by T. N. Cole
I called my mom the night before we left for Paris. “Hello?”
“Mom,” I exhaled sharply. “Is Adam there with you?”
“Yes, he’s right here. Why?”
“Can you put me on speakerphone?”
“Sure, baby.”
“Hey, Tristan. How are you?” Adam’s voice echoed with the speakerphone.
I hesitated. I’m a fucking wreck. I swallowed hard before responding. “I’ve had better days.”
“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” my mom asked concerned.
“Mom, Mel’s alive,” I uttered hoarsely. There was a sound of glass breaking on the other end of the line. “Mom? What was that? Are you okay?”
I heard Adam murmur, “Just sit, love. I’ll get it. Careful.”
“I’m fine, both of you. Just a little…shocked. What are you talking about, Tristan? She died five years ago. How did you find this out? Are you sure it wasn’t a lie?” She bombarded me with questions.
Running my hand over my face, I sighed heavily. “I wish it was a lie, Mom. But I saw her with my own eyes. She and Nora. They were here at Kate’s apartment.”
“But how?”
“I’m not really sure. Mel and Nora claim that Kate is Mel’s cousin.”
She gasped. “What does Kate say?”
“I don’t know,” I said slowly. “She’s not here.”
“What do you mean she’s not there? Where is she?”
“I thought she was in Arizona with her mom, but apparently, she’s in Paris with her mom. I’m actually flying out there tomorrow morning with Mel and Nora. I haven’t heard from Kate in a week.” My voice caught at the end.
“Oh, baby.” She paused and I heard Adam’s muffled voice say something to my mom.
“Tristan.” His voice was a lot louder than it had been. She must have handed him the phone. “I’m going to look into all of this for you. Something doesn’t seem right here. I’ll keep you updated, but I want to find out the truth about Mel and Nora. Is that okay with you?”
I had nodded before I realized he couldn’t see me. “Of course, it is. I’ll take all the help I can get right now. Thanks, man. I’m just on edge right now, and I’m not sure what the cause really is. I feel like a drug addict needing my fix.”
He chuckled. “You’re in love and you miss her. That’s all. I hope that when you get there and see Kate, it’ll calm you down and you’ll be able to get answers. I’m surprised you let her out of your sight at all, to be honest.”
“It wasn’t my idea.” I groaned.
“It’s hard to function without your sun, isn’t it?” He responded knowingly.
“She’s the fucking sun, moon, and stars,” I growled.
He laughed a little. “You hear that, Carly? Anyway, just know that I’m looking into this for you. Call if you need anything. And watch your back when you’re with Nora. She may be…unbalanced.”
“Thanks, Adam.”
“Tristan?” my mom said softly. “Please be careful. You don’t know what Nora is capable of.”
“I know. I just want to get Kate and get out of there.”
“Bring her home safely, okay? Both of you need to come back safe.”
“I will.”
“I love you, Tristan.”
“Love you too, Mom.”
“Mel?” I asked tentatively as I pushed the playroom door open.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Nora shoved Mel to the ground. Mel’s eyes welled up with tears as she looked up at her mom, wide-eyed. “Didn’t I tell you to get ready for dinner with your dad and the Kellers? You need to look decent. Well, as decent as you can. You need to drop a few pounds. Didn’t I tell you that already?” Another smack to the side of Mel’s head. This time Mel’s head stayed bowed down, her hair forming a curtain around her face. “Can’t have the daughter of a politician looking fat. Don’t eat at dinner tonight. Just pretend to. Or if you have to for show, you’ll need to get rid of it afterward in the bathroom. Understand?”
Mel nodded slowly.
“Look at me when I talk to you!” Nora yanked Mel up by her hair and forced her head back to look into her eyes. Mel cried out in pain, and I saw the tears pouring down her face.
I strode forward and pulled Mel out of Nora’s grasp. “Don’t touch her like that,” I said coolly as I leveled her with a harsh stare—as harshly as a twelve-year-old could stare down a grown woman.
“Excuse me?” Nora’s eyebrows twitched, the equivalent of raising one’s eyebrows when they’ve had as much Botox as she had gotten.
“Don’t. Fucking. Touch. Her,” I snarled. “And you have no right to say those things to her, you fat bitch.”
Her mouth gaped open unattractively. I turned around and started to lead Mel away. “She’s staying with me tonight. For as long as she wants actually. Until her mother learns how to actually be a mom.” Not that I knew what that was with the way my mom was acting lately, but the sentiment still stood.
“You can’t just waltz in here and take my daughter away like the knight in armor you think you are, Tristan Westdyke,” she seethed.
I didn’t even turn around as I said, “Watch me.” And I slammed the door to the playroom behind me as I walked Mel out.
“Tristan?” My eyes flew open to see the same brown eyes that had looked at me with such trust in my dream. I looked around, disoriented. I settled back into my seat as I realized we were on a plane to Paris—to see Kate. Finally.
“Mel,” I breathed. She raised an eyebrow as she looked at me with mild concern or amusement. It was hard to tell now—the face I once knew as well as my own had become a stranger to me.
“Bad dream?” she drawled as she leaned back and folded her arms across her chest.
I swallowed hard and nodded, running my hand through my hair. “It was more of a memory. A bad one. You were in it actually.”
“Oh, yeah?” I hated the indifferent tone she used now; it mirrored her mother all too well.
“Yeah. One of the many times your mom physically, verbally, and psychologically abused you.”
She rolled her eyes and waved her hand dismissively. “The past is in the past, Tristan. And I’d say she’s more than made up for it by now with everything she’s done for me since you abandoned me.”
“Christ. I didn’t fucking abandon you, Mel! You were dead! Your mom faked your death! Your mom is the worst person I’ve ever met, myself included, even if I do think I’m the reason all this happened to you.” I leaned forward, and she recoiled almost imperceptibly. I chuckled humorlessly and shook my head. “Wow. Can’t even be near me, huh… Your mother really has brainwashed you. I wish you could see it, Mel. I wish I could show you my memories of our childhood.”
“No,” Mel breathed, her voice barely above a whisper.
“No?” I echoed, confused.
“No. I don’t want your memories. I’m better off not knowing. Don’t you know, Tristan? Ignorance is bliss.” And with that she stood up, ignoring the ‘fasten your seat belt’ warnings, and walked away.
MY MOM PASSED AWAY this morning. She never woke up from her coma, no matter how many times I pleaded with her to open her eyes, though I knew she was suffering. I told her that she could leave if the pain was too much, but that I would miss her terribly. I would never ever forgive myself for not being here for her these last few months.
I couldn’t call Tristan. He knew me so well that he would immediately know that something was wrong. Then, he would be on his way to me; which would destroy everything Nora had set up in the past five years. I wouldn’t be able to stop him from coming either—I missed him too much. His voice would be the best thing for me right now. Well, besides having him right next to me, but that definitely couldn’t happen. Instead, I tried to text him a few times. However, I was so grief-stricken that I never noticed that the messages weren’t going through. In fact, I never noticed that my phone no longer had any service at all.
“Katelyn?” I heard my aunt’s demandin
g voice float to my ears. “What’s this nonsense I hear about you not letting anyone into this room?”
I numbly looked up from where I was gazing at my mom’s lifeless face and stared at Aunt Nora. I hadn’t let anyone in the room since she’d died. I’d refused to let her leave my sight. She wasn’t dead. She couldn’t be.
“Where are all the machines?” my cousin asked. “Did Aunt Erin wake up?”
“No,” I answered hollowly. “She’s dead.”
Mel covered her mouth with one hand, while my aunt just stared impassively.
“She’s dead!” I screamed. “And it’s all your fault!”
“Now, now, Katelyn. She had cancer. You know that’s not my fault.” Her tone was borderline bored. I saw red.
“That’s not the point! You could have fucking told me. You had so many opportunities. I asked you every week how she was doing. You could have told me that she was getting worse! But, no. Instead, you lied to me for over a year just so I could carry out your stupid revenge plan. You told me that she was getting better—that I couldn’t talk to her because she was resting. Instead, I couldn’t talk to her because she was dying!” I was shouting.
“That’s not fair, Lyn. You met the love of your life while you were in America.” Mel’s tone turned hard and sarcastic by the end of her statement.
I stepped toward them with my hands clenched into fists. “I would have met him anyway—that’s the funny thing about falling in love and fate, Mel. But I will never get that last year with my mom back. And I will never ever forgive you two for it.”
To her credit, Mel looked slightly remorseful, but Aunt Nora just looked on impassively. “You sound like you don’t care about him at all, Lyn,” Mel drawled. Her feelings had a two-second rebound rate, and with a mother like Nora, it was easy to understand why.
“I’m more concerned with the fact that my mother just died right in front of me. And I couldn’t do anything to help her,” I retorted shakily.
“So, I guess you won’t mind that we brought Tristan here with us, then?” Mel pretended to inspect her nails, smiling slyly.
“What?” I froze.
“Oh yeah,” Mel grinned and nodded. “He knows everything.”
“No,” I exhaled sharply. They didn’t. They must have told him their twisted version of the truth—the one I’d been trying so desperately to hide. They couldn’t have taken away the two people I care about most in this world in one day. “They’re all I have left! What do you want from me?” I yelled hoarsely.
“You’re being overdramatic, Katelyn. And the smell in here is about to deteriorate. Let them come in and take her body,” Aunt Nora finally said.
That was it. I marched over and slapped Aunt Nora across her face, causing her to stagger back. She put one hand on the cheek that I hit and slowly turned her head back to me. “You’re a bitch. I wish I was never born so that I would never have to be related to a soulless piece of shit like you,” I spat.
“You ungrateful brat,” she hissed at me. “All I ever did was take care of you and your mother—”
“You call this taking care of us? She’s dead!” I stumbled back as the realization hit me. My mom really was dead.
My vision grew blurry. But I couldn’t cry in front of them—they didn’t deserve to see me in such a vulnerable state.
That was when he burst into the room, his eyes wildly searching for me. Of course, I was already looking at him, when was I not? When our eyes met, I saw the anguish in his, confirming what I already knew—my mom was dead and Tristan knew I was a fraud. I felt myself sink to the ground, eyes unseeing. It couldn't be. They couldn’t ruin my life so heartlessly, could they?
Arms immediately went around me then, giving me a sense of safety and love I knew I only felt from one other person. Despite my best efforts, I could feel the wetness on my cheeks. His soothing voice in my ears barely concealed his own pain as he told me that he was sorry and that he was never going to let me go. My arms started moving of their own accord, scrambling to grasp onto him, trying to hold onto something concrete, before the darkness caught up.
"I got you, baby. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he kept repeating, his arms tightening in response to my flailing ones. When that didn't help, he put one arm under my legs and swept me off my feet, cradling me to his chest. I realized there was an awful choking noise coming from me. I really was crying.
“Tristan,” I sobbed.
“I’m here, Kate. I’ve got you, baby.” He kissed my forehead.
“Where are you going?” Aunt Nora demanded.
Tristan ignored the question. “Where’s her room?”
Mel sighed dramatically. “Third floor. All the way down on the right.”
As we left the room, I faintly heard my aunt say, “Finally. Now we can get the body taken care of and everything. I can’t believe it’s been sitting out this long. That girl really doesn’t use her head.”
I knew Tristan definitely heard her. His muscles clenched under me and his arms tightened around me. He didn’t respond though; he just left the room. And I didn’t have the energy to respond. I couldn’t believe he was really here—and just when I needed him most.
He tried to lay me down in the bed, but I wouldn’t let go of my hold on his neck. Please don’t leave me.
As usual, he knew what I needed before I even had to say anything. He climbed onto the bed with me, rolling so that he was cradling me and I was crying into his chest.
“She’s gone,” I spluttered out between sobs.
Tristan said nothing as he held me, stroking my hair. I think he knew there was nothing he could say that would ever make losing my mom okay. He simply lay quietly and let me ruin his shirt. I wriggled to get closer to him—every inch of our bodies pressed together and it still wasn’t enough. I breathed in his clean, manly scent, wondering how he could still be here after knowing what I had done.
Suddenly, I started to tremble and he cradled my face away from his chest so he could look me in the eye. His navy blue eyes were full of pain—pain that I had undoubtedly caused. I didn’t deserve him. “Don’t leave me,” I managed to get out through my tears. I remembered the first time I had said that to him, in the hospital when he had stayed the night in the chair next to my bed. Despite everything, I thought I had been sincere when I said it back then, but nothing compared to how desperately I needed for him to stay by my side now. Now and forever.
“Never,” he whispered back fiercely. I buried my face in the crook of his neck, and I eventually drifted into a deep sleep.
I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping to stay in this dream. This dream where strong arms enveloped me, surrounding me in warmth. This dream where a hand traced meaningless patterns on my back. This dream where I knew I was safe because of the man lying next to me.
He pressed a kiss to my hair and breathed my name—I knew I wasn’t dreaming then. I opened my eyes to see Tristan awake, watching me. My eyes desperately roved his features, memorizing them so I would have the image to hold on to when he eventually left me.
“You’re beautiful,” he told me.
I shook my head, refusing to let the tears fall again.
One corner of his mouth lifted—a ghost of my favorite half smile—and he brushed my hair back. “You’re beautiful, Kate.” Then he frowned. “How are you feeling? When was the last time you ate or really slept?”
I bit my lip. I hadn’t been eating since I got here because I was too worried about my mom. And I hadn’t been sleeping either because I had gotten too used to sleeping with Tristan.
He already knew my answer, and he shifted to get up. “I need to get you something to eat.”
“No!” I cried out, and he immediately stilled. “Don’t leave me, please.”
He ran his hand through his messy, brown hair as he looked back at me. “Why do you keep saying that?” I didn’t respond, and instead, stared at him, pleadingly. “I’m not leaving. I just need to get you something to eat. I need to do…something. I haven’t
felt this helpless in so long. You’re in so much pain, and I just want to make it go away. I would take it all and make it my own if I could.”
One tear trickled down my cheek and he brushed it away with his thumb, looking into my eyes with so much concern and love that it almost broke me. I tried to smile at him. “You’re already doing it. You’re already taking the pain away just by being here. So don’t leave me, I need you.”
“I’m not leaving you, baby.” He held my face in his hands. “I couldn’t even if I tried. It’s impossible to live without the other half of your heart.” He brushed his lips ever so softly against mine.
I launched myself at him and he twisted as he caught me so that we fell back against the pillows. He held me as we stared into each other’s eyes. I traced his features with my fingers. Finally, I couldn’t hold it in anymore. “I love you.” I leaned my forehead against his, hoping he still felt the same way.
He shuddered, and I felt his arms tighten around me. He briefly closed his eyes as he let my words wash over him. When they opened again, they blazed at me. “Not as much as I love you,” he murmured.
I choked out a laugh and kissed him with bruising force. I let my hands slide down his chest and slip into his shirt. I wanted him. I had no right to, but I wanted him. He was all I needed to take the pain away.
Tristan broke away when I started to tug his shirt up. “Kate. What are you doing, babe?”
I met his intense stare with a pleading one. “I need this, Tristan. Please. I need you.” I wasn’t above begging. I just wanted to forget everything that was going on for just a few minutes—I needed to get lost in him.
I kissed him and he sat up to let me pull his shirt over his head. I could see the indecision on his face. I didn’t want to make him do something he didn’t want to do, so I reluctantly pulled back.
He took one look at my face and suddenly his lips were crashing into mine. “Fuck. If you need me, you got me baby. Always,” he growled into my mouth as he tore at my clothing.
We were naked and panting in seconds. Tristan rolled his hips against me and my eyes went to the back of my head. “Tristan, now! Please!” I cried out.