The apartment was cold, but filled with light from the windows. It was remarkably clean; too clean. One of the guys must have come over and straightened things up. Stephanie hung back letting Abbey get acquainted with the surroundings. Abbey wandered from room to room. Some things looked familiar, most things didn’t. It was a nice sized apartment; one bedroom, one bath, nothing special.
She plopped down on the couch, still scanning the room.
“You wanna order a pizza or something? I’m sure you’re sick of hospital food,” Stephanie yelled from the kitchen.
“No, why don’t you head home. Or go hang out with Chris. I think I’m just going to hang out and, I dunno, do whatever.”
Stephanie peered around the corner. “I’m not leaving. The only way I convinced Justin to stay away from here tonight was if I hung out with you.”
“I don’t need a babysitter,” Abbey laughed.
“No, it’s not like that. I want to stay. Let’s watch a movie or something.”
“Steph, don’t make me kick you out. I am fine. Really.”
“You’re fine. Great, let’s hang out.”
“Fine.” Abbey rolled her eyes and set her head back on the couch. “Hey, can you do something for me?”
“Sure, what?”
“Leave.” She giggled to herself, enjoying the moment a little too much.
“You’re not funny. You know that right?” Stephanie walked over and handed her the mail. “What’s that?” She motioned to the plastic bag sitting on the coffee table.
“My personal stuff from the hospital.” She grabbed the bag and dumped the contents on the couch next to her. Her tattered clothes from the night of the accident, a watch, some pocket change, chapstick, a necklace, and a small figurine. The necklace was striking, but simple. She placed it around her neck before lifting it to admire it again. The butterfly figurine had a broken wing, but it still played. Abbey turned the knob and Debussy began to play. She smiled at the sound.
“What are these for?”
“I guess your birthday,” she shrugged.
Abbey set it on the table and smiled.
The night was fun. They watched a couple movies, looked at some pictures. Stephanie had insisted on spending the night, but Abbey refused. She was determined to get her life back on track. Sleep didn’t come easy that night. It was strange sleeping in her bed; it certainly didn’t feel like her bed. After several hours of restlessness mixed with short bouts of fitful sleep, she got up and watched the sun rise in the distance. It was a pleasant, comforting scene. One that put her at ease enough to fall back asleep for a few hours.
It wasn’t until the loud ringing of the doorbell did she get up. She stammered groggily to the door, lazily peering through the peephole to see who it was. Almost unconsciously, she unlocked it and pulled it open.
“Morning.” She wasn’t sure if his smile was because he was happy to see her, or if perhaps she just had really bad bed hair.
“Justin. Hi.” She looked down at her thin tank top and shorts. Almost instantly, she began to feel overly exposed. It wasn’t like she was naked. He had surely seen her like this before. Even seen her with much less than this on. But she nonetheless felt vulnerable.
He sensed her shyness and mockingly covered his eyes. “Go change, I brought breakfast.”
She wandered back to her bedroom, throwing on a sweatshirt and pajama pants before meeting him back in the living room.
“I really didn’t mean to wake you. I just thought you’d be up by now.”
She sat next to him on the couch, smiling. “What time is it?”
“Past 10. I can come back later.”
“Didn’t you say something about bringing breakfast? I’ll keep you around if it’s something good,” she winked.
He held up a small white bag. “Strawberry bagels with cream cheese. They’re your fave--” His voice trailed off and his gaze moved down.
She reached over, grabbing the bag from him. “They’re still my favorite, Justin. I didn’t forget everything.”
His smile was uneasy, not knowing what to say. They ate in silence, occasionally glancing over at each other, smiling.
“So,” he half-whispered, breaking the silence. “I thought we could spend the day together."
“Okay. And do what?”
“Go a couple places that we used to hang out.”
She stood up and smiled as she walked towards the bedroom. “Give me half an hour and I’m all yours.”
After a quick shower, Abbey threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, pulling her hair back into a ponytail.
The pair ventured downtown, browsing in shops and generally goofing off. Abbey was glad to be out-and-about, Justin was just happy to see her smiling again. They stopped in a quaint restaurant for a late lunch. It had been a long day and Abbey wondered if perhaps she had pushed herself too far. She was exhausted as she wandered outside to get some fresh air while Justin paid the bill.
“Abbey? Hey! How are you?” The young woman walked over from a small group of girls standing by the curb.
“Hey?” She didn’t mean for it to come out as a question, she was merely confused as to who the woman was.
“Don’t you remember me? Laura. We met a couple weeks ago after the concert. Is Justin with you?”
Abbey smiled apologetically, the confusion still evident on her face. “I’m sorry, I don’t. I was in an accid-- I mean, I c-can’t remember. Justin’s--” She turned towards the restaurant door and saw Justin walking out.
Laura shifted her focus to him and smiled. “Can we get a picture?”
Justin nodded, signing several autographs and letting the girls take pictures before he and Abbey began walking towards the car. She was silent the entire ride home, merely staring out the window. He walked her up to her apartment, making small attempts at conversation. Her responses were short, often only a nod or smile. She unlocked the door and turned around before walking in.
“I’m really tired, Justin. I think we should call it a day.”
“What’s wrong? I thought we had fun today.”
“We did. It’s just, you know. It’s just weird still.”
“What’s weird? Talk to me.” He placed a hand on her arm, but she pulled away from his touch.
“It’s weird being out. It’s weird seeing people. It’s weird being with you.” The last words came out reluctantly and soft.
“I’m not pressuring you for anything. I just want us to be together. I want us to get back what’s lost.”
“It’s going to take time, Justin. Please just give me time.”
He smiled sadly as he turned and walked away.
Chapter 9: Remnants of Your Touch
Take Me Home!
