Learning To Trust Again

‘Apart from getting attacked on my way home last night, not much’ she said, her tone still light and forgetting for the moment that she wasn’t going to tell him about it.

‘What? Are you serious?’

‘I’m afraid so’ she replied more seriously, cringing at his shocked tone.

‘Are you okay? Were you hurt?’ Todd asked, concern lacing his words.

Rebecca smiled as Jake’s face flashed through her mind and she answered her brother’s questions in order, ‘yes I’m okay and no I wasn’t hurt. Luckily an off duty police officer was passing and rescued me.’

‘Seriously?’ Todd asked his disbelief obvious.

‘Yep and after he scared off the bad guys, he walked me home.’

‘What?’ Todd yelled seemingly more amazed by this statement than her one about the attack itself. ‘Are you crazy?’ he ranted ‘you let some guy you’ve never met before walk you home? He could have just been saving you so he could do something worse to you himself. What were you thinking? How do you even know he’s a cop?’

‘Todd’ Rebecca said, angry too now. She was unhappy with his criticism. ‘Give me some credit. He showed me his ID, he also called in the attack and had some officers come down and arrest the guys who were responsible, not to mention he isn’t like that. He even came back tonight to escort me home when he realised I was going to be walking again.’

‘Okay stop Bec’ Todd said in a tone that was a mixture of exasperation and anger ‘you are doing my head in. Firstly what were you doing walking again after what happened and for Christ sake, are you telling me this guy is now stalking you? What have you got yourself into?’

Sighing at his implication that she was taking a risk Rebecca said in a firm voice ‘Todd, stop yelling and listen. I had my reasons for walking. I did not want what happened, to rule my life. I don’t want to live in fear. As for Jake, he is not a stalker’ but as she said this her own words to Jake earlier about stalking played through her mind and unnerved her a bit. She didn’t want Todd to be right. To reassure herself as much as her brother she added, ‘he just wanted to make sure I got home okay. It was nice of him really.’

‘And I suppose he’s hot too which is why you aren’t seeing straight?’ Todd asked with scorn dripping from his voice.

‘That’s enough Todd’ Rebecca all but yelled at him ‘I am a big girl and might I point out five years older than you. I am perfectly capable of looking after myself and deciding about people’s character.’

‘You sure about that?’ Todd said in a harsh tone.

It was a low blow and Rebecca gasped on hearing it. But she did not believe her brother was being deliberately cruel. He had never been cruel to her. She knew how much he hated what Mark had done to her. He had been there for her every step of the way as she worked to put her life back together, even to the point of moving away from their home, when she could no longer live there. She’d needed a fresh start and he hadn’t hesitated about coming with her. She knew he was trying to make sure she wasn’t going to make the same mistake. But knowing that didn’t stop it from hurting.