Page 3 of Love Rewritten

“Another one?” Rose asks as the credits roll.

“Absolutely.”

She scrolls through the options before landing on another comedy. It’s been a good change of pace for me, the humor. As much as laughing hurts, it feels good to be happy, even if it’s for fictional characters.

I’m almost sad when the front door opens and Logan and Dallas return. I’ve been in this phase of stillness, where I feel like I haven’t had to deal with anything to the point that I’ve almost forgotten what got me here. Dallas’s return brings back memories, the good outweighing the bad, but he’s still a reminder of what happened. It’s not necessarily a bad thing. I don’t hate being around him. In fact, he’s my safe place at this point. I just wish he didn’t have to be.

Logan heads to the kitchen for some water. Dallas kisses the top of my head before heading to his room to drop his bag off.

“How was the movie day?” Dallas asks when he returns, wearing his work uniform.

“Good. Relaxing.”

He smiles as he rounds the couch to sit next to me. “Good.” He pauses. “I unfortunately have to go to work now.”

I groan, visibly pouting.

“I know. I’m sorry. I promised I’d be back today. I don’t want to leave again either, but I don’t have a choice. I’ve got to make money somehow.”

“Okay.” I wasn’t quite prepared for an entire day without him. After a full week of him being home, and as nice as today has been with Rose, I’m really starting to grasp just how attached I’ve gotten to him. And now that I’m thinking about it, I don’t know that I’m a fan of that. I used to be so independent, even with Sam. But here I sit, a babysitter on one side, Dallas on the other and all I can think about is when he will get home from work.

“Can I come with?” I blurt out.

Dallas glances at Rose for a moment before returning to me. His response is careful and calculated like he’s afraid if he says the wrong thing, it’ll set me off. “Abby, it’s only been a week since … everything happened. And they haven’t found Sam yet. I would love nothing more than for you to join me at work, but I won’t be able to keep an eye on you. I just don’t want anything to happen—”

“I’ll go with,” Rose pipes up.

We both look over at her now. She’s sitting forward on the couch, hands on her knees. Dallas’s lips press together, and he looks like he wants to argue this one.

“Dallas, please. I need to get out of this house. I can’t stay here for the rest of my life.”

He bobs his head side to side, seeming to think about his next words carefully. “Fine. But you sit where I can see you, and you stay with Rose the entire time.”

I frantically nod, not wanting to push him any further.

Landry’s Bar and Grill is full when we arrive. Rose and I find the last empty booth near Dallas’s spot behind the bar and settle in with a pitcher of water and some snacks. Tonight, the solo singer sits on a stool in front of a microphone playing an acoustic guitar. The music is calm and relaxing. Exactly what I need for the night. It’s brought in a different crowd than usual, and it doesn’t seem so rowdy. I can hear Rose across from me without either of us needing to yell.

She asks some simple generic questions, nibbling on her fries, before asking the one that seems to have been festering in her mind all night. “So, I don’t want to pry, but can I ask what happened? Like the full story? I’ve picked up bits and pieces, but I’m having trouble connecting some spots. And maybe that’s just me being nosey, but I’m curious.” She scrunches her nose slightly, surely waiting for a rebuttal.

I suppose I could fill her in on a few things even if my stomach does feel like it’s doing flips at just the thought. “What do you want to know?”

She smiles, now giddy for the information. Her reaction almost makes my face pinch together. “Okay, well for one, what actually happened at that first party?”

I feel the lump in my throat forming with the coming words, but I force past it. I can’t ignore my past forever, and I trust Rose to be a safe person to talk to about this. “Well, from what I can remember, Sam—”

“No, not with Sam. With Dallas, silly. I need details.” She folds her hands on the table and leans forward.

Relief washes through me at her words and I’m sure it’s visible from where she sits. “With Dallas?” I let out an anxious laugh, resting my head against the red cushion of the booth behind me. “That's what you care about?”

She holds her hands up in surrender. “Guilty.”

“And here I thought you wanted to know about all the drama with Sam.” I fully recline into the red pad of the booth, letting my shoulders sag though it’s not very comfortable.

“I’m sure all those details will come out eventually, and when you’re ready to talk about them, but I don’t want you stressing about all of that if you don’t have to. I want to see you happy and talking about things that make you happy. And clearly, Dallas makes you happy.”

“Is it that obvious?” I shy away, looking at Dallas behind the bar. He shakes a drink above his shoulder, and I find myself wishing his uniform sleeves were just slightly shorter. He smiles when he notices me watching.

“Girl.” She cocks her head, following my gaze. “Have you seen the way you two look at each other? It’s kind of hard to miss, even for a stranger.”

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