Reece's Haven

33

"Remind me how much you love me because I feel like I'm losing you..."
– Nautica

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~ D O R O T H Y ~

January 1998

"Horrible," Jenny whispers, shocked and sympathetic. "Just horrible."

Jenny and I are sitting on my bed, wearing pyjamas and eating ice cream. I finally told her everything, even about my past. Well, nearly everything. I have yet to tell her about Luna's threat. After placing the bowl of her ice cream on my bed, Jenny holds onto my right hand, her dark eyes soft.

"How did I not know about any of this? Dorothy, you suffered so, so much on your own. You could have told me," she says.

"I'm used to dealing with problems on my own. I used to think depending on other people would only just lead to disappointment. But not anymore."

She wraps me in a hug, and I return it.

"Thank you for telling me. I bet it wasn't easy," she says.

"...But I feel better; so much lighter."

We let go of each other.

"I'm glad," she says. "Now, back to the story. Monica, I can understand. That bitch is a fucking psycho. But Reece? How could he do such a terrible thing?"

"He wanted revenge. He thought I ignored him for the last seven years, remember?"

"But still! What he did can never be justified!"

"I agree," I say, nodding. "But he regrets it immensely. After we cleared up our misunderstanding and... after I found out that he genuinely regretted what he did, I've decided to forgive him."

She purses her lips, frowning and crossing her arms.

"What makes you so sure that he won't hurt you again?"

I smile, appreciating that she is being protective of me.

"Because he cares about me," I reveal.

Her eyes narrow.

"But you didn't believe Dave..."

"Yes... But Reece does care about me. He... He said it himself when we were just outside."

Her eyes suddenly widen and her jaw drops.

"Really?"

I nod.

"But it's not just that," I continue. "He said that he wants me to date him instead of Damien. He even said that he wants to kiss me."

I can tell she is controlling the urge to swoon. Jenny lives for that kind of stuff.

"...So did you two kiss at that moment?" she squeaks, repressed excitement laced in her tone.

Clearly, she wants to jump up and down, but given that she now knows what Reece did to me, she forces herself to remain composed.

"Of course not!" I say a bit too loudly for my liking.

She raises her hands up in surrender.

"Alright, alright. Then what about you? Do you feel the same way?" she asks.

I rub the back of my neck, pondering.

"Honestly... I'm confused. I don't feel anything when I'm with Damien but with Reece, I feel – I don't know – attracted to him, I guess? We were obsessed with each other when we were kids. I know that I don't hate him, at least, not anymore... but I don't know... Maybe I do because I cared a lot about him when we were kids... I guess time will only tell."