Chapter Fifteen
Lennon
Author’s Note: This is a long one, but it was one of the earlier chapters that I knew I wanted to include at some point. This entire story was inspired by the lakeside community my best friend’s family has a cabin at, and we visit during the summers. The picture for this chapter was taken by me on the night I was inspired to write this. I hope you enjoy it :)
Our evening had been uneventful, thankfully. I’d texted Brooks like he’d asked me to, and we’d sent messages back and forth for most of the evening. It was nice to talk to him in this capacity, without the pressure of the case pressing down on us at all times.
He’d joked about me charging him for his two minute emotional support hug, but I’d been meticulous about my invoicing him. Now that hugging and shared looks were taking place, my notes and time stamps were incredibly detailed.
Moments like the one on his living room floor were what I’d mentally begun referring to as Off Hours Brooks and Lennon Time. I liked him, and I wouldn’t let anyone use our growing connection against us while I was still working for him.
Nora and I had curled up in my bed with Maple, and fallen asleep watching some trashy reality television show. It was the second night of having someone in my cabin with me overnight, and I’d soaked it up. Nora told me the story of her most recent date––with the pastor's daughter, Anna––and how she’d told one of the most notorious gossips in Elmwood to mind her own business when she’d given them a dirty look. I’d laughed so hard I couldn’t breathe at the image of Nora cussing out the nosy old ladies in town, and wished I could’ve been a fly on the wall.
She had an ongoing issue with Maren, one of the more ignorant townspeople, and had gone out of her way to piss her off any chance she got. It’d been the highlight of my summer, honestly.
Nora was exactly what Elmwood needed, in my opinion––with her vibrant hair, open sexuality and unapologetic attitude. She was a breath of fresh air, and my dearest friend.
Despite living in a small town, the majority of our community welcomed and supported her. Growing up on a ranch, Nora had the skills she needed to defend herself and she didn't need anyone else to do it for her, but I was happy to go up to bat for her whenever I heard someone being awful towards her.
We had a quiet breakfast while I sent out some emails. My plan for the evening, after I dropped Nora off at home, would be to do some canvassing in town. With Brooks’ permission, I’d sent some missing persons posters off to be printed and would pick them up in town later.
Someone had to know something, especially in such a small town. It was bothering me that nobody had approached me yet, but it was common for people to think what they knew wasn’t helpful. Even the smallest detail, like seeing her speak with someone, or Hailey mentioning where she visited frequently, could make all the difference.
I’d also sent a message to Alicia’s brother Justin, who I’d found through social media and was waiting for him to get back to me. Knowing he was likely dealing with laying his sister to rest, I wasn’t anticipating a call for another few days. I hadn’t received any calls yet from anyone at the treatment facility, but it was still early in the day. I had faith that someone would have something for me.
The pace of my investigation so far had me gritting my teeth.
A quick check in with Hailey’s social media revealed no change. With a sigh, I leaned back from my laptop and glanced over at my friend.
Nora was laying upside down on the couch, her legs thrown over the back and her head hanging over the seat. Her hair just barely skimmed the floor, and Maple was curled up on her stomach as she scrolled on her phone.
“I think I’ve done all I can for the moment,” I said, bringing her attention to me. “Do you still want to paddle-board?”
The summer was coming to an end, and I knew that we’d be missing the lake when the snow came.
“I thought you’d never ask,” Nora said. “But first, I have to get this tiny beast off of me.”
I laughed and climbed the ladder up to the loft, padding across the wood floor towards my dresser. Digging through the drawer, I pulled out my bathing suit––a blue-green two piece that Nora had talked me into buying in Elmwood last summer, claiming it brought out the flecks of green in my hazel eyes. I’m positive she just liked that it was the colour of her hair at the time, but I’d humoured her. She’d gone more sapphire recently, and it looked good on her.
Nora was one of those people that could pull off any colour or style. She was stunning, with her golden brown skin and big dark eyes. It was no wonder she had most of the women in a hundred kilometre radius chasing after her.
She was rooting around in my fridge when I returned to the main floor, an apple in one hand and a bottle of water in the other as she perused the various containers of leftovers that had accumulated over the last few weeks.
“God Len, you really should clean this sucker out.” She pulled the lid off of a black takeout container and grimaced at whatever she found. “What even is this?”
Snatching the unidentified food out of her hand, I quickly tossed it in the garbage and reached past her to grab a bottle of water for myself. “I only have a few spare hours these days, would you prefer that I spend them cleaning out my fridge or going paddle boarding with you on the lake?”
“Fair point,” she conceded.
She’d changed into a fluorescent pink bathing suit covered with cartoon flamingos in sunglasses, and had pulled her hair into a French braid. Her favourite diva sunglasses sat on the bridge of her nose, covering almost half of her face, and zinc sunscreen sat on her skin as she waited for it to soak in.
Sliding on our sandals, we headed around the side of the cabin and grabbed our boards from the rack Nora’s dad had made for us. We used them often enough in the summer that it didn’t make sense to deflate them in-between uses. Nora and I checked the air with the pump, before hauling them down the path to the beach.
It wasn’t far from my cabin, and the lake was relatively quiet––a fact Nora was thrilled about. We spent most of our time on our boards cursing out boats who came too close and stirred up the silt at the bottom of the lake with their activities.
We sounded like old women, cursing out the local youths for disturbing our quiet, but we didn’t care.
Kicking our shoes off in the grass, I followed Nora to the end of the dock, our feet sending vibrations through the metal beneath us, and helped her ease her board into the water. She fastened the velcro strap around her ankle, and braced herself against the dock as she lowered herself onto the board, sitting on her knees and pushing off with her paddle to give me space.
Moving to follow her, I realized I’d left my phone back at the cabin.
“Shit,” I muttered. “I’ll be right back, I have to grab my phone. I’m waiting to hear back from someone and should have it nearby.”
Nora laughed and shook her head at me, splashing me playfully with her paddle. “Hurry up! The water is divine, I can’t resist it for much longer.”
“I’ll be quick,” I said over my shoulder.
Snatching my board up and dragging it off the dock and into the grass so Nora wouldn’t have to babysit it, I took off running back towards the cabin. Throwing the door open with a bang––and terrifying Maple in the process––I was in and out in a matter of minutes.
The sound of a boat greeted me as I neared the bend in the path on my way back. Nora wouldn’t be pleased about that. So long as they stayed away from us, though, it shouldn’t matter. We’d just have to point our boards towards the waves to avoid being tipped. We didn’t brave standing up all that often, anyway.
Rounding the corner, I scanned the lake.
Nora was sitting down on her board, her long legs dangling off either side as she moved her feet back and forth in the water. She had her arms braced behind her and her face was turned up towards the sun.
Movement caught my eye and I looked past her, recognizing the sleek black boat almost instantly. Unease rolled through me as I noted that his usual group of friends wasn’t in the boat with him, and there was no music blasting from the boat. Was he just blowing off steam after our fight yesterday? A solo boat ride seemed a little odd, but it wasn’t that out of the ordinary. My eyebrows drew together as I watched him closely from the shade of the trees next to the dock.
I hadn’t noticed his vehicle when I did my rounds, and it was hard to miss––he drove a massive black lifted truck. There’d been no movement in his family cabin either, but he easily could’ve shown up after I returned to my place. Like I’d said to Brooks, he didn’t come around that often these days, and my gut knew that it was no coincidence.
My skin broke out in goosebumps as the boat turned towards our dock. This wouldn’t be good. There was no doubt in my mind that he was upset with me after our conversation yesterday. How had he even known we’d be out here? I wasn’t in the mood to hash out our shit, but just as I was about to call out a warning to Nora and suggest coming back later, I realized this was no normal approach.
Nora had her back to him but the moment she opened her eyes and looked up at me, she whirled to see what I was staring at.
I watched in horror with my feet planted firmly in the grass as I realized that the boat––Travis’s boat––was heading straight for my best friend. Nora’s hair shone brightly in the afternoon sun, along with her pink bathing suit and the neon lifejacket buckled to the straps on her board. She was clearly visible, sitting crosslegged as she floated, barely eight feet from the shore as she waited for me to get back.
There was no way he didn’t see her.
One look at his face confirmed that.
Sinister determination was written all over his expression, in the set of his jaw and narrowing of his eyes. He let his boat continue on towards her, the water churning violently as he picked up speed.
Nora seemed to realize this wasn’t some sort of sick prank at the same time I did, and she let out an enraged screech as she scrambled for the strap around her ankle, her fingers scraping at the velcro and leaving angry scratches on her skin in their wake.
Her enraged panic sent me into motion, and my feet pounded on the hot metal as I ran to the end of the dock, as close to her as I could get without throwing myself into the path of the incoming danger.
“Travis!” I screamed, his name sharp against my throat.
His head jerked up, and surprise was written all over his face as he met my eyes.
That look told me everything I needed to know.
He hadn’t known I was here.
He’d thought Nora was out here alone.
Why the hell would she have been out here on her own?
How had the timing of this worked so perfectly?
The horror of it all pressed down on my shoulders, as I watched my best friend fling herself from her board in a desperate attempt to get out of Travis’ way. She cleared it seconds before he jerked the wheel to the side, the force of the waves capsizing her board and sending her abandoned paddle and life jacket into the murky water.
“Nora!” I screamed, dropping to my knees and leaning as far over the edge as I could, cursing the murkiness of the shallows for a completely different reason than normal. I didn’t breathe or move a muscle, my eyes frantically searching the churning water for her.
I didn’t spare Travis a second glance as I heard his boat retreating, the waves he’d caused slamming against the dock like an angry storm.
Had she hit her head? I didn’t think so, but it had all happened so fast, I couldn’t be sure. She was a strong swimmer, but that wouldn’t matter if she’d been injured. The seconds felt like hours.
Images of an unconscious Nora settling against the silty lakebed filled my mind, but just as I was about to jump in after her, a familiar––and furious––head of midnight-blue hair surfaced and she sputtered for air, scum from the lake coating her skin and eyelashes.
“Fucker!” Nora bellowed as she wiped her eyes clear, her treasured sunglasses lost in the frothing water. “You fucking fucker!”
I welcomed her rage eagerly. If she was cursing, she was breathing, and that was all that mattered to me right now.
Our eyes met, and we stared at each other in disbelief for a moment before turning to see the boat ripping across the water in the opposite direction like a bat out of hell.
“Nora,” I gasped. The relief I felt was almost as overwhelming as the horror.
“He just tried to fucking kill me!” Nora roared.
I reached out a hand as she swam closer to me, and noticed the tears that sprung to her eyes the second our hands came into contact as I hauled her up onto the safety of the metal structure.
“He just tried to kill me, Lennon!” her voice broke on a sob and I pulled her soaking wet body into my arms, feeling her anger give way into terror.
He’d finally done it. He’d broken Nora and pulled something from her that she’d been determined to never let him have––her fear. I ran a hand down her wet hair and hugged her close, the both of us shaking violently.
“I’m sorry,” I said, my own voice breaking as tears raced down my cheeks as well. “I’m so sorry, Nora.”
“No,” she snapped furiously, pulling back from me. “Don’t you dare apologize for that psycho.”
Her cool fingers gripped my face, the smell of lake water strong on her skin. “Setting a boundary with someone doesn’t give them the excuse to try and harm your friends. That is on him, not you. Do you understand me?”
I nodded, lip trembling, and I pulled her back against me. We stayed there until our breathing calmed and Nora pulled away, running a hand down her face. Her board knocked rhythmically against the dock, her lifejacket still uselessly buckled to the elastic straps. The paddle had floated under the dock, and I knew we’d need to use mine to pull it out.
“Come on,” I said, sounding like I was on the verge of tears. “We should get the hell out of here, incase he makes his way back over here.”
She shot me a fierce look and I was so relieved to see it, I could’ve cried. I knew her well enough to know that the fear was still there, but there was less of it now that she was out of the water and seemed to be physically okay. If her hatred had been strong before, it was personal now, and I anticipated it was about to grow tenfold.
“I fucking dare him,” she growled, rising to her feet.
We fished her things out of the lake and hurried up the path again, back to the cabin. We’d left it together less than twenty minutes ago, and the thought that coming back without her had been a near reality hit me.
Nora may have had a handle on her fear, but mine was running wild.
We threw our stuff down on the lawn and hurried into the cabin. I grabbed my car keys and quickly drove my car up the road, parking it at the boat launch, where Travis was less likely to see it, before running home and throwing the deadbolt. The fire was out, and Nora had pulled the blinds closed. I checked the windows and, when both of us felt like he wouldn’t know we were still here, Nora mumbled something about needing to shower.
I was hesitant, not wanting someone to be able to hear the water running from outside the cabin, but I knew that she’d just gone through a traumatic event and needed the smell of the lake off of her. She told me to go up to the loft, so Maple and I curled up in my bed together.
Nora needed some time to herself, and I knew that, but there was no way I could be in my own head right now, so I pulled out my phone and called the person that I knew would pick up.
“Hey, I was just thinking about you,” he said warmly.
A knot formed in my throat, and I tried to bank my fear as best as I could. “Brooks,” was all I could manage, before the tears came again.
The image of Nora leaping from her board and barely getting out of the way in time was playing on a loop in my mind.
His voice immediately changed, and I heard the concern in his words. “Lennon? What happened? Are you okay?”
“Travis just tried to hit Nora with his boat,” I sobbed. “He didn’t know I was there too, and he was so close to hitting her, Brooks. It was so scary.”
“Oh my god, Len. What the actual fuck? Is Nora okay?”
His anger fuelled mine, and managed to pull me back from the edge. I’d known he wouldn’t doubt what I said, and I think that was the reason I wanted to call him in the first place. Brooks wasn’t from Elmwood, and he’d seen the real Travis almost immediately. I knew he would be on our side.
“Yeah, I think so. Physically, anyway. She’s downstairs taking a shower.”
“Wait, you’re still at the cabin?” he asked. “When did this happen?”
“Like, ten minutes ago maybe?” My voice sounded small, and I hated it.
“Lennon, are you sure you should still be there? What if he comes to your cabin?”
I sighed, and curled around Maple, burying my face in my pillow. My voice came out muffled. “I moved my car to somewhere close by so he’d think we’d left. The lights are off, the blinds are closed, and I don’t have a fire going.”
Brooks was silent and I knew he felt like that wasn’t enough. I didn’t blame him, honestly. I didn’t even know if it was enough. But where did you go when your ex-boyfriend––who is a member of law enforcement and is beloved by his community––tries to kill one of the only people in town who sees through his mask?
“I think he’s going to spin it and say that it was a prank that went too far. Everyone knows that he and Nora bicker, they’re not going to think he actually wanted to kill her.”
He let out a frustrated sound. “But he did, right?”
“It sure looked like that, based on how close he came to her before he jerked the wheel. If I hadn’t screamed his name, I don’t know if he would’ve stopped before hitting her.”
“Jesus, Lennon. Can I come get you two? Please? I don’t think you should stay there. Come here, where there are several doors, a security system and multiple stories between him and you.”
In this moment, I wanted nothing more than that. I wanted to run away, and to throw myself into the safety he was offering me.
But I knew that I couldn’t let Travis win in that way. This was my home, and he would not scare me away from it.
Plus, I knew that Brooks was behind on work stuff. “Don’t you have a game you’re going to––” I pulled my phone back to check the time, “––like right now? You don’t have time for this.”
“Fuck the game.” The fierce tone of his voice told me he meant it, and I felt more of my tattered heart warm to him. “I’m in my car right now, I can be there in an hour.”
“Brooks,” I said with a sigh. “I want to say yes, but I also don’t want to let him win.”
“Who cares if he wins if it means you’re safe?” he asked, sounding frustrated.
I knew it stemmed from his own fear and wasn’t directed at me, and he did have a point, but I was too stubborn to agree with him. The bathroom door opened on the main floor and Nora’s head appeared a moment later as she climbed the ladder, dressed in a towel.
She hesitated when she saw the phone pressed to my ear, but I patted the mattress next to me and she climbed into my bed as I switched the phone to speaker.
“You’re on speakerphone. Nora is here,” I said, adjusting so my head was resting against her arm.
“Hey Nora,” he said. “Lennon was just telling me about what happened. I’m so sorry. That must’ve been so scary, are you okay?”
“The shower helped. I’m more angry than anything at the moment,” she admitted. “What do we even do now? He’s their fucking golden boy and there’s no way they’re going to believe us over him.”
“I was just saying that,” I said before catching her up on our conversation, and Brooks’ offer for us to stay with him.
“I mean, I definitely don’t think we should stay here, and I’m not leaving you here alone.” Nora looked at me with a look that said I dare you to try that. “You can come to the Ranch too, we’d be safe there.”
Both were fine options, but I really didn’t want to be forced out of my home. A plan was forming in my head, and I was determined to get them on board.
“But what if we just beat him to his own game?”
“What do you mean?” Brooks asked over the phone.
“What if Nora and I act like we thought it was a joke that went a little too far, and pretend we don’t think it was as sinister as it was.” I sat up and raked a hand through my hair. “It’ll ease his anxiety about us reporting it, and he’ll have to play along. He’ll already be spreading it to the town, we might as well benefit from the lie, too. It gives us some protection. That way I can stay here, and he doesn’t get to take my home from me too.”
Nora and Brooks didn’t reply right away, so I pressed on. “He’s obviously unhinged, but we’re going to need to be careful and clever if we’re going to take him down. I think I’ll go to Carson and tell him what happened. He won’t take it further than that, and someone outside of the three of us will know.”
“I don’t think I can pretend it didn’t happen, Len,” Nora said.
“I know, and I’m not asking you to.” I looked at her and reached for her hand. “We will just avoid him for a few days, until we can make a better plan. Please? He’s going to escalate if I disappear right after I just watched him almost murder you. Our best bet is playing it cool. It’s safer for all of us.”
“If you can promise me I’ll get my dues, fine.” She didn’t look happy about it, but I knew she saw my angle and the benefits it would provide us.
“Fine.” I glanced at the phone. “What about you Brooks? Any requirements?”
“Yeah,” he said, his tone letting me know how unhappy he was about this plan. “I come there tonight after the game and sleep on your couch again. You said you had plans to be in town tonight anyway right?”
“Yes, I wanted to do some canvassing and put up some missing persons posters. My plan was to go there after taking Nora home.”
“Okay, so how about you stick to that plan and I’ll meet up with you tonight after this work thing.”
He left little room for disagreement, but his plan made sense. I didn’t want to be here alone, I was just too damn stubborn to let some unhinged asshole chase me out of my own home. Brooks was lonely at home anyway, so it was two birds with one stone.
“Nora? Does that plan make you comfortable too?” his voice reached for my friend through the phone. “She’ll be in public in the time between when you leave her and I can meet up with her. From the sounds of it, he won’t try anything in a public place, and especially not if you two are playing it off like some kind of fucked up prank.”
Nora rolled onto her side, facing me. “Fine. But you march your ass into the police station and hang out with Carson if anything weird happens.”
“I like that idea,” Brooks said. “He needs that job to help his good guy cover, so he can’t risk anything in his own place of employment.”
“Fine, I agree to your terms,” I said. “You two are a couple of mother hens, you know that?”
“You’re the one that wants to try and manipulate a manipulator,” Nora countered. “If anything, we are just helping make sure nobody gets hurt in the process.”
“Agreed,” Brooks said. I could hear his turn signal ticking, and knew he’d be getting close to the game. “Call me if anything changes, and I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Okay,” I said. “What time should I expect you?”
“It’ll depend on timing, but a few hours would be my guess. I’ll have to do some interviews and stuff while I’m here.” He sighed, as if needing to work before he could come to me was the most annoying thing he’d ever encountered. “Just let me know where you are, and when, and I’ll be there.”
“Oh, you can just come here when you’re done,” I said. “We don’t have to meet in Elmwood, it’s faster if you just come straight from Fort Havre.”
“I’d rather drive behind you on the highway, if that’s alright,” he said.
I noticed how he left it up to me, even though he was making his wants clear. He let me be the one to decide what I wanted to do and did his best to support me in those decisions, even if he had a different preference, and I liked that.
With Travis, it had been his way or the highway. Even the way he’d spoken to me on the phone, belittling my career, had been mild compared to the way he’d treated me when we were together.
Brooks was supportive and caring, but most important of all, he respected me.
“If we are still using a democratic approach, I’d prefer that too,” Nora said.
“Okay, I won’t argue with you two on that,” I said, flopping back down on the bed beside Nora.
The bluetooth disconnected from his car, and his voice came through the phone more clearly as he brought it to his ear. “I just parked, so I should head inside. Nora, I’m so glad you’re okay. Let me know if you need a place to stay too, you’re always welcome.” We could hear him rummaging around for a few seconds before his voice came back one more time. “I’ll see you soon, Len. Be safe please.”
“We will. Talk to you soon,” I said, and we said our goodbyes.
Feeling Nora’s eyes on me, I rolled my head to the side and looked at her after hanging up. “What?”
“I like him,” she said.
“You’ve followed him on Twitter for, like, two years,” I pointed out. “This isn’t new information.”
She smacked me gently and laughed. “You know what I mean. He’s sweet with you. That’s the kind of person you need.”
“We don’t have to talk about this right now,” I said. “You almost died, like less than an hour ago.”
“Yeah, and the fading adrenaline is making me sleepy and I want to hear you talk about all of your ooey-gooey feelings about the hot Fort Havre Times sports writer. I don’t want to talk about what just happened.” She gave me an apologetic look. “Maybe later, but it’s too fresh right now. Distract me, please.”
I sighed. “Fine, but only because I feel awful and still partially responsible.”
“You’re not, but please, do go on.”
I chewed on my lip for a moment, before deciding to tell her. The words fell from me, and I described our moment on his living room floor and how it’d felt to be in his arms. I told her the conversation we’d had, and that it was obvious that something was growing.
“Oh my god, I knew it!” She squealed, sitting up and smacking at me a few times. “I knew something happened before I showed up!”
“Yeah, but it didn’t go further than that! He’s hesitant to cross that line, and I guess I’m just waiting for a sign that he’s ready.”
“He pre-asked you out, I think that’s a sign that he’s into you. I’ll bet you’ll find his sister and he’ll be so appreciative, he’ll be kissing your feet as soon as that last bit of worry leaves his system.” Nora grinned. “It’s not a bad thing that he wants to make sure his head is in the game. He basically said he cares about your experience more than his own desire and if he’s going to do you, he’s going to do you right.” She wiggled her eyebrows at me, and the butterflies in my stomach threatened to climb up my throat and choke me to death.
I threw my hands over my face, feeling the blush rise beneath them. “Don’t say it like that!”
“Maybe something will happen tonight when he stays over,” she suggested, sounding suspiciously hopeful.
“Isn’t that basically ruled out with the boundary he set?”
“Well yeah, but it’s not like he’d be proposing. It seems like the two of you are getting closer to taking a next step. Yeah, the situation is shitty, but it’s not like you aren’t consenting adults and can’t make a decision that works for you both. There are plenty of ways to have intimacy without having a relationship,” she said with a shrug.
“True.” I nibbled on my lip. “But what if I want the intimacy and the relationship?”
She gasped in mock horror. “Lennon! Who are you? Two weeks ago, you were telling me about how awful humans were and how nobody believed in monogamy anymore. You said, and I quote, I am going to be single until I die because these men are awful.”
I groaned and pulled my knees up to my chest. “Well, it turns out they aren’t all awful. I’m not saying I’d want to jump into anything, but I’d want to know where we were heading before sleeping together. From the small taste I had, I don’t know if I could come back from that.”
Her hands landed on my arms and she pulled my hands from my face, forcing me to look at her. “You deserve this, Len. Talk to him. You deserve someone good after all the shit you’ve been through.”
“Yeah, I sure knew how to pick them, eh?” I sighed. “I just wish that he hadn't gone after you, too.”
Nora’s brow furrowed, and she tilted her head slightly, as if she’d just caught a scent. “What do you mean? Did you know he was capable of something like this?”
Realizing how close I was to coming clean about my relationship with Travis, I chewed on my lip, unsure if I wanted to tell her. It felt like the right thing to do, but I was still held back by that underlying guilt that I’d stayed with him even when I saw the signs. My hesitation had more to do with me than with her, and I knew that, but now I was worried she’d be upset I hadn’t told her sooner. I should’ve told her sooner. I wanted to tell her.
“Tell me,” she urged softly. “Please.”
That was all it took, and the words poured out of me.
I told her about the fights we had, and how his face would change. I told her about the time I’d locked myself in the bathroom so he couldn’t get to me. I told her about the begging, the apologies, and the gaslighting after it was over. I told her why I hadn’t said anything, and my fear that the town would believe him over me if it ever came out. I explained how stupid I felt for not seeing through him right away, and why I’d kept it to myself for so long.
Tears poured out of me, and while it had felt good to tell Brooks, it felt like I’d shrugged a massive weight off of my shoulders as I cried to her. Nora listened silently, her brows drawn together with her hand holding mine as I spoke. When I was done, she pulled me in for a hug.
“So to answer your question, I think a part of me did know he has violence lurking beneath the surface. He’s just really good at hiding it from people. We knew him most of our lives, and I didn’t see it until several months into our relationship.” I sounded drained. “He never physically hurt me, and until I saw that boat heading straight for you, I honestly didn’t think he would go there. I should’ve known.”
“Lennon,” Nora said. “None of this is your fault. He is the way he is, and that has nothing to do with you. He chose to be an abusive and controlling dick. He chose to drive that boat. If they believe him over you, they’re fucking idiots. I’m so sorry he succeeded in isolating you from me, and making you think that you couldn’t tell me about it.”
“It just felt so normal after a while. I kept waiting for the Travis who’d pursued me to come back, but it didn’t take long to realize that person never existed. That Travis, the one from the lake, and from outside Brooks’ apartment, that’s the real one. And if he could convince me that he wasn’t in the wrong, how the hell was I going to get people on my side?”
“You don’t need to worry about that,” Nora said. “The truth will come out. You have me and you have Brooks, and nothing will change that. You’re not alone with Travis and his dangerous behaviour anymore. We will make sure he can’t hurt anyone else. They will see him for who he is once it’s safer for us to tell them, that much I promise you.”
I knew she was right, but I didn’t know if that was a good thing. If this was how he behaved now, what would he do when the mask was no longer there for him to put on?