Read Online Hidden Falls by Ruthi Kight - Free Book Online Page A

me feel
safe, secure.  Something that I hadn’t felt in too long.  After what felt like
an eternity, we finally pulled apart.  He entwined his fingers with mine and
pulled me down to the couch, our bodies touching as he kept me close.
    “What happened?  You
scared the shit out of me Kitty.”
    I started from the
beginning.  I told him about my mother’s drinking problem, my father’s
disappearing act, and what had finally broken my silence.  I stayed stoic and
calm as I spoke, but by the end I was a blubbering mess.  It was hard to be
strong for so long.  Sometimes it just felt nice to be vulnerable.
    “Oh, Kitty.” He pulled me
close, stroking my hair as I let my body melt into his.  “Why didn’t you tell
anyone?  We...I...something could have been done.”
    I looked up into his eyes,
finding his pain mirrored there, as tears threatened to pour down his face.  “I
was so ashamed.  I mean, even you thought my life was perfect.  Could you
imagine the gossip if people found out what was going on around here?”  I shook
my head and closed my eyes.  When I opened them I found his closed as well.  “I
just couldn’t.  I couldn’t handle the stares. The talk.  The backlash.  It just
wasn’t...worth it.”
    “Screw everyone else.  Who
gives a shit what the hypocrites in this town think? This is serious Kitty. 
What are you going to do?”
    “I called a rehab center
in Columbia.  I talked to them about what would need to be done...but I’m
worried.  I don’t know if Dad would be willing to send her.” I was shaking, my
body no longer my own.  My stomach was in knots as I thought about telling my
dad.  He wouldn’t be happy about paying for something so expensive.
    “Well, guess that means we
need to talk to him then, right? Where is he?”
    “Out of town.  He’ll be
gone until tomorrow night.”
    “So...you’re here...by
yourself? With a mother who drinks herself into a near coma?” He shook his head
as a grimace twisted his mouth.  “Know what that means, right?” I shook my
head, utterly confused.  “It means you’ve got a new roommate until he comes
back.”
    I stared at him as the
smile split his face, lighting up his features in true Brian fashion.  “You’re
going to stay here?” He kept smiling and nodding his head enthusiastically.  He
was beginning to remind me of one of those Chihuahuas that were so common on
people’s dashboards.  “How will I explain that to Mom when she wakes up
tomorrow?  She’s not going to be happy about it.”
    “To be honest, I don’t
give a shit what she thinks.  If her safety wasn’t an issue, I would whisk you
away right now.  But she can’t be left alone.  And you don’t deserve to deal
with this by yourself.  So here I am.”  He stood up and looked around.  “Now,
let’s have some fun.  Want to prank call Roxie and Chase?”
    The mischievous grin on
his face set me off, sending me into a spurt of giggles.  His presence was not
only reassuring, but he kept my mind off of reality.  He was just the medicine
that my wounded soul needed.  In that moment, I was almost thankful that
my mom couldn’t keep her hands off of the hard liquor.  In the dark recesses of
my mind, where the constant doubt lived, questions began to find their way to
the forefront of my mind.  Where would we stand once this was dealt with? 
Would there be anything left to tether us to each other?
     

 
     
    Chapter Fourteen
    Brian
     
    I was spending the night
at Kitty’s.  Only a short distance from her bedroom.  The only space in her
home that I had never seen.  It was like the forbidden land.  An area that I
had never been privy to, but longed to explore.  I hadn’t thought out the idea
before I opened my big mouth, but afterwards I was sweating.  Could I resist
the temptation to invade her space?  I wanted nothing more than to climb into
her bed and pull her close.
    We spent the night
watching movies, neither of us doing much