by Cece Rose
“There must have been another way, Lizzy. Surely there was something else you could have done?” I demand, not able to accept her account of that night. She could have used a knockout spell to keep herself safe and to give her time to think of another solution. She’d reacted impulsively, and it had deadly consequences. “You let me be a suspect too. You just threw me into the deep end with your actions and then left me to sink,” I add, the hurt from that flaring again.
“Maybe there was... but I was scared, Kay. I reacted without thinking, and now someone's dead. I should feel remorse, but I don't regret that he's dead. He was an awful, vile person, and I just can’t find any sorrow in myself for removing him from this world. But I do regret that I hurt you. That you dealt with so much because of my actions. I'm so sorry. I should have told you the truth sooner.” She stands and begins to move closer to me, but I step back.
“Please don't come closer,” I whisper, feeling awful when a pained look spreads across her face, but I can’t help how I feel.
“What are you going to do?” she asks, her voice sounding defeated.
I gaze at her for a moment and think. Maybe the right thing to do is to hand her in... but having been to The Tomb, I can’t send her there. She did a terrible thing. I can't justify murder, no matter the reason, but she's scared and she's still my friend. I can't cause her additional suffering, and I know what would happen to her down there would destroy her completely.
“Nothing. I'm going to do nothing,” I respond, watching a mixture of emotions play across her face. Relief, sadness, and worst of all—uncertainty.
“I don't know what to say. I suppose thank you is a good start,” She shifts awkwardly on her feet, and I can almost feel how nervous she is of my reaction, which only makes me hurt even more for what I'm about to do.
“Don't say anything. When I said I would do nothing, I meant it. I won't tell anyone how to find you, but I can't stay here, I can't do this. I've fucked up enough in the last few days, without adding this to my plate too. Because I care about you, and because I know what I would be sending you to endure, I won't speak of this to anyone, but we can't remain friends. I just can't do it. I'm sorry.” I turn on my heel and rush for the door, unable to look at her anymore.
“Kayla,” Lizzy calls, and I freeze. “One day you'll understand that nothing is black or white. Shades of grey prevail in all things. Even death. Sometimes people don't deserve to live.”
Her words send a shudder down my back, and I make haste, exiting the room and pulling the door shut behind me. Rhydian is waiting just across from the door, perched against the wall.
“She admitted it?” he guesses, keeping his voice soft. I nod my head, feeling more tears creeping down my face. I don’t know how he’d known, but he was right. I feel terrible for having ever accused him. He may have a lot of darker aspects to him, the least of which is the fact he freaking owns a hotspot that criminals frequent, but something tells me he’s not a cold-blooded killer.
“That was a sucky gift. It hurt,” I mutter, as he pulls me into a hug.
“The truth always does, sweetheart. But you needed to hear it. I know it’s hard now, but maybe she didn’t mean for it to happen? She remains the same person, the same friend as before, you just know this one more thing about her. A bad thing, granted. The lying must only accentuate the betrayal you feel.”
“I don’t think it’s possible for me to forgive her actions, and I don’t think I can work for you anymore either… I’m sorry. I knew there were criminals that come in there, but I figured they’d be career criminals. More like grand theft than murder, you know? I was thinking, that night they arrested me, they didn’t seem surprised to pick up a murderer. I don’t know if I’m able to work there, knowing how bad it is, knowing there may be lots more people like that in there,” I ramble against his chest, though I’m not sure how much of my muffled words he understood. I don’t pull away though. I need the comfort he provides, even as I worry about him.
“It’s okay, I understand, Kayla. It surprised me you wanted to stay after what happened, anyway. Most of the criminals are the career kind, but yes, some of them probably have killed. It’s not like I request their records upon arrival,” he jokes, but it falls flat, and he sighs. “When I took over The Rift, it’d already made a name for itself as the place for criminals to congregate. I simply keep the place running. So, other than adding in the enchanted bar, I haven’t changed it much.”
“Why did you take it over then?” I probe.
“It’s complicated. Someday I’ll tell you about it,” he remarks, secretive as usual.
“You won't tell anyone about Lizzy, right?” I ask, needing him to promise me. I might hate what she did, but nonetheless, I need to make sure she’s safe.
He pulls back and looks into my eyes with his beautiful green ones. “I promise I won't tell a soul. Not even Darren if you don't want me too. I did this for you, for your sanity. You had doubts inside of you, and they would have ravaged you from the inside if you hadn’t confronted them. My gift to you was certainty so that you could find some peace with this.”
“Thank you,” I whisper, leaning my head against his chest and wrapping my arms back around him. This situation sucked, but that didn’t detract from Rhydian’s rightness. The truth was what I needed, and I’m glad I have it. “Please, can you take me home now?”
Sixteen
Just One Last Date
Once I cry out all my tears and apply a little makeup, I braid my hair into a messy French plait and call myself ready to face the world.
Rhydian left a couple hours earlier, after promising again to keep our outing today a secret. He even toned down his incorrigible flirting and just let me talk out all of my dumb feelings over what had happened. With nobody else to talk to about it, I was grateful for him being willing to just listen. It’s not that I don’t trust Darren enough to tell him, but right now I’d feel guilty laying even more of my emotional baggage, not to mention unlawful activities, on him considering the current state of our relationship. Or lack thereof.
Now, however, I need to go and find Kier. I managed to lose his card somehow, so calling him was out. I'm beyond nervous about actually having to go and see him in person. It's made even worse because I'll be lying to him by omission by not telling him about Lizzy.
How the hell am I going to explain this mess?
As I open the front door to leave, I jolt from surprise as I see Darren standing with his fist held up, ready to knock. “Bad timing?” he pries, his eyebrows raising a little as he runs his eyes over me. Probably taking in the clothes I'm still wearing from earlier. I'd kept the outfit the same, other than throwing a coat on, left unzipped to show off the clothes underneath. Rhydian’s choices for me were a little more fitted than what I’d usually wear, and I have no doubt that Darren has noticed.
I'd considered changing, but after Rhydian left, I admitted to myself that I loved the outfit. I almost live in a uniform of all black; wearing green is unusual for me, wearing any colour is, but the top looks so good on, a change in my stance on wardrobe choices may become necessary.
“You could say that,” I hedge, stepping out of the door and shutting it behind me. I turn and lock it, trying to ignore how close he stands, but I can feel the warmth radiating off his body.
“We need to talk,” he declares as I turn back in his direction, sliding my keys into my coat pocket as I do.
“Not this again.” I sigh, slipping past him and rushing out onto the street.
“Okay, fine. We won't talk about this on one condition,” he counters, falling into pace with me.
“What?” I huff, shoving my cold hands into my coat pockets, feeling my house keys brushing against my left hand.
He grabs my arm, pulling me to a halt and spinning me to face him. “Go on a date with me. Just one more date. If you don't have fun, and you decide you don't want to be with me, I'll stop pushing. Just give me this chance so that I can prove to you that this
can work. That we work.”
“Darren,” I start, sighing in exasperation, “I've already told you, me wanting you or enjoying your damn company right now isn't the problem. It's that I don't know if that'll always be the case, and I don't want to risk your long term happiness.” I glance around, making sure nobody pay us any attention, which I’m grateful they don’t. “I’m not a shifter, I can't promise you forever.”
“Committing to a relationship has nothing to do with what I am or what you are,” Darren retorts.
“I just mean that we’re not wired the same way.” I look away, struggling to maintain my resolve. It’s like putting a cookie in front of a child and telling it not to bite. The temptation he presents almost too much to resist.
“You need to give yourself more credit, Kayla. It's been over two years since we dated, and you still have feelings for me. We haven't even been together, and yet you still want to be with me. What makes you so convinced that if we actually gave this thing a try, that you'd change your mind?” he presses.
I fucking hate it when the person I'm arguing with goes and makes a good point. Damnit. Well, to make him stop using his damn logic on me, I could agree to go along with his stupid idea... It’s just one date, right? Then the tempting cookie will be off of the table.
“One last date, and when I don't change my mind, you'll stop bringing this up?” I check, wanting him to confirm that he'll stop this. My ability to resist only goes so far, but I can’t bear the thought of hurting him when the inevitable happens and I change my mind.
Love never lasts forever. It can't.
“If this date can't convince you that this can work if you'd only let it, I'll back off. I'll stop bringing it up. I'll leave the ball in your court,” he answers, his eyes seem to plead with me as he awaits my response.
“Fine then. One last date. When do you want to do this?” Already starting to walk down the road again as I ask. He couldn’t have stopped by at a worse time.
“Right now,” he answers, without skipping a beat.
“Now isn't really—
“Are you already trying to renege on our agreement, Kayla?” He steps in front of me, giving me a pointed look. He’s not going to let me out of this. He wants this date, and he wants it now.
“Fine, you win. Let's go,” I throw my hands up and mutter in defeat, trying to ignore how my stomach fills with fluttering butterflies at the idea of going on an actual date with him again.
I shove my guilt down, hoping it’ll stay buried, at least for a few hours. Kier will have to wait again, as it’s clear Darren won’t.
When he drags me into bar, I can't deny that I'm shocked at his choice of date location. “Why are we here?” I question, my disbelief making me unable to keep the thought to myself as I tug off my coat.
“What do you mean, 'Why are we here?'” he asks, grinning at me with a smug expression as if I've fallen straight into his trap.
“Not that there's anything wrong with this place, but I thought with just one date to impress, you'd do something... different…something fancier,” I stammer, but still manage an honest reply.
I glance around, pressing my lips together once I realise how it could come across as rude to anyone listening. Luck seems on my side for once, I don't think anyone heard me. My eyes drop to the bracelet on my wrist, clearly doing its job. My bad luck can suck it.
“Like a fancy restaurant?” He raises an eyebrow at me in question.
“Yeah, something like that,” I mumble, feeling heat creep into my cheeks. I kick off about even coming on this date, and now I bitch about where he decides to take me. It's a wonder that he even wants to date me.
“Because you hate fancy restaurants and their child-sized portions. You think the food tastes bad and that they inflate their prices to ridiculous levels to give an illusion of exclusivity,” he responds, not even taking a minute to think about it.
A laugh escapes me at his answer, because he's not wrong. “Fine. Why not take me somewhere fun, like bowling or to a theme park?”
“Well, you hate bowling because you suck at it and you're always too embarrassed to put the sides up. So, bowling is out of the question. You also refuse to go on any rollercoasters that flip you upside down because they make you sick, so a theme park is out too.” He gives me a cheeky grin as he grabs my hand and pulls me towards a table in the corner.
“How do you know all that?” I probe. “I mean, we've never bowled or gone to a theme park together.”
“You mentioned it before in passing. I pay attention and have a good memory.” He gestures for me to sit down. “Just let me grab us both a drink, I'll be quick so don't try and escape out the bathroom window or anything.”
I try not to laugh at the joke as he walks off, but fail. Glancing around the bar, I get an odd sense of familiarity. I take a closer look at the three pool tables, scattered seating, and it’s pretty quiet, considering the location. I notice a little stage at the other end of the room, where I'm guessing bands set up to perform in here.
Lizzy would like this place, she loves seeing live performances of new bands in little places like this.
I cringe at the thought. Thinking about my old friend right now is painful. I need a little more time and distance to deal with it properly. Unfortunately, reminders pop up everywhere when you’ve known someone for as long as I’ve known Lizzy.
I twitch in my seat as Darren places our drinks down onto the table. “Relax. I told you I'd be right back.” He chuckles.
I side-eye him. He always manages to get served before everyone else waiting. “You explained why you didn't pick the other places, why did you pick this one?” I continue to pry, as he sits down, pushing my drink across to me.
“Do you really not remember?” He looks at me quizzically, and I a bit taken aback as I shake my head. “Look closer. Look at the actual room rather than what's in it.”
Slowly I look around, trying to see whatever it is he's wanting me to figure out. Just as I’m about to give up, I catch a glimpse of the ceiling and lift my head to take it in. My jaw drops as I remember the weird pattern dotting the ceiling. “This is the bar we went to the first time I came for a drink with you!”
“It sure is.” He smirks. “Took you long enough.”
“It looks so different, though,” I comment, continuing my perusal with new eyes. The whole layout is different. The bar used to be on the other side of the room where the stage sits now, and there used to just be one pool table instead of the three across from us.
We'd met on Halloween two years ago at a party and hit it off instantly, and despite a pretty disastrous night, our chemistry endured. Just two days later, after constant texting and flirting, we'd met up here for a drink. I expected a hook up, but we really connected, and then the next few weeks we stayed in constant contact, spending as much time together as possible… until I found out about the whole, 'shifters mate for life' thing anyway.
What a terrible day that had turned into. As I left Darren's cabin that morning, I ran into one of his pack members. The guy made an offhand comment about it, and I freaked, hightailing it out of there. I ghosted on Darren, but about three weeks later, he started to work where I did. I worried it would be awkward as hell and tense, but we became friends after a while. It was a little bit uncomfortable at first, but we've always connected, and over time, we found a middle ground where hanging out after work together with Lizzy and Paul felt okay. The four of us spent most Thursday nights in Rosie’s together.
“What are you thinking about?” he asks, snapping me out of my train of thought.
The day I broke things off with you.
“Our first date here,” I lie.
“That bad, huh?” he asks with a slight twitch of his lips..
I smile at him before admitting, “Our date here was fun. It was the best first date I've ever had anyway.”
“Fun for you, maybe. You tricked me out of fifty pounds with your pool game hustle!” he teases.
&nbs
p; “It's not my fault you were dumb enough to fall for it.” I laugh, remembering how I acted like a terrible pool player after he offered to teach me to play. I think I began my little con out of annoyance at his assumption that I couldn’t play. Once I convinced him of my hopeless ability to shoot, I pouted as he teased me, before pretending to snap and challenging him to a bet. He fell for it hook, line, and sinker, and I ended our date fifty pounds richer.
“You looked too hot that night for me to concentrate on your trickery. How could I not fall for anything that came out of that pretty mouth of yours?” His eyes drop a pointed gaze to my lips.
“Shut up,” I mutter, rolling my eyes. I can feel a blush creeping into my cheeks, so I take a big gulp of my drink. Now at least I can blame the rosy cheeks on the alcohol.
“Do you remember where we first kissed on our date?” he surprises me by asking. I glance over to the pool tables. I'd sat on the edge of the only pool table in this place at the time, after destroying him in that game, gloating in my victory, when he'd dipped down and stolen a kiss. His lips chased any sense from me, and we’d made out like stupid teenagers. Only when someone began to cough and clear their throat had we broken apart.
“Want to play a game?” Darren challenges, breaking me out of the spell from that memory.
“What, so I can kick your ass again?” I retort.
“Something like that,” he smirks. “Come on.” He stands, heading over to the pool table without waiting for me. With what seems like little choice in the matter, I down the rest of my drink, then walk over to join him. After setting my coat on the back of a chair next to the table, I lean against it, watching him as he racks the balls.
“Do you want to break?” I offer.
“Is that your way of taking pity on me, letting me take one measly shot before you clear the table?” he jokes, grabbing the pool cue.
“Maybe.” I grin at him, enjoying our banter.