Page 88 of Karma

“I feel like a total fucking idiot for even coming over here to hear you out,” he says. “You betrayed me so hard. I trusted you with all my secrets and you just wiped your asses with it. None of it meant anything to you.”

Knowing this was how he must’ve seen what we did has made me unable to speak for the last two weeks. Or eat. Or sleep. I wish I had come up with words to say that would make it better, that would fix it. But I don’t think words like that exist.

“We wanted to— “ I say, but he interrupts me by glaring at Karma and saying, “And you, you were gonna shoot me?”

“I wasn’t, I’d never… “ she stutters.

“You pointed your gun right at me while Joker was getting Eden into the van,” he says. “Remember that?”

Karma is shaking her head, the expression on her face suggesting she’s fighting for her life. In a way, she is. We both are.

“I was aiming at the tires,” she says. “I’d never shoot you. I’d take ten bullets for you.”

He shakes his head, the expression on his face suggesting he’s smelling something bad. Like bullshit. But I don’t think either Karma or I have ever been this truthful or this honest. I know I haven’t.

“We wanted to keep you from getting killed in a war with the Devils,” I say. “I couldn’t face being without you and I’m sure Karma couldn’t either. So we did a stupid thing.”

She nods fervently, but he still looks like he’s smelling bullshit.

“It was my idea to take Eden,” I say. “I figured if we got her away from you then the war wouldn’t happen. It was dumb, but I didn’t think you really wanted the war either and we thought we could do it without bloodshed.”

Karma takes hold of his hands again. “We did it because we love you and wanted to keep you from dying.”

His eyes aren’t shooting that icy flame anymore. But they’re still very cold.

“I’ve trusted the wrong people so many times in my life. And it nearly got me killed many times over,” he says, his voice hitching in his throat like he’s running out of breath. “But you two might be my biggest mistake yet. You’ll be the death of me, I just know it.”

He sinks down, his hands slipping from Karma’s grasp as he sits by the fire.

I shake my head and sit beside him, wrapping my arm around his shoulders like I’ve been yearning to do since I touched him last. I also really want to kiss him. But we’re not there yet.

“I’d die for you,” I say. “If you believe nothing else I’m saying, believe that. My life isn’t worth living if you don’t forgive me. ”

The look he gives me could be forgiveness, or it could be the complete opposite of that. But at least he’s not shaking my arm off and pushing me away, at least he’s sitting by our fire, at least he’s willing to listen. Karma sits down too, wrapping her arms around his waist.

“Let us prove to you that we’ll never betray you again,” she says. “Don’t send us away again. Please.”

A very long silence follows, during which both Karma and me are holding our breaths, and Scorpio is just staring at the fire, the flames reflected perfectly in his eyes still the only warmth there.

“I must be insane,” he finally mutters.

“Is that a yes?” Karma asks, sounding happier than I’ve heard her in years.

My own heart is leaping in my chest, pulsing painfully as he nods.

“You forgive us?” I ask, needing to be absolutely sure.

He looks at me then at Karma and grins. I really like seeing him smile. When he does, it makes me think all the darkness in my past can be blown away. “From the start, I figured you two would be bad for me. But I was only half right. You were also the best thing that could’ve happened to me. So I’m gonna be stupid one more time and believe you. Being stupid is kinda my thing. And besides, I’m pretty sure I love you both.”

Karma shakes her head. “We’ll never betray your trust again. Or go against you in any way. And I’m gonna spend the rest of my life proving how very much I love you too.”

“I’m gonna kiss you now,” I tell him. “Because I think we’ve said all there is to say.”

“Yeah,” Karma says and smiles too. “From here on out, we can only show you how sorry we are.”

He looks at both of us and for a few chest-crushing moments I’m afraid he’s gonna push me away and leave for good. But then he leans back against my arm and smiles at us again.

“All right, show me then,” he says.

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