Intrigued

Chapter Seventeen

*Isn't it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back - everything is different.*

-C.S. Lewis

Roxanne's P.O.V.

Emily had spent the night with me to keep my mind off of everything, thank God. Brian didn't come home last night, and I had not heard from him all day, but Emily let me know that Sal had texted her. He told her he and Brian were together, and Brian was staying over his house. I was glad he was with Sal, but I was still horribly upset and worried, not to mention stressed out. I barely got an hour of sleep last night; my mind wouldn't stop spinning and I tossed and turned all night. Not only was I worried about Brian being out all night without even letting me know what was going on, but I was also angry about him walking out on me. I knew he was scared and caught off guard, but so was I; he was supposed to be there for me. 

I was exhausted and emotional; today was definitely going to suck. Originally, I had wanted to call off of work, since I was so upset, but on second thought, I figured that spending my day around cute animals would be better for me mentally than sitting home alone with my thoughts. I even ended up agreeing to stay late.

I finally got home around midnight, and Brian still wasn't home. I didn't want to, but I forced myself to quit being stubborn and text him anyways, because by this point I was more than worried. We were in totally uncharted territory - we had never had a fight like this. He had never stayed out all night, or ignored me. Now I was beginning to wonder if this might even be the end. I waited over an hour, with no reply. Then I called him, no answer. I called Sal, Murr, and Joe. None of them answered either. Finally I called Emily, who said she also hadn't heard from Sal in hours.

Emily and I talked for a little while, just to get my mind off everything that was going on, and when I hung up, I prayed harder than ever that everything was okay and that everything I was worried about was unfounded. Suddenly, I couldn't hold it together any longer and I finally broke down. The stress of everything Brian and I had been through recently, combined with our fight last night and not knowing where he was tonight was just too much to handle when I was this hormonal. I was alone in the dark, lying on the couch, crying my eyes out for what seemed like hours, when eventually I heard the front door open. The living room lights came on, and I sat up and saw Brian. He didn't even greet me, just immediately walked over to me and picked me up off the couch.

I wrapped my legs around him, tucking my face into his neck. "I was worried about you," I scolded softly.

"I'm so sorry, Roxanne. I'm sorry I made you worry. I'm sorry for yesterday. I'm sorry I didn't come home last night, or let you know where I was. I'm sorry I didn't answer your texts. I'm sorry that I'm late as fuck today." He replied. "We had an emergency. The rental car took a shit on the way home. Earlier we were out in the woods, none of us had signal. Joey's phone fell in the lake. Murr accidentally ran Sal's over with a golf cart. It was a complete shit show. By the time we got back to the city, mine and Murr's phones were dead. What a fucking nightmare. I'm so sorry; I hope to God you weren't too upset... or mad."

Brian had mud splattered all over him. He had bits of leaves and twigs stuck to his hair and clothes. He smelled of lake water, and his clothes were damp. If I weren't so stressed out, I would have found it funny. Instead, it only made me cry harder for some reason.

"Don't cry, babe." He said, kissing me softly, and slowly sitting down on the couch with me, holding me in his lap.

"I missed you so much; I'm glad you're home. I had such a rough day," I choked through my tears. "My boobs are so sore. I'm nauseous. I'm exhausted. And I'm so fucking hormonal, I can't stop crying." I sobbed, for some reason, choosing this exact moment to share my rant with him.