer to mine and his chin rest more snugly into my shoulder as the hug persists. If I'm very still, I can even feel the faint tap of his heartbeat against mine.
