Mercy [Completed]

Chapter 11: Heaven's Residue

Her phone rang, pulling her reluctant mind back to the present. It was Stephen.

"Hello?"

"Hey there, how are you?"

"Good, you?"

"I'm well, thanks. Would be better if we could have lunch today."

Brooklyn closed her eyes tightly. The head space she needed to be in to consider spending time with Stephen felt miles away while she was still riding the coattails of the previous night's high.

"Hello?"

"Um, yeah, sure. What time?"

"Twelve on the dot sound good to you?"

"Mhm."

"All right. I'll pick you up then."

Brooklyn didn't rush to get ready. Instead, she sat with her arms crossed, her conscience forcing her to deliberate whether or not she should call Stephen and cancel. Or, move ahead with Stephen and stop seeing Father Mathias, she thought. Brooklyn shook her head. That wasn't an option.

Stephen arrived on time; not a minute earlier and not a minute later than twelve. "Is everything all right?" he asked when she got into the car.

"Everything is fine," she said, pushing her guilt away and forcing a smile.

The date was short as it was in the middle of his workday, but it was laid back. Being around him was easy and it didn't take long for Brooklyn to forget, if only for a moment, about her complicated situation.

"Can you drop me off at the soup kitchen at the corner of Nichols and Pineview?"

"Sure. Are you volunteering there?"

Brooklyn nodded. "It's one of my weekly tasks," she said absentmindedly.

"Cool. Maybe I can come with you on the weekend."

"No!" This was hers and Father Mathias'. Sharing it with another man seemed wrong. "I mean, um, it's something I like to do on my own." Brooklyn wanted to bury her face in her hands and all of her guilt came rushing back.

"So what about Saturday night? There's an amazing rooftop club..."

"I don't really do clubs. Anymore. I used to. But I stopped."

"All right then how about you just agree to let me pick you up Saturday night and I'll surprise you?"

Brooklyn bit her lip. "Surprise me?"

"Yes."

"Okay..."

"Great! Well, here we are. Until Saturday."

Brooklyn's smile faltered. Her priest had told her the same thing just that morning. Only there was no set time.

"Are you okay?"

Brooklyn fixed her smile. "Until Saturday."

"And Brooklyn?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks for making my workday a little brighter. And not just today. Every time I go to the cafe, I'm hoping to see you."

Confusion aside, Stephen had a talent to make Brooklyn smile, and she smiled through the dinner prep at the soup kitchen and all the way home. It quickly vanished when she saw Page sitting in front of her door with mascara running down her face.

"Hey, Brookie," she said with a weak smile.

"What are you doing here?"

"I know you don't wanna see me but... I need you. I need my friend."