Supermarket - Bobby Hall Page 0,69

said out loud, the ball bouncing off the wall in front of me. As I extended my hand to catch it, Frank intercepted the catch.

“Traffic in the middle of the day?” he said. “Unlikely.”

“What are you doing here, Frank?”

“I’m doing my part, man. I’m being the only real friend you’ve ever had. You let this bitch get between us from day one, man.”

“Don’t call her that!” I shouted.

“Jesus Christ, bro! Sorry, damn.”

“Please leave! You can’t be here when she shows up,” I said, snatching the ball from his hand.

“Jesus, you’re fuckin’ rude!”

“Well, excuse me if I’m not laying down the red carpet for the guy who ruined my fuckin’ life.”

“Look, man,” Frank said. “Whether you want to believe this, I’m your only friend.” He leaned against the wall with a James Dean swagger.

“That’s not true . . . I . . . I’ve got Red!”

“Haha, that old man is feeding you bullshit. You can’t trust anybody here. You’re in a fucking insane asylum, Flynn. Nothing is as it seems.”

“Well, it seems like you need to get the fuck out of here before Mia shows up!”

“She’s not showing up, man!”

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Frank and I looked at each other, then back at the door. The handle turned, and the door slowly opened. It felt as though it were taking an eternity, like there was someone on the other side who didn’t want to come in but felt compelled to.

And then there she was, standing in front of me.

I felt a number of emotions. But the strongest one? Anger. Not at her, but at the situation. I knew deep in my heart why she had come here.

All I wanted was Mia. All I wanted was someone to escape into, to love. And instead of the woman I wanted to see, here stood Dr. Cross.

“I’m sorry, Flynn, but—”

“She isn’t coming, is she?” I interrupted, then turned around to sit on the bed. As I did, I noticed Frank had gone.

“She . . . she left this for you,” said Dr. Cross, walking toward me with a note in her hand.

She sat on the bed next to me, her hands in her lap gripping the piece of paper.

“She said she was sorry. She thought she was ready to see you. But she, well . . . she didn’t want to open up just to have you slip away again. She couldn’t bear to . . .” Olivia sighed. “Well, I’m sure everything you need to know is in this note.”

She took my hand and placed the piece of paper in my palm. With that, she rose to her feet, wiped a tear from her cheek, and left the room.

The last thing I wanted to do was read the letter. The only thing I wanted to do was read the letter.

As I opened it, I noticed Mia’s familiar handwriting. I began to read aloud.

My Dearest Flynn,

I thought I was ready for this. I thought I was ready to see you. The real you again! But I’m not. I’ve grown so accustomed to living in your loop. Coming to the hospital, entering those doors, and seeing this place through your eyes. Watching it transform into Muldoon’s right in front of us.

You’ve broken free from the delusion before. And having you, the real you, in my arms . . . that was amazing. But that was only once, and I wasn’t prepared in the slightest for what I felt after. The emptiness I felt when Frank pulled you back again.

I went from dating you in the real world to you losing your mind, then I regained you and lost you all over again. I’m sorry, but I just don’t think I can do this anymore. I just don’t deserve this. And that makes me feel terrible. It’s so selfish of me, because you are the person who doesn’t deserve this most of all! You are the one living with this. The one haunted by Frank.

I was there, Flynn. I was there and helped you escape the supermarket that time. And then he came . . . he took you from me! I just can’t do that again.

I love you, Flynn. I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry.

With remorse,

Mia

Tears rolled down my cheek onto the letter. I lifted my head, dropping my hands in my lap. “I told you she wasn’t coming,” said Frank.

And with that, I threw my head back onto my pillow and I slept . . .

And slept . . .

And