Page 73 of Light As A Feather
“If you change your mind, just shoot me a text and I can pick something up on the way back. I’ll update you when I have a better idea of what the situation is, but I shouldn’t be long.”
“Don’t worry about me.”
“Not possible,” he says as he kisses my forehead, but I fist his fresh shirt and pull him in for a real kiss, the idea of parting with him sparking an undercurrent of need within me. “Drive safe.” With a nod, he’s off.
Worry sours my stomach as I watch him disappear through the doorway, dread sinking its claws into me. I hate the unknown, but I dislike how this familiar feeling digs into me worse.
The harsh slam of the door knocker startles me as I’m straining the pasta, my sudden rigidity sending the hot water splashing. Luckily, only a few small droplets land on my sweater. I consider not answering for a moment, but this isn’t the kind of place someone would just stumble on; it must be someone Hawthorne knows, and I don’t want to be rude or miss something important.
Checking the security camera, I find Jayden standing outside. He must have just missed Hawthorne. Swinging the door open, I’m taken aback by the dark bags under his eyes and unkempt hair that are a sloppy contrast to his typical, carefully curated disheveled look. He stumbles over the entryway, his hand coming up to grip the doorframe. I can’t miss the dirt under his nails. It also clings to his pants and shoes. He walks right past me, not even bothering to stomp off the excess debris on the welcome mat.Rude as fuck, but okay.
“Is everything okay?”
“Where’s Hawthorne?” he asks, eyes flying around the room.
“He left to go check on you. You must have just missed him.”
“Can I wait here until he gets back? I need to talk to him.” He fidgets with his bracelets, avoiding making eye contact.
“Yes…yes, of course. I was just making us dinner, actually. Are you hungry?”
“No.”
“Okay. Why don’t you go wait in the living room, then?”
Eager to escape his restless energy, I go back into the kitchen. Once I can think more clearly, I debate what I should do. He seems off, but this is a rare opportunity for us to speak alone, probably the only one I’ll get for a bit.
Bringing a glass of water for both of us, I force myself to do the mature thing and take this chance to try to repair things for Thorne’s sake. Setting them on the coffee table, I take a seat on the couch across from him.
“Look, I know that you’re not thrilled that I’m back. I understand that you and Hawthorne have your own relationship, and I would never dream of getting in between that. I want him to be happy, so?—”
“You want him to be happy?” Jayden says with thick doubt in his voice.
“That’s all I’ve ever wanted.” I’m genuinely taken aback by the question.
“Your track record would prove differently.” He takes a drink of his water.
“I know that my leaving hurt him, but I did it to protect him. I’m not sure how much Hawthorne has told you, but his life was—is—in real danger.”
“Right, because of you.” He leans forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. “You forget that I was there that night. Ialsowatched him fight for his life. I watched you make a choice for him that altered everything.”
“You think I had a choice? I did what I had to in order to save his life. He might have come back differently, but hewasn’t coming back at all otherwise. You’d think you’d be a bit more grateful, especially considering you only know part of what happened that night.”
“Grateful? If it wasn’t for you, we would have had a shot at making things work. But no, the moment you stepped into his world, it started revolving around you, and I was pushed out of his orbit little by little.”
“You’re his best friend in the world, Jayden. I hardly call that pushed out.”
“God, and you were always this mouthy and opinionated, weren’t you?”
He might as well have thrown that glass of water in my face. We may have had a few contentious moments in the past, but nothing so blunt or outright disdainful. We were even friendly for many years, but at this point, I don’t know how we could ever get back to that.
“What the hell is going on with you?”
Jayden stands and steps around the coffee table. He towers over me, his posture intimidating, but I try to remain calm.
“You. You’re what’s wrong with me, Solaneen.” Spit lands on my cheeks, and I have to suppress the urge to express my disgust; it’s the least of my worries. “It would all just be so much easier if you’d never come back. My life—our lives—would be so much better if you weren’t in the picture.” He crowds me, my knees hitting the back of the couch. His chest heaves, and as he tilts his head down to meet my gaze, his eyes have rolled back in his head, the whites exposed. I’m not dealing with Jayden anymore.
“Wh—whoever you are, you need to leave.”
