Beautifully Broken

“Any idea why?”

“Mmm…” Cooper pauses, a frown falling on his face. “That’s her story to tell, not mine.” He shifts on his feet. “Can she crash here tonight? I don’t want to wake her and Logan’s asleep outside anyway.”

“Of course.”

“Thanks, man. Just give me a call in the morning whenever Piper wakes up. I’ll come get her.”

That won’t be necessary, but I smile and nod just the same. I’m gonna spend the day with Piper, show her a good time and work on breaking down her walls. The fact that she’s got a troubled past draws me to her even more.

She’s real.

She’s broken.

She’s just like me.

I wake with a start to a high-pitched shriek. I jump out of bed and run downstairs to see what’s going on. In hindsight, I probably should have thrown a pair of shorts over my boxers, but I wasn’t thinking about how Piper might react to seeing me almost naked. My only thought was to get downstairs as fast as possible and murder whoever was hurting her.

Piper tosses and turns on the living room couch. She’s still asleep, screaming at someone in her dream “No! Stop! Please!’

I run over and kneel beside her. If this is what Piper goes through every time she closes her eyes, I’d fight sleep too. I only hope this is some terrible nightmare and not a memory coming back to haunt her. I set my hand on her shoulder. She’s burning up, sweat clinging to her long sleeved shirt. “Hey. Hey, it’s okay.”

Piper opens her eyes. She looks around, her gaze bouncing from one thing to the next until finally settling on my face. When she doesn’t say anything, I ask, “Do you want a glass of water?”

She swallows hard and nods.

I scramble to my feet and rush to the kitchen. We’re out of water bottles, so I grab a glass from the cabinet, fill it with water from the fridge, and am back at her side a minute later.

“Thanks,” she says, her voice hoarse.

“Are you alright?”

Piper nods again. I'm unconvinced, but if she’s not ready to share then I won’t push her. One thing I’ve learned over the years is that you can’t force someone to open up. They’ll let you in when they’re ready. Seeing as she’s not ready yet, I stand.

Piper grabs my wrist. “Rex, will you stay with me?”

7

Piper

Early morning light peeks through the window, blinding me. I squeeze my eyes shut eager to keep the sun’s rays at bay and enjoy the darkness a little longer. I turn onto my side, angling myself away from the brightness.

How is it morning already?

Better yet, how long was I asleep? My alarm didn’t go off, which is odd because I almost always set it. I groan, too tired to get up and search for my phone to see what happened.

Something shifts behind me. The cushion dips sliding me into a warm body. It’s then I realize an arm is draped over my side, resting on my chest. My breath catches in my throat. I open my eyes and immediately recognize the brown leather cushions I’ve wedged myself in.

Holy crap. I fell asleep at Rex’s house, in his arms for Lord knows how long. When did we cuddle? A shiver of fear runs through me. I look down. My shirt and skirt are still on. I let out a breath of relief, but that relief is short lived. Rex is in his boxers. Only his boxers. My skin crawls, panic bubbling inside me.

Did I let Rex touch me?

Did I touch him?

Why can’t I remember?

My heart races, violent thuds beating in my ears. My questions and worries about the unknown trigger phantom hands around my neck. My nightmare comes rushing back—every painstaking moment I usually try to avoid that vividly plays out in my dreams is now in my conscious mind. I sit up and try to catch my breath, but my airway closes, making each inhale painful and scarce. This is terrible, beyond terrible. If there is a single word for a terrible-painful-traumatizing-and-immobilizing sensation, I need to learn it because that’s how this feels.

Rex stirs beside me. “Hey, what’s wrong?”