Unfinished- add on
Rena:
It was routine. Order puzzles, greet Matt inside and do puzzles together for thirty minutes. He was my gateway drug out of my apartment. The long wait for someone to come along and persuade me into talking with them was finally over.
“Well,” Matt straightened his back and stretched his arms, “I guess that’s it for today.” He smiled at me.
I returned a small grin. “I guess so.”
He paused with his back leaning against the worn, navy couch, as if he was waiting for me to say more. His eyes never left me, not even when I glanced over at him. They were reading me, judging me before I could defend myself. He swiftly leaned over, his elbows pressing against his crisscrossed legs. “How come I never see you outside? You’re never out at the mall or walking in the park.”
I shrugged, pulling my cardigan closer around me. “I like to stay inside.”
“How?” he questioned, his eyes yearning for the information I was about to tell him. He looked like a little boy being told about Santa’s workshop.
“I don’t need the outside and it doesn’t need me.”
I held his eyes for a moment before he quickly leaned back again, his hope drained. “Just like that?” I nodded. He rubbed his eyes and stood up, sliding into his jacket. “I’ll see you next week.” I got up and gripped onto the door as Matt crossed the doorway. He turned around. “Rena,” he clenched his jaw, clearly contemplating on what to say, “take care of yourself.”
“Always do,” I shut the door and bolted every lock I had. For one week I’d be alone, locked inside my tower, unable to escape. One Week.
Matt:
Jen was waiting at the table when I arrived at the small coffee shop. “Matt, over here!” she waved at me.
“Hey,” I sat down in the chair, “you sounded nervous over the phone. Are you alright?”
She shifted her eyes side to side before she leaned over the table. “I need your help. Remember when I told you I needed your opinion on something for my class?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s about Bradley.” I bit my lip. “Before you say anything, I already have it all set up. I talked with a detective and he told me he’d do everything he can to search for him. I mean there’s so many new ways to find out what happened and-“
“Jen, slow down,” I shook my head. “What’s going on? Are you searching for Bradley, again?”
“I know he’s out there. He needs me, his family,” Jen’s eyes teared.
“Jen, I know, but it’s been six years. If he needed his family, he would have came back by now,” I held her hands.
She jerked her hands away, “I thought you wanted him back.”
I hesitated. “I do, but I’m not bringing my hopes up for something that I’m not sure will come back.”
“I know that this detective will find him,” she grabbed her purse. “Just wait. I’ll prove it to you and my dad.” She pushed her chair back and stormed off to the door.
I rushed after her. “Jen, I just don’t want you to hurt by this again. You’re traumatizing your dad and yourself. You need to let him go.”
“I can take care of myself. I don’t need your help and don’t tell my dad about this. He doesn’t need to be brought into it,” she walked out onto the sidewalk.
I followed her out and grabbed her wrist. “Jen, he deserves to know at the very least. You need to tell him.”
She turned to look at me, “No, I can’t. He won’t let me find him then.”
I sighed. “Look, if you don’t tell him, I will.”
Jen glared at me and ripped her arm away from my grip. “What? Bradley trusted you to always keep a secret. I trusted you. You can’t just turn your back on me.” She shook her head, turned around and sped to her car.
