When I Lie With You

Chapter 18

Ian & Rory

Seeing Rory like that was the worst thing I’d ever seen. I wanted to make all of her sadness and pain go away, but there was only one thing that could do that, and that was time. I walked downstairs and told Charles what had happened. I made sure he was extra attentive to her needs. As I walked over to the bar and poured myself a bourbon, my phone rang; it was Adalynn.

“Adalynn, I’m glad you called. I was just going to call you.”

“Ian, I can’t get a hold of Rory. I wanted to know if she went to get her dress fitted.”

“No, Adalynn, she didn’t. Something happened.”

“What’s wrong, Ian? You sound funny,” she asked.

“Stephen passed away this morning.”

“WHAT?!” she screamed into the phone. “I’m on my way.”

“No, Ada—” I started to say before she hung up.

Great. There was no way I was letting her see Rory today. I walked into my study and sat down. I rested my elbows on the desk and cupped my face in my hands. What a day. What a fucking lousy day. I debated whether or not to call Rory’s Aunt Nancy. Maybe I should wait and see what Rory wanted to do. I didn’t want to upset her any more. I reached in my pocket and pulled out my keys. I unlocked the drawer and opened it. When I lifted out the box, I looked down at the white envelope. I sighed and slammed the drawer shut. Just as I was about to get up, Adalynn walked in.

“Ian, I’m so sorry. Where is Rory?”

“She’s sleeping, Adalynn, and I want her to stay that way.”

“My God, what happened?” she asked as she sat down in the chair across from my desk.

I took in a deep breath and ran my hand over my face. “The doctor thinks the virus attacked Stephen’s heart. They’re going to do an autopsy to be sure.”

“Oh my God. Poor Rory. How bad is she?”

“She’s bad. I’m really scared that she may not recover from this. You should’ve seen her, Adalynn. I was terrified.”

“With the right support and time, she’ll get through this. Ian, my God, she needs you more now than ever.”

“I know that and I’m going to handle everything for her and do whatever it takes to help her get through this.”

Just thinking about the road ahead scared me. Rory was a strong woman, but Stephen was her world. She spent her entire life taking care of him and now he was gone.

“Tell Rory I stopped by and I’ll be back tomorrow.”

I started to speak, but she interrupted me.

“Yes, Ian. I WILL be back tomorrow. I’m her best friend and I need to show her my support and love.”

I sighed. “All right, Adalynn. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I walked her to the front door, kissed her, and gave her a hug. “Thanks for stopping by.”

“You know I’m always here.”

I gave her a half smile as I shut the door. I walked up the stairs and slowly turned the doorknob. I peeked inside at Rory and she was still sleeping. As I went to shut the door, I heard her call my name.

“Ian?”

“Yes, sweetheart, it’s me,” I said as I walked into the bedroom.

I sat on the edge of the bed and ran my hand across her soft cheek. Tears began to fill her eyes again as she looked at me. I didn’t know what to say to her. I was so scared that I was going to say the wrong thing. She took my hand and brought it up to her lips as she softly kissed my palm and then began to sob.

“I just can’t believe he’s gone.”

“I know, sweetheart. I can’t either.”

I got up from the bed, lifted my shirt over my head, and took down my pants. I climbed in on my side and turned her around so she was facing me. I held her face close to my chest as she wrapped her leg around mine. We fell asleep for the rest of the night.

I woke up. Rory’s side of the bed was empty. Instantly, I panicked. The bathroom door was open and the light was off. She wasn’t in there. I looked over at the clock and saw that it was five a.m. I pulled on a pair of gray sweatpants and walked downstairs. I noticed the door off the kitchen was unlocked. I stepped onto the patio and looked down at the beach, where I saw Rory sitting in the sand, looking out into the water.

“Ian, I’m sorry, babe. I didn’t mean to wake you up,” she said as I sat down next to her.

“You didn’t wake me. I woke up and you were gone. I got nervous. What are you doing out here?”

“I needed some fresh air,” she said as she softly took my hand.

“Talk to me, Rory. Tell me what you’re feeling,” I said.

“You don’t want to know what I’m feeling, Ian.”

“Yes I do. Talk to me.”

She closed her eyes as she began to speak softly. “I feel alone. I feel like a part of me was ripped away and it’s a part that I’ll never get back. I feel lost, Ian. I spent my entire life taking care of my brother. It’s all I knew and now it’s gone; he’s gone. What am I going to do on Thursdays?”

“You’ll go on, Rory. You’ll do something else on Thursdays. It’s going to be tough for a while, but you’re one of the strongest women I know and, with time, you’ll begin to heal.”

She wiped a tear that fell from her eye. “Heal. Does anybody ever really heal? There will always be an empty place inside me. A place where Stephen and I were connected. A place where we were not only twins, but we were one. We shared a bond and a connection on a deeper level than you could ever imagine.”

“I know you did, sweetheart, and I want you to hold onto his memory for the rest of your life. As hard as this is, you need to think of Stephen and how he is right now. He’s no longer locked up in a psychiatric hospital. He doesn’t hear voices anymore and he’s free. In some way, that has to make you feel a little better.”

She looked at me and gave a small smile. “I know all that, but I want him here with me.” She began to cry.

I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her into me. “I know you do, sweetheart, so do I.”

Rory

A few days had passed and we had a very small funeral service for Stephen. I didn’t contact my Aunt Nancy because, as far as I was concerned, she didn’t care about him anyway when he was alive. The event dinner was tonight and Ian chose not to go. I had already told him that I wasn’t up for going out and he agreed. The autopsy had confirmed that the virus Stephen had attacked his heart and that was his cause of death. I hadn’t done anything since he died except stay in bed and sleep. Ian told me that I needed to make an appointment with Dr. Neil and talk to her about everything. But, to be honest, what was she going to do to make me feel better. Every day was a struggle for me just to get out of bed. Tomorrow was Ian’s birthday and I felt horrible that I didn’t get the chance to buy him anything. I climbed out of bed and walked downstairs to his study, where I knew he was working. I stood in the doorway and stared at him for a moment before he realized I was there.

“Hey, sweetheart.” He smiled.

“Can I come in?” I asked.

“Of course you can. Come here,” he said as he held his arms out to me.

I walked over and sat down on his lap. He wrapped his arms around me and gave me a soft kiss.

“Did you have a nice nap?”

“I guess. I’m hoping that we’re still going on the yacht for your birthday tomorrow.”

His eyes lit up. “Are you up for it? Do you really want to go?”

“Yes.” I smiled as I ran the back of my hand across his cheek.

“Then yes, we’re going.”

I hugged him as I buried my face in his neck. The scent of his cologne was making me horny. It always did, but today, it was stronger than ever. We hadn’t had sex in three days and I missed him being inside me. Even though I felt close and connected to him, I needed him in another way. I softly began tracing his neck with my tongue.

“I need you to make love to me,” I whispered.

“It would be my pleasure, sweetheart,” he whispered back.

He lifted me up and carried me upstairs. We made love three times that night. He knew how much I needed him.