Read Back to Life for Free Online

I saw Marissa’s name on some of them, and I got so excited I think I
showed them to the whole hospital staff. The pictures I saw were very
beautifully done. You should be proud. I know I am,” he said, smiling at her. She
looked down at her feet for a brief moment, but I saw her smile to herself.
    “Well,
what’s say we all pile into Marissa’s Beamer, drop your stuff off at the loft,
and then head out to celebrate?” I asked.
    “That
sounds awesome. I dozed off on the plane for a bit, so I am rested and ready to
go.”
    “Let’s
go, I am parked this way,” Marissa said, and began walking in front of us. As
Brody and I walked through the sliding doors together, I looked up at him. His
eyes were fixed on Marissa, and he had a slightly surprised look on his face. After
a few moments, he looked at me and noticed I was staring. “What is it?”
    “Oh,
nothing. Just happy to have you here,” and we linked arms and followed Marissa
out to her car.
     
     
     
    “Wow,
you girls have an amazing view,” Brody said, staring out the large picture
windows that took up half of the living room wall. “I need to look for a view
like this when I go apartment hunting.”
    “Well,
you just got here, don’t even worry about finding something yet,” I said,
smoothing out my shirt. We had all decided to freshen up before we headed out, and
even though I didn’t want to change, Marissa insisted I doll myself up. I ended
up wearing a tight black tube top with “I Heart New York” written out in silver
and red rhinestones, a tight pair of skinny jeans, and I wore my favorite pair
of black suede stilettos. Brian would be so proud. I had had my hair up in a
messy bun all day, and when I took it down it was soft and wavy. I had teased
my hair to make it full and added some large curls to it. My ears had small
gauges, so I took out my usual black ones and put in ones that had diamonds in
them. Brody was wearing dark wash jeans, the fitted ACDC tee I bought him last
Christmas, and a black leather jacket.
    “Well,
I don’t want to get too comfortable here, I’m a guy. This place is all girly,
and I’ve got to get settled into my bachelor pad,” he said.
    “Whatever.
Just take your time. You need to find the right place. Besides, Marissa and I
have missed you so much. We don’t want to let you go yet,” I said, and he
pulled me into a brotherly hug. Everything felt complete with him here. Even though
I had Marissa, my life had been, to be honest, depressing and lonely the last
four years without Mason. Having Brody here was making me feel better already.
    At
that moment, Marissa came out into the living room, and I smiled as I caught
Brody’s expression. His mouth fell open slightly, and he quietly cleared his
throat. Marissa had straightened her usual wavy brown hair with a flat iron.
She was wearing a tight black mini skirt that showed off her toned legs, and a
black asymmetrical top with a lace back with a hot pink camisole under it, and
finished the look with black strappy heels. She usually dressed pretty tame
when we went out, opting for jeans and a fitted graphic tee or tank, but
tonight she looked like a total babe. She was obviously dressing for Brody’s
attention, and it seemed to be working. She was checking her makeup in her
compact mirror, not noticing Brody’s reaction to her. “Okay, you guys ready to
go?”
    “Yeah,
ready,” I said, clapping Brody on the shoulder. “Are you hungry?”
    “I
actually had a late lunch, so I’m not really hungry. What about you Brody? Do
you want to go eat? Because if you are hungry, we can go wherever you want.
It’s your night,” Marissa said, slightly blushing after her last statement. I
bet if he asked her, she’d roll over and play dead too, I thought.
    He
looked at her, and then seemed to realize he was looking at her a little longer
than he should. Clearing his throat again, he said, “Uh, no, I’m not hungry.
But I definitely could use a drink. Why don’t we