Brannon sighed as he flopped to the ground, arms wide with the tools around him.
"Baby, I'm spent."
"You've only put one bolt in the bed Bran."
He smiled at me and I rolled my eyes, shaking my head.
"We won't be able to sleep on it if you don't get the bed made."
"Yeah, I know." He grumbled.
Leaving him to it, I wandered down to the utility room and unloaded our new bedsheets, putting them into the dryer. The sun was fading, lowering to the other side of the island. In hell the sun didn't rise in the east and set in the west because the sun never set. Here it would rise until it was directly overhead and then it would slowly sink back down to the east side. It was odd and I knew it was going to take a long time to get used to it.
With the sheets drying, I set out to start dinner. In these menial tasks I found a sense of satisfaction. This was something that I'd never done for anyone, making a meal. It thrilled me and I looked at the contents of the cupboard trying to figure out what I wanted to make.
Hearing an odd squeaking noise, I turned and saw a bare backside waggling against the once clean window. Luca grinned at me and lifted his pants back up, Kelsey was shaking her head with a grin.
"Nothing like a pressed ham, eh Emily? That's payment for you know what."
"Yeah, thanks for that. I always wanted to see your ass."
In some horrifying parallel universe of course.
"So how's things?"
"Getting there. We ran into your sister today."
His eyebrows raised with slight shock.
"Didn't remember a thing, did she?"
I shook my head, wondering how much there was to remember. As much as I knew it wasn't wise to know, I really was curious as to what they got up to. But then I remembered what I'd done with Sarul and I didn't want Bran to suffer the pain of that information.
"Dad had already been into the bank, seen the guy there but he was served by someone else. When Anton asked what my parents wanted for Chloe, they said that they wanted her to be happy and to let her decide her own life and love. But of course with no memories of what had happened and they didn't want her pining for him either. That wasn't fair to Chloe and not to you either. So Anton removed any affection for Bran from her mind and heart, replacing it with a great friendship, one that she will always want. I think that he wanted to punish Bran just a little and having to remember it when she doesn't, that's pretty harsh."
Yep, that is rather harsh but having seen it from this side of the fence, I could see the negativity of Brannon remembering what he'd done with Chloe. I worried that he looked at her and remembered how good it had been and would want for more. My name was written on his heart; he would be faithful to me but that didn't mean that he wouldn't yearn for a little more from her.
"He has to remember it Em, I know you're worried about what went on but he needs to keep those memories otherwise someone will say something to him and he won't understand. Chloe isn't a risk because no one knows, only a few people and even if we do slip up, she won't pay any attention to it."
"But he could have done that with Bran." Kelsey offered.
"Punishment Kels. Bran did a lot of things that were really wrong. Not just with Chloe but the world over. Rather than putting his adult son over his knee, Anton ensured that Bran would suffer the memories and it will be what stops him from doing it again."
"So what do your parents think about it?"
Luca shrugged as a response to my question, leaning on the kitchen bench with a rather heavy sigh.
"Chloe's always been a free spirit, she's always done what she wanted. They aren't impressed but they understand that Chloe would have been a big instigator in the situation. All they wanted was their daughter alive and happy, she is that so there is no issue."
I nodded as I pulled a packet of dry pasta out.
"Bran's upstairs trying to put our bed together. Are you guys staying?"
"Yeah but we don't want to be hearing any house and bed christening."
"Sure." I said, hoping to seem happy.
Inside I wasn't.
Luca wandered off, I could hear his heavy footsteps up the wood staircase. Kelsey remained, pulling herself up onto the counter.
"You know, if you overthink it, you'll never get past it."
I looked at her curiously. Having never really had much of a conversation with her, I didn't really know what she was like.
"Overthink what?"
"What they did. You can't go there Emily; you need to let it go. He was hurting really bad and he found solace in the bottom of a bottle. We know it's not right but it's what happened. The past can't be changed and you've got to accept that. Besides, he doesn't know what you got up to."
I wanted to object and say that I hadn't done anything but then I remembered that she was there, she had seen me with Sarul and even if she assumed that it was the worst of what had happened between us, it was still pretty bad. They were Brannon's friends and they were always going to be on his side of this mess, the mess that I had caused.
She was right, Brannon didn't know what I had gotten up to. I knew it was a mild version by comparison but it was enough. I had said that I loved him yet I had let that go in favour of something that by appearances was easier. I'd wimped out and went with the easiest option and Brannon had suffered the most for it. Kelsey was right, I couldn't go there and I had to let it go.
Nodding to her statement, I unloaded the ingredients onto the bench and tried to distract myself with making dinner.
"You'll get there, Em," Kelsey said sincerely. "One day at a time."