Page 105 of His Secret Gift

The bustling around the train only intensifies, and no matter how I try, I can’t stop it from seeping into my ears. In fact, it even starts sounding like a loud whistle.

I know that I need to get out of there. Well, I obviously can’t leave the cabin. But I need solace.

So, I rush into the bathroom.

The cold metal of the door handle pierces my heated skin as I yank it open, seeking refuge from the external chatter and my own tormented thoughts. Then, the moment I step inside, I slam it behind me and try to muffle the sounds of moaning and gasping that I’d heard in the video.

Fucking Harper.

I thought he was over her. I guess not.

… and what if he’d never been? What did that make us? Makeme? An idiot? A fool? I’m not sure. Either way, it doesn’t feel good.

“Get it together, Kayla,” I mutter under my breath. You know the feeling of being sick and begging for the universe and your own body to make you feel better somehow? That’s kind of what I’m going through.

But when my prayers or whatever don’t seem to me working, I curse him.

Leaning over the sink, I joke and quote Shakespeare in a witchy voice, “A plague on both of your houses.” At least that makes me snicker for a second or two. However, the waves of reality soon come crashing back.

Then, I hear a knock at the door.

I hurry to wipe the tears from under my eyes.

“Kayla? It’s Callie.”

Thinking it’s just her, I open it without pause.

“Oh.” My heart sinks into my stomach when I see Jack’s sunken face in the shadows behind her.

My friend shrugs apologetically. “I’m so sorry. He really wanted to talk with you. Should I leave?” She turns her head to ask that last question, so she’s poising the question more to Jack than to me. But I can’t be too angry about that. At the end of the day, he is her boss.

Regardless, I answer for him. “No. Anything he has to say to me, he can say in front of you.”

At this, Jack sighs and rolls his eyes before saying, “Fine.”

The two of them walk inside the dingy, windowless space and shut the door again.

I stand with my back against the wall and cross my arms. “Well?”

“He’s seen the video,” Callie jumps in to say.

My jaw clenches, and I can’t even look at him. “Okay?”

Jack opens his mouth several times but fails to say anything. That is, until he finally murmurs, “I have no idea what happened.”

My head snaps in his direction and my eyes squint. “Seriously?”In case you missed sex-ed class, it sure looked like you were getting your jollies off with another woman.

He’s gazing at the ground, but he eventually looks up at me, looking defeated. “All I can tell you is that she came over to the apartment, I made her a drink, and she poured me a soft drink. Then, out of nowhere, my vision started getting obscured. From there, I have no recollection.”

I don’t know whether to believe him or not. It seems like a likely story… but also, why lie? It would honestly be less hurtful if he just admitted that she seduced him.

“So, what are you saying?” Callie asks. It’s actually very helpful having her here because she can make up for and ask the right questions I’m not in the right frame of mind to.

“I—” he starts picking at his palms. “I assume she drugged me or something. I don’t know.”

“And you know for sure you only had a soda?”

“Yes.” His brown eyes look desperate. “I had no desire to drink alcohol last night. For one thing, I promised Bryant that I wouldn’t. I was a mess the evening prior, and I didn’t want to put him in a position where he’d need to take care of me again.”

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