Fable (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale 3)

The car had pulled to a stop in front of Nan’s apartment building, and Mina didn’t even know how long they had been sitting there. She looked up in alarm and saw Brody lean forward and kiss Nan on the lips. It was aggressive and very unlike him, and she knew then what Teague was doing. He was pushing Brody into kissing Nan. She knew then that he was truly evil and sadistic. She slammed the notebook closed and sat on it in frustration. The slamming noise and movement from the back seat broke the spell that Brody and Nan were under. Nan flushed pink, and Brody pulled back so fast from the kiss he hit his head on the rearview mirror.

“Ouch!”

Nan wiped at her mouth with the back of her hand. Brody rubbed the back of his head and refused to look at either one of the girls. “Mina, I’m so sorry—you were so quiet I completely forgot you were back there.”

“It’s okay. I can call my mom to come get me, if you guys want to continue your date.” Her voice sounded hollow even to her.

“No, I’ll drive you home,” Brody replied gruffly.

Nan smiled at him in gratitude and waved at her before she stepped out of the car and headed to the doorman. She turned right before she entered the double doors, and waved sweetly and blew a kiss toward the car. Mina had no doubt that the kiss was meant for Brody.

She stayed in the back seat of the car as Brody pulled away from the curb. The silence became deafening between the two of them. She told herself she didn’t care, that Nan and Brody belonged together. But when Teague kept interfering with her friends with the sole intention of hurting her, she hated him, hated them. Being burned from a relationship was painful, and Teague had found a wound he could keep picking at to hurt her. She had almost believed him for a second when he said he was sorry. But she knew he wasn’t.

After a few blocks, Brody slowed the car down and came to a stop down a road lined with darkened houses. “Would you like to sit in the front seat?”

“No, I think I’m good back here,” she said stiffly.

“I really don’t know what came over me,” Brody said quietly, looking at her through the rearview mirror.

“She’s your girlfriend—you don’t need to explain yourself to me.”

“No, it was inconsiderate of me, considering our past history. I’m not even sure why I drove Nan home first. It was never my intention to hurt you like that.”

“I know. It’s not your fault.” Her heart was being twisted in a vise, and she didn’t think she could handle it anymore. Quickly, she flipped open the Grimoire and pulled out her pen and tried something.

Jared, she wrote.

Mina? Wow, how are you doing this? I can see your words in my head.

Never mind that. Can you come get me…NOW?

Are you in danger?

She thought for a moment.

Yes, no. Just come get me…please.

On my way, he answered.

Brody squeezed his hands on the steering wheel and turned around in his seat to look at her. “You don’t really mean that. You can’t just up and forgive me for the way I’ve treated you. Mina, I’ve never been so confused before. I feel like I’m in a tug of war of emotions. When I’m with Nan, it’s like a powerful force of nature and I can’t fight it. I don’t know how to fight it. But I feel so much for you. I don’t…I’m not sure—”

Mina didn’t let him finish because she saw the dual headlights coming down the road, and they slowed to a halt in front of the car. She grabbed her purse and notebook, and opened the door. Brody was surprised by her sudden exit and opened the driver’s door to jump out after her.

She couldn’t just abandon him without an explanation. She turned back and took a deep breath, being careful to keep her tears at bay. She stepped up to the door and closed it. Brody’s warm hand came down on top of hers through the open window.

“Sometimes love is worth fighting for. And if you don’t fight for it, then it slips through your fingers.” She pulled her hand away.

He looked devastated, but she didn’t turn back, and instead continued to walk toward the Ford Boss. Jared was being careful to not make eye contact with Brody. For once he was being the gentleman. She only hoped that she hadn’t interrupted his date with Ever.

She slid into the front seat and opened the window as Brody pulled away. The rush of wind in her hair and the hum of the engine lulled her into a place of nothingness. Refusing to think of Brody, of Jared, of Teague, she concentrated on a happy place. Of a time when she was still with her brother, playing board games. Moments later Jared pulled up to the Grimm house and waited by the gate. Mina leaned forward across him and punched in the code, and the gate opened up. He drove slowly up to the front door and turned off the engine. She sat in the car, still numb, and he walked around to the passenger side.

He didn’t speak, didn’t ask any awkward questions, and she respected him for it. He saw that she was hurting, and he reached out to grab her arm and gave it a reassuring squeeze. She lost it. She threw herself into his arms and started crying, using him as a shoulder to cry on. He held his hands up in the air awkwardly before he wrapped them around her and let her cry herself out.

When she was done blubbering, she pulled herself away and used the sleeve of her jacket to wipe away the tears. “I’m so sorry.” She sighed.

“Nonsense. I’ve watched many Grimms grieve over the years, and I think I like the way you do it the best,” he answered.