The Darkness We Hide

Michelle hummed to herself as she brushed on her eye shadow. When she started to get dressed for dinner, she’d realized just how little makeup she owned.

Thinking back, she remembered why she’d gotten rid of most of it. The amount of time and effort it had taken to hide the marks Richard had left on her made putting anything on her face feel horrific.

When she no longer needed the concealer and powder, she’d thrown them all away, keeping only a lip gloss and a forgotten eye shadow from decades ago. Thankfully the colors were neutral enough to still be attractive, not gaudy.

Hearing the buzzer, Michelle looked at the clock. Seeing it was just before six she hit her door buzzer without asking who it was. The only person she was expecting was Gareth.

With one last look at the mirror, she pulled on her jacket and hurried to the door, ready for a nice evening out.

Opening the door at the first knock, the smile melted from her face when she saw who was waiting on the other side.

“Richard,” she breathed, her knees weakening, “what are you doing here?”

“I was just in the neighborhood,” he said shrugging. “I saw your lights on from the street and thought I would stop by and say hi.”

“You can’t be here,” she said, the hairs on her arms rising in fear. Bothering her on the phone was one thing, but coming to her apartment was another.

“I uh… Well… I wanted to give you your birthday present,” he said blushing.

“Look Richard,” she said, the weakness in her knees traveling to her stomach, “you can’t be here. Please leave.”

“This is bothering you,” Richard said, reaching out to touch her arm. “I know that. I just wanted to see you and wish you a happy birthday.”

“Richard,” she said, trying to move her arm away from his touch. “I told you, you can’t be here. The judge was very clear.”

“Michelle,” he replied, his hand reaching out for her arm again. “Michelle, I really think you should give me another chance.”

“Richard,” she said sternly, pulling her arm completely out of his reach. “I think you should leave. Now!”

“So do I!” Gareth said loudly from behind him.

Richard spun around with a snarl, his fist swung out, aimed at Gareth’s face. With incredible speed Gareth easily sidestepped the blow and knocked the other man to the floor in the same movement.

“Get out of here Rick!” Gareth snarled in a tone Michelle had never heard. “Never come back here again! I told you before, she’s not for you.”

“Get out of my way Gareth,” Richard yelled, lunging for Michelle again.

Gareth blocked his advance and pushed him away again. Slamming the door closed he placed his body against its wooden surface before Richard could regain his balance.

Richard raged against the other side of the door until her neighbor threatened to call the police.

“Are you okay?” Gareth panted, a sheen of sweat across his brow.

“What the hell was he talking about?!” Michelle demanded, fear clouding her face as she backed away from him. “He knew your name Gareth! How did he know your name? How did you know him?”

“Calm down Michelle,” Gareth said, holding up his hands in a calming gesture. “I can explain.”

“No, no,” Michelle said, backing further away from him. “You and Richard…”

“Yes, Rick and I know each other,” Gareth said, looking into her eyes. “We met about nine years ago in the service. It didn’t end well and we’ve worked very hard to stay out of each other’s way since then.”

“And….” Michelle said, trying desperately to push down the nausea that threatened to overwhelm her.

“And that’s it, “ Gareth finished, pushing off the door and moving towards her.

“Michelle, please,” he said softly, his voice now a purr. “There is nothing else between Rick and I, I promise.”

“I can’t,” she sobbed, holding her face in her hands as she sobbed.

“I know,” Gareth said softly, pulling her into his embrace.

“Why won’t he leave me alone?” she said through her hands, trying to stem the flood of tears.

“Hush,” Gareth soothed, putting mezmer into his voice, he wrapped his arms protectively around her. “It will be okay.”

Slowly Gareth began stroking her hair and whispering words of comfort to her, keeping just a hint of the purr in his voice. Gradually Michelle’s tears stopped and she relaxed into his embrace.

“Look into my eyes,” he continued, his voice low and hypnotic, “Richard came by tonight, and yes, it bothered you. But he left when I arrived and we are going to have a nice evening together. Okay?”

Michelle, looking momentarily confused, then the cloud over her face lifted and she nodded her ascent.

“He’s gone,” Michelle said softly, still nodding her head, “and everything will be okay.”

“Good,” Gareth continued. “Now, close your eyes and take a deep breath. When you open them again we are going to enjoy a nice evening out.”

Michelle did as Gareth commanded, her breathing slowing. When she opened her eyes again, the fear and sadness had disappeared to be replaced with anticipation for their date.

Swallowing hard, Gareth led her out to his car trying to come to terms with what had happened. He’d protected Michelle from Richard, but then he’d turned around and violated her mind by altering her memories of the incident.

He’d have to do something about Richard, and this time he wasn’t going to the council, this time he was going to take care of it himself. First he’d have to get Michelle somewhere safe, somewhere Richard couldn’t reach her.

Over dinner Michelle and Gareth talked about living in Seattle. Michelle talked about her love of hiking in the Cascades and her plan to one day hike the entire Cascade Trail.

“That’s an ambitious plan,” Gareth said when he heard that. “I’ve heard a lot of people get hurt hiking that particular trail.”

“The problem is people get up there without preparing for it properly,” Michelle replied, buttering a roll. “They think it’s like a day trip when it’s not. Going out there is anything but a day trip. It’s a difficult and arduous hike.”

“So,” he asked, intrigued, “when do you think you’ll go?”

“I had planned on going last summer,” she said, taking a bite of calamari. “But I met Richard and it got put on hold. He wasn’t interested in going and somehow he managed to talk me out of it.

“But now that he’s out of my life,” she continued sipping from her glass, “I have begun to make plans for this summer.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” he replied. “No one should keep you from your dreams.”

“How about you?” Michelle asked as the waiter placed their bill on the table in front of him.

“How about me what?” he said distractedly, sliding his credit card into the bill case, ignoring Michelle's attempt to offer her own card.

“What is your great plan?” she said, leaning in towards him. “I want to hike the Cascade Trail, what about you?”

“I don’t know,” he sighed looking at her. “If I had to be honest, I’d have to say I would like to find someone special and get married.”

“Oh,” Michelle replied, quickly sitting up straight.

“I don’t mean you,” Gareth replied with a laugh. “I mean, we are only on our first real date, but some day I’d like to have a family. My folks would like that too. They worry about me being alone.”

Their conversation ended when the waiter returned with his card and Gareth helped her back into her jacket.

When he parked outside her apartment, Michelle looked at the building in fear.

“Let me walk you up,” Gareth said, stepping out into the chill night air.

“Thank you,” Michelle sighed, glad he was there in case Richard had returned.