Page 18 of Rev

“Be careful,” Hades warns, his eyes serious. “We can’t afford any unwelcome surprises.”

“I will,” I assure him. “As soon as I’ve spoken with her, I’ll text before making my way back here. Hopefully, I’ll have another update for Monster by then.”

I head back to the car, the cool morning air a stark contrast to the tension boiling inside me. The bench Harley mentioned is a spot overlooking the North Sea, a place where we had many serious conversations when I worked for her father. It’s also the one place I never wanted to see again after my final encounter there with Harley.

SEVEN

REV

In many ways, the bench is a fitting location for what promises to be another pivotal moment.

The sky is a turbulent canvas of greys and blues as I walk along the familiar path to the bench overlooking the sea. The sound of the waves crashing against the shore provides a strange sense of calm.

There was never a time I didn’t love being by the coast until that day when I broke Harley’s teenage heart. I knew it was the right thing to do at the time, but it still felt shitty to see her heart crack.

The salty breeze carries with it the memories of a time that feels both distant and ever present. I can see the bench in the distance, the place where Harley and I said our goodbyes. It’s a stark reminder of the decisions I made and the paths we’ve both chosen as a consequence.

As I approach, I see Harley sitting there with her back to me and her blue-black hair whipping around her face in the wind. She’s looking out to sea, her gaze fixed on the horizon, and her posture suggests a mix of tension and calm. My heart pounds in my chest, a relentless reminder of the feelings I’ve tried to bury.

I take a deep breath and walk towards her, each step heavy with the weight of our past. I don’t want to be here. This is the last place I saw her before I left. When I returned to the house that day, Hades and I walked out and never looked back. Even though I wanted to return, I didn’t because I knew I’d made the right choice.

“Harley,” I say softly as I reach the bench.

She turns to look at me, her eyes reflecting the stormy sea behind her.

“Hadrian,” she replies, her voice giving nothing away, but I recognise all too well the tinge of longing in her eyes.

“All right if I sit with you?” I ask, gesturing to the empty seat beside her.

“Aye, you know I couldn’t refuse even if I wanted to,” she says with a small smile playing on her lips. She scoots over to put some room between us.

I sit down on the bench, the wooden seat creaking under my weight. We remain silent for a moment while the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks fills the void between us. I steal a glance at her, noticing the way the wind has tangled her hair and her hands are clasped tightly in her lap.

She’s always been reserved but with an inner strength. That’s how she captured my attention and held it hostage. Even when she openly admitted her feelings for me, there was a gentle shyness to her demeanour.

“I didn’t think you’d ever come back here,” she says, finally breaking the silence.

“I didn’t think you’d want me to,” I tell her honestly.

“I didn’t want to see you, but at the same time, I wanted nothing more than to see you again.” She smiles faintly. It’s a sad smile that tugs at my heart. “There’s a lot we need to talk about.”

“Aye, there is,” I agree, looking out at the horizon.

We sit in silence for a few more moments, the weight of our unspoken words hanging in the air between us. I know I need to be the one to start, to tell her everything I’ve been keeping from her. But where to begin?

“Since knowing I was coming back to England, I’ve been thinking a lot about the past,” I begin, my voice barely audible over the roar of the waves. “My thoughts have drifted to my time working for ye da. And I’ve thought about us and the choices I made.”

Harley nods, her eyes fixed on me. “There hasn’t been a day I haven’t thought about you, Hadrian.”

Hearing her call me by my given name makes my chest tighten. Nobody, other than Hades, has called me that in a long while. The brothers at the club all know me as Rev.

“I’m Rev now.”

“What?” She glances at me, her eyes piercing a hole straight into my chest.

“My road name is Rev. No one calls me Hadrian anymore, except Hades when he has something serious to say ta me.”

“Oh…” There’s a long pause before Harley asks, “Why Rev?”

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