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Chapter 4

  Chapter 4

  Brent Moore 34 years old

  Light beamed in through the windows of the two story house. Brent opened his eyes slowly, bringing his hand to his head and rubbing his temples. A large pain covered what felt like both sides of his head. The pain barely allowed him to keep his eyes open. He Squinted in pain and rolled over in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. “Ugh! what time is it?” his voice reverberated off the walls, with no response to be heard. Ocean blue pupils shifted from one side to the other, slowly tilting onto his back.His head turned, eyes coming to rest on the empty space in the bed that was normally occupied by Katie.A long groan escaped between his dry lips. Fingers curled ever so slightly, dragging across his face. His hand stretched out over the nightstand, fingers wrapping around Cell phone, bringing it into view. It was only a quarter past ten, but it was a Saturday.Brent didn’t have the greatest of memories, but he could recall Katie mentioning that she didn’t work until the afternoon. He peered around the room, searching for any trace that might tell him where she was.First to her laundry basket where Katie kept her clothes neatly folded and stacked. There was a pair of pink scrubs missing from the basket.

  Brent closed his eyes for a minute, trying to recall the night before. He couldn’t recall her saying anything about going into work for an early shift. The rest of the night slowly crept back into his memory. He fidgeted a little in the bed as the sound of Katie’s screaming voice echoed from one end of his brain to the other. He could hear the sound of the card slamming down on the wooden nightstand. Before that, He remembered the sound of her voice demanding that Brent let her see what she witnessed Nat handing him. He could recall his thoughts at that moment. The worry that if she saw the card of this “Dr.Love” that she might get the idea that he was asking around about a relationship counselor. Brent shuttered at the idea of having to go in for counseling so close to his wedding to Katie.

  Brent opened his eyes, letting out a soft sigh. His fingers brushing across his phone screen. He came across Danielle’s name and thought about it. Dani might have heard from Katie, but Brent didn’t want to go to the trouble of contacting her. Knowing full well that Dani wouldn’t take too kindly to the idea of her friend’s fiance getting what seemed like a number from a total stranger. Brent quickly scrolled past her and pulled up Jeff’s number. His digits began tapping at the keyboard, writing out the words, “Hey man, have you heard from Katie?” He read over it for a second and continued texting. “I woke up this morning and she was gone. Did she mention anything to you last night about being early to work or something?” Brent hit the send button and drew a deep breath, letting his arms drop to his side. As he waited patiently for the response, his thoughts began to race. Brent peeled his covers away and sat up in the bed. He rubbed his eyes for a few seconds and glanced back down at his phone. Nothing was coming up. He could text Katie herself and ask, but the conversation from the night before left him thinking that he was the last person she wanted to hear from at the moment.

  Brent swung his feet over the edge of the bed and planted them on the floor. He brushed his finger across his phone screen once more, but no notifications came up. He took a deep breath and tried to push it out of his mind. Maybe he’d distract himself by getting ready for the day. He took a deep breath,brushing his long blonde hair out of his eyes. His eyes shifted once more before finally bringing himself to get up from the bed. His phone fell off his lap and landed on the bed. Brent gathered his clothes and walked into the bathroom, pausing to stare at himself in the mirror. He couldn’t hold the gaze of his own reflection for even a second. A sinking feeling in his heart left him with a heavy guilt. He caught sight of one beautiful woman and made a feeble attempt to flirt with her. The only thing that he even got out of it was a lousy calling card for what sounded like a crackpot of a doctor. He attempted to flirt and got a number for another guy. Brent stifled a chuckle and turned on the water.

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  The sound of the doorbell could be heard over the roar of rushing water from the showerhead. Brent turned off the water and stepped out of the tub, scrambling for his towel. He ruffled his hair and wrapped the towel around his waist. He snatched his pants and undergarments from the counter and draped them over his back. A few seconds later Brent pulled open the door to see his friend standing on his doorstep. “Two things man; You and your fiance need to stop dragging me into your personal problems. And please tell me you don’t make a habit of answering the door like that.” Jeff said, pushing past his barely clothed friend.

  “What’s the matter? Are you Jealous?” Brent replied, shooting his friend a smirk.

  “Me? Jealous? I’m not the one over here looking like I've skipped leg day for the last 8 weeks.” Jeff replied, turning around and walking backwards down the corridor. Brent rolled his eyes and shut the door behind him. Brent shook his head and chuckled at his own comment. “Katie didn’t sound too happy at the club last night. I haven’t seen her that upset since you went out of town to spend Thanksgiving with your friend from the northern part of the state.I told you it was a bad idea to talk to that . . Nat girl. What were you two talking about anyways? And what was that card she handed you all about? Katie made me watch the whole thing with her last night.”

  “That’s just it.” Brent said, watching his friend make himself comfortable on the couch in front of the television. Brent disappeared into his room for a few seconds and returned with the card in hand. “All she gave me was some contact information for some kind of Counselor or something. His name is Dr. Aeryn Love.” Brent said, handing the card over to Jeff. Jeff paused and read it carefully.

  “Dr.Love? Really?? Is this thing even real? A relationship counselor with the last name “Love?” That sounds ridiculous.” Brent responded with a chuckle. “Look man. From the sound of it, you need something to distract your mind from your current predicament. Come With me to the mall. I need to go pick something up. Maybe we can get some Pizza and talk about this a little more.” Jeff stated, taking a deep breath and tilting his head with a smirk.

  “I can’t man. I need to figure out where Katie is. And maybe just be alone with my thoughts.” Brent replied, breaking eye contact and looking away.

  “No you don’t man. Man was never meant to spend hard times alone with his thoughts. That’s how paranoia sets in and makes things worse. Come on, go get your clothes on and let’s go.” Jeff retorted. A chuckle escaped him as he watched the wide eyed expression of his friend once it dawned on him. “You just remembered that you were still in a towel didn’t you?” Jeff paused then interrupted his friend before he could speak. “No need to answer that, just go. I’ll wait right here.”

  Brent closed his lips and darted into the bedroom. The subtle sound of wooden drawers opening could be heard from outside the bedroom. Brent pulled out a pair of socks and stumbled back into the bathroom, snatching his clothes from the lid of the pot. He had gotten so wrapped up in the conversation that he’d forgotten where he was. Brent opened the bedroom door a few minutes later, this time fully dressed, jingling the keys in his pocket. “So am I driving or are you?” He asked a seemingly startled Jeff. Jeff spun around, peering over the couch with a grin.

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