-Harry
I don't hesitate before heading down the short hallway that opens into the living room.
The wide smile gracing Bridgette's face is a complete contradiction to the look of shock covering Everly's.
No, not shock. Fear.
But I don't feel afraid. Not in the least.
I know precisely what sort of woman Bridgette is. She's self serving, not loyal in the least.
She knows about us, Everly and I, but she wouldn't be here if she'd already shared that information with Carter.
She wants something.
I take a seat next to Everly, a dull pain running up the center of my chest when she moves away slightly.
I try to tell myself it's a force of habit for her. Distancing herself from me is a knee jerk reaction when someone from Carter's world is around. It's a protection.
But to me, it still feels like a rejection. Something I'd never do to her.
It still hurts.
"Aren't you two just the cutest couple..." Bridgette breaks the silence filling the room, her voice overly cheerful.
"We're just friends." Everly lies, "We..."
"Cut the bulls.hit." Bridgette cuts her off, "You called out his name this morning."
My eyes flick to Everly, her cheeks flushing as she responds. "What?"
"I heard you, you said his name..." Bridgette points at me. "This morning after Carter and I f.ucked."
"Wait, what?!" I finally open my mouth, my words coming out a lot louder then I intended them to. "You had s.ex with Carter?!"
Bridgette chuckles, shaking her head at Everly, "So you don't tell him everything. And here I thought he was in on the whole thing."
"What thing?" I question.
"Oh, this is going to be fun." Bridgette grins, sitting back on the couch and folding her arms.
"You don't know anything, stop acting like you do." Everly's voice wavers.
"I know enough. Which is apparently loads more then Harry here."
"What thing?" I repeat, raising my voice.
"Shall you tell him or should I?" Bridgette asks Everly.
Everly remains silent, her eyes locked on Bridgette.
"Alright then.." Bridgette sighs dramatically, turning towards me. "Everly is using..."
"Stop!" Everly yells, standing up abruptly. "What do you want?!"
Bridgette grins triumphantly as she pulls her cellphone out of her bag. Tapping the screen a few times, she holds it out towards us.
"I want five hundred thousand transferred into that account. Right now."
"We haven't got five hundred thousand dollars." I scoff. "Every dime I've made I've sent back home."
"I know you don't." Bridgette scowls at me before ticking her head towards Everly. "But she does."
"What?" I look up at Everly.
"Carter gives us all a monthly allowance." Bridgette explains, "But the rest of us get s.hit compared to how much he gives her."
"I can't transfer it." Everly hands Bridgette back the phone.
"You will or I'll go to Carter." She quickly threatens.
"I can't transfer it because I didn't put it into an account."
"Don't even try to lie and say you've spent it." Bridgette snears.
"I didn't. Stay here." Everly stands up, walking past us both and into the hallway.
I follow after her, into the small spare room past her own bedroom. I'd only briefly looked in this room before, barely taking notice of the small closet she stops in front of. She knows I'm behind her, and I take it as a good sign she doesn't tell me to leave before she opens the door.
Maybe she's actually starting to trust me a bit.
Pulling a square truck out from underneath a pile of blankets, she pulls a small key out of her pocket and unlocks it. My mouth drops open in shock as she pulls the top open, the entire thing being filled with stacks of bills. Large bills, all one thousand dollar bills by the looks of it.
"You... he's given you all this?" I gape, shaking my head in disbelief.
"Mostly." She responds quietly.
"Mostly? Where'd you get the rest? There's got to be over.. Christ, how much is in there?"
"Almost enough."
"Enough for what?" I ask, watching her as she starts to remove several stacks.
She doesn't answer me, instead dropping all the money she'd counted out into a small bag before she closes the trunk and slides it back inside the closet.
Her gaze never meets my own as she passes me, heading back towards the living room. Handing the bag to Bridgette, her face remains stern.
"It's all there."
"I always knew you were smart Everly." Bridgette smiles, standing up and looping her arm through the bag. "I'll keep your little secret for now."
"For now?" I ask.
"For now." She nods, "Now I'll leave you two alone. I'm sure you have loads to talk about."
She grins, glancing at both of us before she stalks towards the front door and steps out.
We both remain silent as she slams the door behind her, my eyes instantly landing on Everly the second we're alone.
She doesn't look scared anymore.. just defeated.
"I need some answers Everly." I say softly but firmly.
She nods, taking a seat on the couch and wiping her hands across her face before looking at me. "I won't have answers for everything. I mean.. I can't give you answers for everything."
Sitting down across from her, my jaw tenses as I feel anger shoot through me. And dissapointment.
She still doesn't trust me, not like I want her to.
Pushing the thought to the back of my mind, I try to focus on the fact she's at least willing to let me ask. She's not just pushing me away, she's not automatically running away.
"How much money do you have in there?" I start.
She hesitates, taking a breath. "A little over three million."
"Is that the only place you've money stored?"
Seeming surprised by my question, she shakes her head no.
"So you've more somewhere else?"
"Yes."
"How much altogether?"
"Um..." She looks down at her hands, "Five maybe."
"You've five million dollars in cash?" I duck my head down so she'll look me in the eye.
"Yes."
"You said you didn't get it all from Carter.."
"My father left me some when he died."
I nod, taking my bottom lip between my teeth in thought. "..What are you planning on doing with it all?"
"Leaving."
"Leaving?" I raise an eyebrow. "Where you planning on going?"
"I don't know yet."
"I asked you to leave with me.. you wouldn't. So you want to leave, just not with me?" I try to conceal the hurt in my voice.
"No." She shakes her head, staring into my eyes. "If I could leave with you now, I would. But I can't. Not yet. And when I can, I can't go to England."
"You think you'll have to go somewhere Carter can't find you." I state. "That's what you need all the money for."
"Yes."
"But you can't leave now."
"Not just yet, no."
"Why?"
"I have something I need to take care of."
"What do you have to take care of?" I question.
She shakes her head, looking away from me. She won't answer that.
"After you've taken care of it," I go on, "that's when you plan on leaving the country?"
"Yes."
"Alone?" I ask hesitantly.
"Hopefully not."
"Who are you planning on going with you? Me?"
She sighs, her face taking on a look of utter sadness, "You won't want to go with me."
"I wouldn't want to go with you? I'm trying to go with you now."
"Things change."
"That won't." I say adamently.
"You can't know that for sure."
"Then who is it you're planning on going with you?"
"It doesn't matter."
"It matters to me. Who is it?"
"I can't answer that." She shakes her head.
"You mean you won't." I stand up, "What the f.uck am I even doing here Everly?"
"I don't know." Her eyes redden as she shrugs. "I've messed everything up. This, us, wasn't supposed to happen."
"Us? You've denied there ever being an 'us' from the beginning." I point out, "I ignored it cause I knew we weren't just f.ucking, I knew it wasn't just that to you either. Not truely. And now I find out you're planning on leaving.. but not with me. You bascially just told me we've no future, and now you're finally admitting there's an 'us'? You don't get to do that."
"I'm so sorry."
"I f.ucking put myself out there for you. Dealt with all this s.hit just so I can be near you, so I could spend time with you. Thinking it would all be worth it cause one day Carter would be out of the picture and we could actually be together. But it's all for s.hit isn't it?"
"I've told you all along..."
"No!" I cut her off. "You don't get to do that. Yeah, you told me we wouldn't work. But then you slept with me again and again. You spent the night with me, sleeping next to me. You talked to me. You made me feel something more for the first time in my entire f.ucking life..."
"Harry, I'm sorry! You know I care for you, it's just not that simple."
"You care for me?" I chuckle humourlessly. "You care for me... Jesus Christ Everly, I'm in love with you."
Her mouth opens to speak, but no words come out. None in response to the bomb I just dropped.
I hadn't even admitted that to myself, and now I've just told her.
F.uck.
It feels like ages that we just stand there in silence, the only sound heard being the faint noise from the traffic on 4th street outside the window.
The more time passes, the more I realize that if her initial reaction wasn't just to say it back, then I'm f.ucked. She doesn't feel the same.
"Are you using me?" I ask quietly.
A tear rolls down her left cheek as she inhales sharply. Walking over to the cabinet by the front door, she opens a small drawer and pulls out a key.
She holds it out to me, and I take it, turning it over in my hand. The number 62 is ingraved on one side.
"It's to a locker at Grand Central station." She pauses. "In it you'll find a bag of money and a passport. Leave tonight."
"What..."
"I'm done using you." She exhales slowly, "I'm done with all of it."
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