Love Obsessed (15 page)

“Brandon!” He yells, throwing his hands up.  I take an involuntary step back. Cole is angry. “You shouldn’t have to sneak out to see me, Erin. I thought that we were over all of this, and that we were going to be together openly for everyone to see, including Brandon.”

“We are,” I defend.

“No, we’re not!” Cole stares at me.

“What do you want me to do? Brandon needs me right now!”

“I need you!” Cole points a finger into his chest. 

“You have me!”

“No, I don’t. Brandon has you, and I’m, as usual, second choice!”

“You are not...” I start, but am interrupted

“Yes I am! I’ve had enough of this. It’s been months, and I want my fiancé here with me, not with another man!”

“I’m not with Brandon!” I throw my hands up in exasperation now. 

“You’re not here either!”

“What do you want me to do?!”

“Stay here! Move in here! Be here with me. Wear your engagement ring and be with me!”

“I am with you!” I’m getting so angry that tears are threatening to fall.

“Not while you’re with Brandon, you’re not!”

“Do not make me choose, Cole!”

“Why not! Brandon did!” He has his arms crossed now.

“That was different!”

“No it wasn’t! Me or Brandon? Choose!”

I stare at him. “Don’t do this, Cole, please,” I plead quietly.

“You choose Brandon,” he whispers.

“He needs me right now,” I say, stressing that he needs me.

“I need you more,” is all Cole says before he leaves the apartment, leaving me to collapse to the floor and cry.

***

“It’s mine,” Brandon says, plonking himself down on the chair next to me. I can’t believe it, either. The paternity test came back positive. The baby is Brandon’s. “What are mum and dad going to think?”

“They’ll understand,” I assure him.

He shakes his head, “I’m going to have to marry her. I don’t want to marry her.”

“Brandon, these days, people have babies all the time without getting married. You don’t have to marry her.”

“Not my kids. I always thought that my wife would have my kids, not some fling.”

I hold his hand and squeeze it, “It’s going to be fine.”

“No. It’s not. She’s stuck in my life forever, and now I have a kid. God, Erin, a kid. I’m going to be a dad.” He sinks back into his chair. This is killing him.

“I’m right here, Brandon. For all you know, Beth doesn’t want to marry you.”

He shrugs, “I don’t know. I guess that’s an option.”

“Let’s sleep on it, and then make decisions later.” Brandon isn’t convinced, and neither am I.

Cole

We’ve all been summoned to Mum and Dad’s. Brandon has something to tell us. We’re all seated in the living room, when both Erin and Brandon walk in, holding hands. I want to jump up and punch him in the face, but remain calm. The ‘hellos’ go around, and then they sit down. Something isn’t right. Brandon looks devastated and scared.

“I have something to tell you,” he starts, his voice cracking and tears evident in his eyes. He looks at Erin, who pats their joined hands and smiles slightly. This is what she was hiding from me.

“I’m going to be a dad.” The air in the room stills. No one moves. No one breathes. “You guys have never met her. Well, you did, Cole.” No. Fucking. Way.

“You got that bitch pregnant!” I stand up, and Brandon doesn’t move a muscle.

“Don’t, Cole. He’s beating himself up enough as it is,” Erin says.

“This is what you were hiding from me? That he knocked up some random bitch who made your life hell? You should have told me!”

“Don’t yell at Erin!” Brandon says in the background.

“It was not my news to tell, Cole. I told you that. All you had to do was wait a little bit longer.”

“If you had told me.....”

“I don’t think that it would have changed anything.” She’s serious. I stop and frown at her. What is she trying to say?

“What’s the plan now? Are you going to be in the baby’s life, or....” Ryan trails off.

“As much as I hate to, I was raised right. My child will have my name, and I will be in its life, so I’m going to marry her.”

I don’t know what to say. “What do you have to say about this, Erin?” I asked, wanting to know her feelings about the situation.

“This isn’t about me.”

“I’m making it about you. Brandon is being taken away from you. How do you feel about that?” My sarcasm is very evident.

“Cole,” Ryan says. Mum and Dad still haven’t said anything about this.

“I’m a big girl. I can look after myself, without Brandon.”

“Yeah? How did that work out for you the last time?” I know that it’s wrong the moment I say it. Erin’s eyes widened.

“Cole!” Ryan says, and then Brandon hits me in the face and I’m on the floor.

Erin

Brandon asks Beth to marry him, and she says yes on one condition; that I move out of Brandon’s and limit all contact to virtually nothing. I agree before Brandon can say anything. He is going through enough as it is, and I don’t want him to have to choose, so I do it for him. It sucks and hurts, but I’m doing what’s right for Brandon.

“I’ll always be here. A phone call away,” I assure him. We’re standing outside his apartment, the car packed, saying our goodbyes.

“I’m such a bad person. I’m so sorry, baby.”

“It’s ok, Brandon. Just remember that I’m a phone call away, no matter when or where. Call me.”

He hugs me so tightly, I feel like my insides are going to explode. “I love you. You remember that.”

“I will and I love you too. You remember that.”

“Always. Let me know where you end up.”

“Of course.” Brandon kisses my cheek, and I climb into my car and drive away, with no destination in mind. I’m starting from scratch. I can do this. It isn’t until I clear the city limits that the tears start to flow.

***

I found a nice little apartment in a lovely area in the outer city. It wasn’t hard to find a new job; teachers are needed everywhere. The school is older, but no matter where you go, kids are kids, and that will never change. It’s been a few weeks since I moved away from everyone, and I have spoken to everyone but Cole. He hasn’t called, and I haven’t called him either.

“Hey, honey.”

“Hey, Dad.”

“Mum wants to know if you’ll be coming for dinner this week. You haven’t been to the last few, and she’s getting worried that something’s wrong. I’m starting to get worried as well, to tell you the truth.”

“I had unpacking to do, and then I started my new job. I’ve been busy, dad.”

“So, dinner this weekend?”

I guess that I can’t put off dinner any longer. With a deep breath, I answer, “Yeah. I’ll be there.”

“Great.” I can hear his smile, “See you then.”

“Yeah.”

***

Sunday, I arrive for dinner, and I’m the only one here so far. I help Mum out in the kitchen. We all catch up and wait for everyone to get here.

As we’re setting the table, the front door opens, “Erin.” I turn to see Ryan walking out from the house. “Hey,” he says, coming over to me.

I go over and hug him, “Hey Ry.” When I pull back, I notice Cole standing behind him. He just stares at me, and then walks away and through the house. We hear a door close. I sit back down and just look at the table.

“Ignore him. He’s just being an asshole,” Ryan says, clearly pissed off Cole’s behaviour.

“It’s alright,” I assure him. We have finished setting the table, when Cole appears again.

“What are you doing here!?” he steps outside. “I have been fucking freaking out, because you just up and disappeared again. What the hell, Erin? Make up your mind where you’re going to be, and stop fucking doing this! You’re here, or you’re not! You can’t have it both ways!”

Dad stands up and moves around the table. “Erin is here for dinner. If you have a problem with that, you need to leave,” Dad says.

“Just like when she brought Jake here?” Cole asks. I freeze at his name, and Ryan must have felt it, because he grabs my hand.

“That’s enough, Cole,” Dad says.

“I should go,” I say quietly.

“Good idea.” I turn to see Beth and Brandon walk out of the lounge room. “Did you know that she was going to be here?” she asks Brandon.

“Don’t start, Beth,” he says, looking at me.

“You always take her side,” Beth whines.

I get up and Ryan gets up with me “You don’t have to go. This is just as much your home, too.” If only that was true.

“Stay, Erin. We’ll go,” Brandon says.

“It’s ok, Brandon,” I start to walk back into the house.

“Bye,” Beth says snidely.

“Don’t talk to her,” Brandon says.

“I was just saying bye.”

“That’s enough from you, Beth,” Ryan says.

“Are you going to let him talk to me like that?” she whines.

“Leave it, Beth,” Brandon says, and Beth storms past me and goes outside.

“Sorry, baby,” Brandon offers.

I offer him a small smile and go over for a hug, “It’s ok. It was good seeing you all again.”

“You’re not going anywhere Erin,” Dad firmly declares.

“Yeah, I’m just going to head home.” I go up and hug him.

“We’ll walk you out, then,” Dad says.

We walk through the house and out to the drive way. “You don’t have to go,” Mum says.

“Yeah I do. I know when I’m not wanted.”

“We’re sorry about this,” Dad says. They both kiss and hug me before I get into the car to drive home.

Cole

“What?” I ask Ryan, sick of him looking at me.

“What the fuck was that?! We come over here for a family dinner, you see Erin, and you verbally attack her! You’re an asshole! You know that, right? You’re a self centred prick and are so self consumed. The whole world rotates around Cole. You’re a fucking moron, and I’m starting to see that Brandon was right in keeping Erin away from you. You don’t care about anyone else but you. You have no right to talk to her the way you did. You don’t deserve her. First, you kick her out of your apartment after making a cheater out of her...”

“What!” Brandon says.

Ryan continues, “You broke up with her because Brandon was going through something and needed her. You couldn’t handle her being over there with him. Then, you make her sound incapable of looking after herself, like she needs someone to be able to live. She was alone for a very long time before us. She looked after herself without having to rely on anyone. You made her sound insignificant, all because you’re a self-centered, inconsiderate bastard.”

“Cole,” Dad’s voice fills the room. “Erin is a part of this family no matter how much of an asshole you are to her. I thought that I raised smart boys, but now I just think that you’re as dumb as dirt,” Dad says sternly. He’s pissed at me. The room is silent. I fucked up again.

“You slept with Erin while she was with Jake?” Brandon asks, trying to stay calm, but I can hear the tightness in his voice. I don’t answer him. I can’t believe he’s doing this. “Cole, I swear to God. Answer me,” Brandon continues.

I turn and look at him, “Yeah, I did, and the only regret I have is that Erin got punished for it.”

“Cole needs to grow up and pull his head out of his ass,” Ryan spits. I hear Beth gasp and giggle.

“Get your knocked-up bitch out of our family home. She isn’t welcome here,” I spit.

***

Dinner had been ruined, so we all went our separate ways. Brandon took Beth home, and I came back to my apartment. After I get some liquid courage in me, I dial Erin. She doesn’t answer. I try again and again and again, all the while filling and emptying my glass with bourbon. Eventually, she answers, “Stop calling me. I’m about to turn my phone off.”

“Well, if you had answered the first time, I wouldn’t have had to ring continuously.”

“You’re drunk,” she states.

“I’m sorry about earlier. It’s just easier to hate you sometimes, than to love you. You really hurt me, Erin. You took my heart and burnt it, like it meant nothing to you. You know how I feel about dating and women, and I have never given my heart away, except to you. For some reason, you got it and didn’t give it back. Give me my heart back, Erin. I don’t want you to have it anymore.”

“I wish that I could give it back. It would make everything so much easier.”

“You don’t want my heart now? Isn’t it good enough for you? What makes it not good enough? Jake gave you his heart, and look at what happened there. I never touched you that way, never treated you wrong, and he did. What makes me so different from him?”

“Don’t go there, Cole. You’re drunk, and I don’t want to fight with you.”

“No one’s fighting here, Erin. Tell me what’s wrong with my heart.”