Page 60 of The Sidekick

Trevor

Chapter Twenty-Two

Trevor

When Max comes in, I straighten in my seat, breath held in a toxic mix of fear and hope.

Disappointment drowns them out when he shuts the door behind him. His face is grim, and his jaw is clenched so hard he might crack a tooth.

“It isn’t her,” I deflate. Instead of reacting like someone with common sense, I snap at him. “Who the fuck did you bring with you then?”

“Oh, it’s her,” Max assures me while his teeth grind. “She’s not ready to see you. In fact, she said that you can kiss her butt.”

“Tera?” I ask dumbly. That does not sound like the woman I know.

“Yup,” he steps forward as his rage cools into concern. “She’s so thin, Trev. It’s like she’s barely been eating. And she’s got herself locked up tight.”

My hands start to shake, and one drops to the computer I have hidden under my desk. The only thing she left behind for me to hold onto.

“She showed up at the house. Shade, of all people, dropped her off and left. I basically begged to get her here.”

His anguish washes over me, and I wince.

“Her smile is fucking gone,” his anger begins to rise past the pain as he glares at me. My hand presses hard against the computer as that information stabs me through the heart. That means her bubble got destroyed, and I have to face the fact that I had a hand in it.

“This Tera? She’s not going to obey your every whim. You can’t just demand she go anywhere anymore. You fucked that, so make peace with it now before you see her because it is a shock.”

“Ok,” I try to keep my voice calm, but it’s a struggle.

I can’t picture her the way he’s describing. She’s always bounced back. Even after Joe and Andi, she maintained her bubble, even if it was slightly tarnished. I’ve been deluding myself with thoughts of her moving on and finding happiness somewhere else. While the thoughts made me want to break things, the harsh reality is much worse.

I don’t know what I was expecting. Maybe for her to skip through the doors like time hadn’t passed and welcome me with open arms or some stupid bullshit. That she had gotten my letters and finally came home. I could explain, and everything would return to how it was. Fuck, if only it were that simple.

The door opens behind Max, and Pat joins us with wide eyes. “What happened to her?”

“Everybody got what they wanted,” Max snaps. “Her bubble is gone.”

“I didn’t want it that gone,” she breathes in horror, and my face pales as I take in her shock. “She looks terrified to be here.”

“What?” My voice breaks, and I clear my throat to cover it. I shouldn’t be surprised that this isn’t a safe space for her anymore, but, like an idiot, I am.

“Diana is out there begging her to come back to work, and she’s ice cold about saying no, boss man,” her tone tries to be gentle, but Pat is not the comforting type. I appreciate the effort, but she sucks at it.

“She won’t,” Max agrees and glares at me.

“Why would she come back if she’s this upset?” Pat asks with a frustrated huff.

“I think she’s here to cut ties once and for all.” Max’s tone makes her swallow hard and back away.

The words pull me to my feet as my teeth grit, “Like hell, she will.”

Babygirl,

Yeah, I’m still writing to you. Maybe someday these will find their way to you, wherever you are. That way, you’ll know how much I miss you. People say absence makes the heart grow fonder. I say absence makes the heart grow harder. I miss you so much, and I can’t say it. No one believes me when I do.

Yours,

Trevor

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