Page 4 of Promise Kept

I change the subject from his really messed up marriage.

(Believe me, that’s a whole other story you’ll have to talk to Henri and Calista about.)

“Julian here?” I ask.

“Sure,” Henri says. “He did stop and talk to Larissa for a minute.”

“What did he have to say to her?” I ask.

I sense my tone sounding angered.

Jealous.

Henri glances at me. “Protective already?”

“What?”

“You know we’re all looking out for her now in a way,” Henri says.

“What about the others?” I ask.

Henri curls his lip. “Those other fuckers are here too.”

Those other fuckers refers to the rest of our once really close-knit group.

They are Damien, Aron, and Devyn.

Again, not something to worry about right now.

Soon enough though…

“At least we’re all together for once,” I say to Henri.

“Can you believe this?” he asks me. “Heston.”

“Can we be honest?” I whisper. “You didn’t see this coming?”

“I don’t know,” Henri says. “I’ve been so busy. Did you talk to him much?”

“More than you, apparently. Never in person. It’s been a long time. I’m not even sure if I can call myself a friend or best friend.”

“He loved you,” Henri says. “That I know. I just wish he could have saved himself.”

“I wish I knew how bad it was.”

“Why? You don’t need that in your life. Heston didn’t want to get clean. He died doing what he wanted. You want to walk around here and be sad, go for it. This isn’t some sad death because of an overdose. He wanted it. It’s the same as those people who jump off of cliffs for fun with parachutes.”

“You’re heartless, Henri,” I say.

“When you’re married to the woman I am, you have to be,” he whispers.

He nudges me and winks.

I watch him walk toward Calista.

He grabs her hand.

It takes a second or two for her to squeeze back.

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