Brenna woke when he came in the room but kept her eyes shut. She had recognized him immediately but doubted that he did her. Why would he remember a night of terrible sex? She hoped she'd gotten better, but none of her relationships ever lasted. They all had excuses. 'It's not you, it's me' or 'I'm not ready to settle down' or 'I need space', but she knew it was because she was awful in bed.

It mortified her when her father told him she was his rule follower. She had broken every rule that night and had gotten away with it. By the time her father arrived the next morning, they had slept off the effects of the beer. He told them no car for the rest of the week and home by ten. Brenna's real penance was hanging out on the beach alone while Ashley and Jay did who knows what the rest of the week. It was her punishment for having sex with a guy who didn't even know her name.

Twelve years later, he knew her name, but he called her BU when he whispered to her. So he had remembered too. She just pretended to be asleep.  She had slept very little in her hospital bed.

The day before she had texted Esmae, her assistant to tell her she was sick and wouldn't be in. When she didn't reply to an important text for hours, Esmae grew worried and came to her apartment. Luckily, she had a key from cat sitting, because Brenna was on the bathroom floor too weak to get up. She had enough fight to convince Esmae not to call an ambulance. Instead, her assistant brought her to Beth Israel in an Uber and stayed with her until they took her into a room.

She would need to buy wine and chocolates to repay her. Brenna wondered if she could have died if left alone on her bathroom floor. Perhaps she was being a little dramatic.

In the morning, she listened as Dr. Gentry gave her instructions. So many memories of that night had faded. His voice wasn't familiar, but his face was. She was sober when she first saw it. Truthfully, other than liking the kissing, her memory of that night was just one big cringe feeling.

Thrilled to be out of the hospital, she returned to her apartment in an Uber. She only had water in her fridge to drink. It was too early to call her mother, so she curled up on her sofa with her soft blanket throw. Pepper her black cat curled up next to her.

Her phone rang and woke her.

"Ms. Reilly, it's um Dr. Gentry.... I... um called to remind you to drink your fluids."

"I have to call my mother to bring me some. I don't have anything but water. Is that really why you called?"

"No, you see I'm Brown. Do you remember?"

"It's not something a girl would forget."

"Can I? Would you mind if I brought you something to drink? I feel like we need to talk, about... you know, um, about that night."

"I've spent twelve years trying to forget it and you want to talk about it."

"Please, I can't sleep, anyway."

He would need to sleep during the day. "Oh, all right. I'll text my address."

She looked a mess but didn't care. She had no reason to impress the doctor. She only changed her shirt because the old one had puke splattered on it.

Her apartment was on the first floor in a multifamily close to the hospital. She shared an entry door with her neighbor. When the doorbell rang, she took a deep breath before opening the outside door.

His face was serious as he held two paper bags in his arms, not by the handles. She moved aside, and he went straight to her small kitchen area and put the bags down. As he unpacked, he named each item — Powerade, Ginger Ale, Jello cups, Popsicles.

He took the liquid thing seriously. She busied herself by getting a glass and pouring some red liquid. She tasted it and decided a little sugar water tasted okay. Her mouth was still dry, and the flavor helped stimulate some saliva.

Remembering her concern from earlier, she blurted out her question. "Could I have died?" He looked perplexed. "I mean if no one found me for another day or two?"

"You have family. You would have been missed. Who found you?"

"My assistant. Could I have died?"

"Technically, yes, but wouldn't your mother worry if she hadn't heard from you.  You have siblings?"

"I don't talk to her every day. I mean sometimes I do, but there's no set schedule."

Why was she explaining it to him, a stranger? Except he wasn't a complete stranger.

Too tired to stand, she moved to the sofa. He stood, and she hadn't remembered he was so tall. She watched as Pepper went to check him out rubbing at his feet. He reached down and petted him. Pepper was particular about who he liked.  He hated Aidan. Brown had changed out of his work clothes and was wearing jeans and a fleece pullover. It was April but still cold.

"You needed to talk to me." She was ready to get it over with.

"I did. I wanted to. No, I need to apologize for what I did to you."

"It was a long time ago."

"But I should have stopped. I was stupid."

"Did I ever tell you to stop?" She always felt guilty for what she had allowed.

He shook his head as he shifted his feet. "You never said yes either. I kept thinking I ruined your life and mine. I was stupid and also worried you had gotten pregnant."

"You worried about all that. Too bad it wasn't worth it."

"What?"

She stood. "You should go, Dr. Gentry. I think we both need our sleep."

He tried to say something else, but she held the door open. "Goodbye Brenna."

He knew her name. She closed the door and drank some red sugar water before climbing into her bed. She thought of his apology. He had thought he had taken advantage of her. Did he think he had done what all those college boys had been getting in trouble for?

Brenna forced herself to remember the night which was blurry because of the beer. She had lived with her own guilt, because she let it go too far. She never stopped him when her clothing came off. She should have said no, but she only remembered it felt good until it didn't. It was the past, and she was ready to move on.

Move on, she did. By the weekend, she had recovered and had a date scheduled with a guy her brother would hate. He was a friend of Ashley's boyfriend, who was two years younger than Ash and was a personal trainer. His friend, Ashley promised, had a real job but worked out and was buff. Ashley's guy Seth was definitely all bod and no brains, so she expected the same. They were going on a double date. Hopefully, she wouldn't really have to talk to him.

Ashley lived south of the city, so they met at the Cheesecake Factory at the South Shore Plaza. Brenna's only regret was she wouldn't have room for cheesecake after having been sick. She really hadn't found her appetite. Her friend was overly ambitious about the evening when she suggested they meet at five. Ashley was waiting for her when she arrived. Seth had his hands on Ashley's waist. Looking around, they were alone. Being stood up might not be the worst. Just as Ashley was greeting her, she stopped mid-sentence. "Oh, here's Nolan."

Brenna turned and assessed him. He wore khakis and a button down which showed he made an effort. Unfortunately, he was only an inch taller than her and she had on flats. His face was nice but wouldn't make anyone turn their head for a second look.

She smiled in an effort to make the most of her evening. The restaurant was a popular chain, so they had a wait.

Brenna could imagine the jokes Aidan would tell about Nolan.  Aidan didn't need blind dates, because he had his girlfriend, Sage.   Brenna had spent the first year they were together trying to figure out how Aidan got so lucky.

They hovered together in a corner with the others who were waiting for their pager to vibrate and light up. If she was with Aidan and Mia, they would pass it around like a hot potato. They used to be convinced it would buzz quicker if the same person didn't hold it. Mia was always the one holding it when it lit up. She was the youngest and more whimsical while Brenna was the serious one.

"So what do you do?" Nolan asked.

"I work at a bank in the corporate offices downtown." She didn't want him thinking she was a teller.

"I'm in insurance. My building is in Quincy."

"What kind of insurance?"

"Disability. You wouldn't believe the people who screw the system." Brenna nodded, as he began telling stories about people being caught doing activities when they were claiming injury.

"Is that your job? Catching them?"

"Yup, I love screwing people." He had a grin like he took real pleasure in it. Even if they were working the system, his glee left her uneasy.

Ashley misconstrued his comment and said, "Hey Bren, it's your lucky night he loves screwing people."

Brenna felt her face burning up. Ashley was always trying to get Brenna to loosen up. Other than one time, she always followed her five dates rule. If he didn't like her enough to wait five dates, then he wasn't worth it. Only once did she let passion control her, and she vowed to never do it again.

Finally, they were seated at a table for four. She was already bored with her date. Ashley wanted to go to a bar after dinner. Brenna just wanted her jammies.

"I'm still recovering from my bout with food poisoning."

Ashley addressed Nolan. "She ended up in the hospital."

"Sounds like an overreaction. Don't tell me you're suing someone because of it."

"No, but the board of health may make a visit unless it gets overlooked. You know bureaucracy."

Nolan went into a long complaint about the government and she excused herself for the ladies' room. She took her time as she was in no hurry to return to the table. When she opened the restroom door, leaning against the wall opposite was Brown.

She glared at him. "I've avoided seeing you for twelve years and now twice in one week."

"Technically three..."

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