They spent the day doing mundane things together. They went grocery shopping. They took a walk around the neighborhood. Mark bought them sandwiches for lunch, from a food truck that had set up near the park. They worked on a puzzle in the afternoon. They sat on the porch in the early evening and drank IPAs. Brian did not come up, and neither did the question of when she was going home.
In the early evening, Mark set the steaks he had bought that morning on the counter and went outside to start the charcoal. Anna sat on his couch, scrolling through the options on Netflix when her phone lit up with a notification. It was a text from Brian. Anna set the phone on the coffee table, heart beating too fast, breath coming in shallow gasps. She left the phone on the table and went outside.
Mark looked up from the grill as she came onto the back porch. The screen door banged shut behind her and Mark’s expression grew concerned.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
She stepped off the porch and went toward Mark slowly. He was no longer focused on the steaks. He wiped sweat from his forehead, eyes on her as she neared. A flame shot up from the grill but he didn’t react.
“Brian,” she said. She couldn’t say anymore. Fear closed her mouth.
“What did he say?” Mark asked. He dropped his eyes to the grill, flipping each steak as he waited for an answer.
“I didn’t read it,” she whispered.
He looked up from the grill. “You want me to read it?”
She nodded, turned slowly, dragged herself back into the house. She took the phone from the coffee table. There were four texts from him now. She carried the phone back outside. Mark was flipping the steaks again.
“Grab me a plate?” he asked.
She handed him her phone before ducking back into the kitchen, pulling a plate from the cabinet and returning to the grill. He was scrolling on the phone with one thumb. His face was set in anger, stony, like a volcano. She stood awkwardly next to the grill, waiting for him to finish. The fire glowed a glorious amber, and she imagined there was a fire inside Mark to match.
When he looked up from the screen, he seemed less angry, and incredibly unsure. “You wanna know what he said?” he asked.
“A lot of stuff about killing himself, and how I’ll regret leaving?” she guessed.
Mark nodded faintly, took the plate from her hands, pulled the meat from the grill. He placed the lid over the coals, shut the vents. “A few other things too,” Mark answered.
“What other things?” Anna asked softly. Brian had a deep well of awful accusations and threats. She was familiar with every one.
Mark was holding the steaks out in front of him. The meat smelled amazing. Her stomach growled. “I don’t even want to repeat it to you. It’s not fair for him to call you those things, or to threaten you like that.”
“He threatened me?” Anna asked, though she was not surprised. Last time the thread had nearly snapped he had said he’d make her pay for the pain she caused.
“Anna…” Mark began, but she interrupted him.
“It’s okay,” she said, though it really was not. She could feel her spirit withering. “He’s said things like that before.”
Mark began to move, and Anna followed him into the house. She opened the fridge, finding the broccoli salad Mark had also purchased that morning. She also grabbed two more beers. She took two forks and two knives from the drawer and joined Mark at the table. He popped open the beers as she took her seat.
They ate in silence for a time, both of them stewing. Finally, Mark couldn’t keep his anger contained. “I don’t think you should go back to the apartment alone. You’re not safe there.”
She had already come to this conclusion too, but she wasn’t sure where she was going to go. “I know. If I stay, I’ll need to have the locks changed.”
“Even then,” Mark said, looking at her meaningfully. “Anna, he could kill you.” His face was a mask of rage and fear. His gaze seemed to burn her with its intensity.
She sliced another piece of steak, savoring the juiciness of the meat as she chewed. “I know,” she answered. “And this time, I actually believe it.”
Brian did not text her anything else that night, but Meredith did. Did you go home last night?
They were watching a movie, although she wasn’t really watching. Mark made popcorn, and he had eaten most of it. She was on her third beer and feeling rather tired. I went to Mark’s place. She hit send. Still there she typed in a second message.
Good choice Meredith answered. You need me to get some things from the apartment for you? I don’t mind.
Anna looked over at Mark, whose eyes were glued to the screen, thinking of Meredith’s assessment of him. Was he really in love with her? Wouldn’t Meredith do exactly as he had done today if she’d gone to her place instead?
I don’t need anything yet she typed. But I might take you up on that offer in a few days. She set the phone down on the coffee table, reached for the popcorn. It was buttered heavily and salted almost to the point where she didn’t want to eat it. The movie played and her mind wandered, wondering where Brian was. She had the creeping thought that it was a good thing he didn’t know where Mark lived.
The movie’s credits were rolling, and Mark stretched. He took their empty bottles to the kitchen. She heard the glass clinking against the other bottles in the bin. He returned to her, but he stood in the doorway instead of entering the room. He looked expectant. He leaned against the doorframe, his whole body stiff with the things he wanted to say. He smiled at her weakly. “Mind if I go on to bed?”
“It’s fine,” she answered. “I’ll be alright on my own.”
His skepticism was plain in his eyes. His smile changed, almost a smirk. “Okay,” he said.
She listened to his retreating feet with worry. She was a liar. She knew as soon as she tried to sleep, she would not be able to. Not if she was alone. She picked another movie, letting it play as she lay on the couch, quietly crying.
She sat in the car, feeling sick. She wondered if anyone else had gotten food poisoning at the restaurant. She opened the car door, nearly slid from the seat to the pavement. She couldn’t get up from the ground. Her legs were like spaghetti. She had the feeling this had happened before. She was reliving something awful.
She managed to crawl around the front of the car, and pull herself up onto the hood. There was a bright light behind her. She wondered if it was an angel coming to collect her, or to announce a miracle, or to help her into the house. A figure moved towards her and she squinted into the brightness. It was not an angel. It was Brian.
“Good thing I followed you,” he said. It wasn’t his voice. He was the man from the bar—the one who had drugged her. This wasn’t food poisoning. She tried to call for help, but everything was slow.
“Let me help you,” he said, but now he was Brian again. He put one hand over her mouth and another around her neck.
Anna woke with her heart racing. The movie she had chosen was no longer playing. Her eyes were raw. She sat up slowly, gasping for air. She put a hand to her neck, expecting to feel his hot fingerprints.
She checked the time. 1:13 am. She wondered if Mark was asleep. She could hear something playing from the other side of the house. She rose from the couch, crept down the hallway to his bedroom. The door was ajar. She could see the blue light of the television casting its shine on the walls. She pushed open the door, her heart still beating wildly. She peered inside.
He was awake. He was watching an episode of The New Girl, laying propped against a pile of pillows, covers thrown off because of the heat. The ceiling fan spun with a soft whirring white noise. His gaze went to her, almost magnetically, as she pushed the door further open, stepping into the room fully. He’d taken off his shirt, and she was suddenly aware of how thin her tank top was. He sat up, looking somewhat embarrassed, but he didn’t make a move to cover himself. She came to the edge of the bed, standing there awkwardly as he stared at her. She had not noticed before that he was only wearing his underwear.
“Can I…can I sleep in here?” she asked weakly, her voice cracking.
Mark turned back the covers for her and she slid between the sheets. He took a pillow from the stack he was leaning against, tucking it under her head as she laid on her side. She faced him, wiping fresh tears from her eyes. Mark muted the television and waited for her to say what was on her mind. She didn’t know where to begin. She cried harder and he put an arm around her, pulled her closer to him until her cheek was against his bare chest.
“It’s okay,” he whispered. “You’re safe.”
“What about when I leave here? I’m not safe with him, and I’m not safe on my own either.” She choked on the words.
“What do you mean?” Mark asked.
Her face was wet with her tears and his sweat. She wiped her eyes again. “I can’t go home. What if he comes back for me? And I’m not safe on my own either. There’s always another one out there’s who is just as bad.”
“That guy from last night,” Mark reasoned. She sniffed in response. “How many other times were you out with Meredith and nothing happened?”
Anna didn’t answer. He was right and he was wrong. She didn’t have the words to explain.
“I’m not saying you shouldn’t be scared, Anna,” Mark continued. She snuggled closer to him, letting her tears leak slowly. “I’m just saying that right now, you’re safe.” He paused, gave her a little squeeze. “Okay?”
She nodded, then cried until she was empty. She slept.
Mark was still sleeping when she woke again. It was early morning, the sky just starting to gray with dawn. She had rolled away from him in the night, but he still lay on his side, curled inward as if he still clutched her. He’s in love with you. She watched him sleep, thinking about what Meredith would say when she told her about this weekend.
She went to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of juice. She took a scalding hot shower. She made a plan for the day and hoped that Mark would help her.
“I need to go home,” she said over breakfast, as she buttered a piece of toast he had made for her. Mark stopped chewing, looking at her as if he disagreed. His eyes were dark with worry. “To pack my things,” she clarified. “I’ll get a unit for the furniture until I find another place. And I’ll pack a suitcase for a few weeks, until I can find a new apartment.”
Mark nodded. “You think we can get a truck and storage unit today?” he asked skeptically.
We. He assumed he was part of the plan. She didn’t have to ask for him help. “There’s always the option to rent a pickup from Home Depot,” she said as she shrugged.
Mark drove her to the apartment. He turned off the car, but she couldn’t get out. It was like she had frozen to the seat. The space between the car and door was a canyon waiting to swallow her.
“You want me to go in first?” he asked.
She nodded, her eyes widening with fear. She handed him her keys and watched as he slowly moved towards the door. He unlocked the apartment, then ducked inside. After a few minutes, he came back to the stoop, and beckoned her. She slid from the car, moving towards him, feeling like death was waiting inside.
But inside, she did not find death. She found the leftover chaos of a hasty move-out. Brian had taken most of his belongings. There were no clothes, no movies or games, no toiletries. He had taken the television, the living room furniture and the bed. He took the towels and the bed linens and the washer and dryer. He had left her bookcases, all the books, the dining set and the living room rug. Thankfully, he had also left her computer and her tablet. He had taken about half of the items in the kitchen, including the good knives and the small appliances. He had taken most of the dishes too but had left the cookware. He had emptied the fridge and the pantry.
On the counter sat a stack of her grandmother’s china plates, pristine and beautiful. But one of the plates had been thrown against the wall. She could see the mark where it had struck. The shards of it covered the stovetop and had rained down at the oven’s feet. She felt tears pricking her eyes. She wondered if he had intended to smash them all. She imagined him standing here, in a blind rage, throwing that one plate before he came to his senses.
Mark began to sweep up the shards of the plate without comment. She leaned against the doorframe of the kitchen, numb, watching him work. This is how it should have been, she decided. This is what love looked like—self-less, patient, kind. How had she not seen it before? She had been too busy trying to fix Brian that she forgot to think about if he had earned the effort it took from her.
Mark deposited the shattered pieces into the garbage can. She was still watching him. He caught her gaze. “What?” he asked. He looked almost confused by her expression of affection.
“Thank you,” she replied. The words were sweet and wonderful. She hoped he could feel the depth of her gratitude.
They packed up the rest of the apartment. They found a truck, but not a storage unit. They rearranged Mark’s garage, and moved her things into it temporarily. Mark tidied his second bedroom, enough for her to lay out an air mattress and use her suitcase as a dresser. She put her shampoo, her soap and her razor in his shower. She put her deodorant and her hairdryer in the bathroom cabinet.
You don’t need to get my things for me, she told Meredith at the end of the day. Mark and I moved everything out today.
Where are you staying? Meredith asked.
With Mark.
Meredith sent a winking emoji. Anna smiled but didn’t reply.
“What are you smiling for?” Mark asked, a smile of his own creeping across his features. He was standing in the threshold between the living room and dining room. He had a bowl of freshly popped popcorn in his hands. He hunkered down next to her on the couch.
Anna took a handful of the popcorn, daring herself to tell the truth. “Meredith is gonna try to set us up, I think,” she said, stuffing the kernels into her mouth.
Mark laughed and shoveled a handful of popcorn into his own mouth. He chewed, looking thoughtful. “I’m worth more than some rebound fling, don’t you think?”
He’s in love with you. Anna leaned her head on his shoulder. “You are,” she answered smoothly.
He turned on a movie and she reveled in the fact that the thread had finally snapped. She was finally safe.
The Quick and the Dead 