Page 121 of Hyperspeed
What the fuck had I done?
“Rev—”
He held up a hand, silencing me. “You’ve said enough, Mercer.”
Then he turned and walked away.
Past his teammate, who reached for him. Past the curious onlookers, all trying to make sense of what they’d seen but not heard. He held his head high, as if I hadn’t just crushed the remnants of his already bruised heart.
Like I hadn’t just torn down everything we’d built over the last six weeks.
When he disappeared into Zenith’s garage without looking back, the only thing left in his place was regret.
Because I knew . . . I’d just made the biggest mistake of my life.
Steer Clear of Heartbreak
Rev
It had been three weeks since Cass’s funeral, and five since the accident. I had stayed in my apartment almost the entire time, living in my pyjamas and glued to the sofa.
Mum and Dad called every day, and I managed to string together a few words. Their worry became clear when they started dropping by unannounced, just to make sure I hadn’t drowned in the shower or starved in front of the TV.
I would’ve had to step into the shower to risk drowning in it. But I let myself rot, only dragging myself to the bathroom for a quick splash at the sink whenever Mum complained she could smell me from the kitchen.
I had no energy for anything else—cooking, cleaning, even eating felt like too much. Mum and Grandma batch-cooked meals in their apartment, bringing them over several times a week until my fridge was overflowing.
They wouldn’t leave until I’d eaten at least one meal, and I couldn’t bear to disappoint them, so I forced each bite down, even though every mouthful tasted like ash on my tongue.
Others checked up on me too.
Tavoris, Zylo, Saelix . . . even Jax sent a message or two. I replied once or twice, just enough to let them know I was alive, that I was holding it together. But they didn’t have to know how far from the truth that was.
Most nights, I stayed awake, haunted by Kai. Wanting to forget him, yet unable to stop thinking about him.
Physically, I was avoiding him, but my mind refused me any form of respite.
Kai kept trying to talk to me, of course he did. Persistence was one thing he never lacked.
On the day of the crash, I’d holed up in my bedroom, breaking down beneath the blankets. Then the doorbell rang—Kai, pressing it over and over and pounding on the door. He looked terrible. Hair stuck up in every direction, like he’d run his hands through it, and his T-shirt was inside out.
But he hadn’t looked angry anymore, and I told myself that was the only reason I let myself listen to the audio.
“Rev, please open the door.” He stopped banging and rested his head against the door. “I know it wasn’t your fault, but I was angry, upset, and so fucking wrong. I’ve seen the rest of the footage, watched it from every angle. I know it wasn’t your fault.”
Kai sighed, thumping his head on the wood once, twice, three times. “I didn’t mean it, Rev . . . that I couldn’t handle you. I was just . . . terrified. So fucking scared of losing you.” His voice cracked. “And now I think I’ve lost you anyway.”
He took a steadying breath and spoke again. “Please open the door. You can scream at me if you want, call me every insult under the sun. Hell, punch me right in the jaw if that’s your jam.”
When I still didn’t answer, he looked into the camera, eyes glistening with unshed tears. “I was such a fucking idiot, little comet. I’m so sorry.”
He stayed for another five minutes, eyes flicking between the door and the camera as if he knew I was watching.
But I never answered.
Just watched him walk away, with a piece of my broken heart in his pocket.
I wanted to chase after him, grab his face and kiss him—maybe even throw a punch just because he said I could—then kiss him again, hard enough to steal our breath, forcing us to gasp for air.
