Leaving At Last Chapter 14
He walked over and rested his chin on my shoulder.
“Baby, who was here?”
“A friend.”
For the next week, Auden and I continued our search for materials.
What I hadn’t expected was for Briar to call me.
I’d changed my number after moving to California.
I had no idea how he’d gotten it.
When I picked up, a strange man’s voice came through the line.
“Hello, are you a friend of this phone’s owner?”
“He’s had a lot to drink and keeps saying he wants you to come get him.”
When I arrived at the bar, Briar was sitting in a booth with his head down.
Only when he saw me did the tension in his face ease.
He grabbed my hand, his palm burning hot.
“Blair, you came.”
“I had a dream.”
“I dreamed you didn’t want me anymore, that you got a new boyfriend.”
“Thank God. It was only a dream.”
Briar’s mind was a mess. All he could do was repeat my name.
My head started to ache.
He hardly ever drank. How did he end up like this?
I asked the bartender for a wet towel and draped it over his forehead.
Then I called him an Uber, gave the bartender the license plate, and prepared to leave.
Sensing I was going, Briar clutched my hand, refusing to let go.
I sighed and said it plainly.
“Stop pretending.”
“You don’t drink, and you have surgery tomorrow.”
“You would never let yourself get this out of control.”