Page 143 of Faithful

Also, fucking feelings.

They attack me from each and every side and that familiar sting in my eyes that foreshadows tears begins to grow bold and insistent. I have to turn away from my mother because I don’t want her to see me cry.

“What’s wrong, baby?” She reaches out to clumsily take me by the elbow.

It’s been so long since we actually hugged like normal families do that this affection she’s trying to give me is a bit convoluted and I’m not sure about the best way to accept the embrace. That’s why instead I end up blurting out the one thing I probably shouldn’t. “You know it’s his fault, right?”

“What do you mean?” She blinks rapidly, now confused.

I rub at my eyes viciously, forcing the tears away. “That Ava’s gone. That her life ended the way it did… You know it, Mom. Right? Gavin’s the one responsible for her death. No one else.”

It wasn’t my intention to steer the blame away from Kai, but now that the words have been said and my mother is aware of what I think of my own father, I feel like I did right by Kai. I don’t know if I have it in me to tell her today that the young man who was with my sister the night she died is the same young man I love. It’s enough that deep in my heart I don’t hold him accountable for what happened.

If Gavin hadn’t been such a twisted fuck, if he’d truly put his family first, both his children might still be alive and treating him like a parent.

Only he has no children left (because I don’t count myself as one anymore). Yet he’s still clinging to his career.

Good luck getting reelected.

18 THE SPLASH

The morning of the gala, I add Kai’s name to the guest list.

We haven’t spoken since that kiss in the back alley. He likes his space when it comes to making serious, potentially life-altering decisions. So I give him that space.

Meanwhile, our entire team along with a dozen volunteers are preparing for what promises to be the biggest charity event of the year.

The news about my parents’ separation hasn’t hit the media yet and my mother has chosen to exit the relationship gracefully, granting my father one last luxury by allowing him to take her to the event as his date.

I hardly sleep the night before. I’d like to think it’s mostly because of all the coffee I’ve been drinking, but the truth is it’s the anticipation, the torture of waiting for an answer after baring myself completely in for Kai.

Several missed calls from Glasses, whose number has been reprogrammed in my phone todo not pick up, are already waiting for me when I climb out of bed and start getting ready for the day.

I bought a nice tux with my own money, hoping that Kai would get to see me in it tonight, and I spend a good minute packing the outfit into a garment bag.

Leigh is already gone, probably with her friends having brunch. I text her just to be sure she remembers we are meeting up at the venue an hour before things kick off.

She responds instantly, stating that she’s too young to have memory loss of this magnitude and she’ll see me at 1700 sharp.

I leave my apartment shortly before noon, my tux lying flat on the back seat of my Charger.

The adrenaline coursing through my veins all morning has turned me into a little Energizer Bunny, and I can’t wait for the first part of the day to end.

There’s loud music (not Iodine’s) blasting from the speakers as I get behind the wheel and start driving.

I’m on a mission doing a small favor for my boss. Apparently, Gin saved a lot of event-related files on her iPad, which she accidentally left on her office desk last night, and is now struggling with her phone’s tiny screen. Therefore, I’m to stop by our place of work on my way to the banquet hall to pick up the iPad and safely deliver it to Gin.

Which is fine.

What’s not fine is a random sedan blocking my Charger when I exit the office with the iPad in tow.

At first, I’m furious. Then I’m a little scared.

Upon closer inspection, the vehicle does seem familiar.

As soon as I get near it, the door swings open, and Glasses rolls out of the driver’s seat.

“Dylan.” He smiles blandly, stepping over the puddles from the melting snow. “You're a hard man to find.”

---