Page 81 of Curious
“What is this?” I ask. “Something about a case?”
“Not this time,” Noah says gently.
“It’s an intervention,” August says.
“But … I don’t need an intervention. I don’t abuse any substances.”
“That’s true,” Alden says. “But I think youwereabused.”
The words rake down my back like nails on a chalkboard. All the hairs on my neck stand up. “No.”
There’s a knock on the door, and Charlie walks in. “Sorry, am I late? Fuck. I’m late.” Reyna is right behind him.
“Hi,” I say awkwardly, sniffling.
“Cam knows we’re here,” Reyna says, “but he didn’t want to pressure you by being a part of this conversation.”
“Right,” Noah says. “Besides, we all decided that, as your friends, we needed to talk to you, separate from your husband. Er, boyfriend. Husband?” He shakes his head. “Regardless, you deserve to know how much we all care about you and don’t like seeing you hurt. I get that we’re not trained professionals in this area. We’re not therapists. But lawyers do see a wide swath of the public. And it seems like you might need a little help.”
My heart is beating so fast I might pass out. “No,” I say, getting up. But Alden stands faster than me.
“You can leave,” he says. “But I wish you’d hear us out.”
I feel like a trapped animal.
“I think, because someone very close to you hurt you, you’re not trusting that someone else won’t hurt you now. Let me say that again.”
A tear slides down my face. “Evan only did it the one time.”
“It’s not just Evan,” Alden says quietly. “Your entire life, you were betrayed by the person who was most supposed to protect you. Moms aren’t perfect, but one who makes you feel like you were a burden? Like you shouldn’t have been born?” He shakes his head. “She didn’t deserve you. Her opinion of you is not reality. You hear? You’re like a fish who can’t see the water—the abuse—because you were immersed in it from the moment you were born. But the reality is, you are an amazing human, Shelbs. And you deserve to be loved.”
I sniffle. My friends give me kind smiles, and it makes me feel worse. Danny passes me Noah’s tissue box, and I take one.
“You dated a bunch of guys who were never going to be right, so you could protect your heart. And then along came Evan,” Alden whispers. “The one time you opened your heart. He was supposed to be your boyfriend, your lover, and he betrayed you by lying to you and hitting you.”
“We can get you resources if you want to go to a domestic violence survivor group,” Noah says gently.
“No,” I say, getting frustrated, my hands in fists. “I don’t want …”
“You don’t have to,” Sam says. “But we want you to know that what he did to you is not your fault. At all. The point here is that you had two people close to you who were supposed to protect you, and didn’t. That’s bound to leave scars.”
“Now you’ve found a great guy,” Danny says, “who wants you in the right way.”
“Does he love you?” Sam asks.
I nod. “He said he does.”
“Yeah. He does. He loves you,” Charlie says. “He told us, Reyna and me, but we all see it.”
“He told you?” I ask.
Both Reyna and Charlie nod, and something weird happens with my heart. Because it’s one thing to tell me, but it’s another to tell his family that he’s in love.
“The question is, then,” Danny says, “do you love him?”
I cough and look around the room. I want to hide, but these people are my best friends. Sure, I work with them, and two of them are literally my bosses. But I know they all care about me on a personal level.
“Too much,” I whine. “You guys are too much.”
