Page 102 of Betrayed in the Dark
I turn toward Scarlett. “Leo’s okay with you going to a club?”
“Not exactly.” She twirls a strand of hair around her finger, staring off to the side. “Which is why they’re all coming with us.”
“What?” I rub my ear. “I don’t think I heard you correctly because, to me, it sounded like you said my brothers are coming to my bachelorette party?”
Alina pulls a piece of confetti off her glasses, letting it slip between her fingers to the floor. “Please don’t be mad. It was the only way they would let us do this for you.” She wraps her arms around me and whispers, “We figured if we were forced to do this, at least we could get a night of fun out of it.”
I feel the beginnings of a headache forming behind my eyes.
“Oh, please say you’ll come.” Cressida frowns. “I feel like we haven’t had a chance to spend a lot of time together before the wedding, so I thought we could make up for that tonight.”
Her eyes begin to glisten, and any chance I had at saying no to this whole thing instantly vanishes.
I smile. “All right. Yeah, sure. This will be great.”
Who knows? Maybe tonight will actually be fun.
Doubtful, but here’s hoping.
They cheer in unison; only Cressida’s is of pure excitement while Alina and Scarlett feign their enthusiasm.
“I’ll umm…” Eli clears his throat and hooks a thumb over his shoulder before strolling toward the stairs.
“I’ll be right back.” I watch as Eli ascends the stairs, running a hand through his hair. “Let me just change real quick.”
Cressida’s eyes trail after Eli, lost in a trance, but I don’t have time to decipher that look as I quickly chase after him. Before he enters his room, I place my hand on his bicep, wrapping my fingers around it to stop him.
“Hey.” I step in front of him, his muscles tense beneath my touch as he closes his eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” He drags a shaking hand down his face and takes a deep breath. His eyes open, but they look lost and vacant, the rich brown hues of his irises appearing dull and muted.
“Talk to me.” I try to piece together everything that just happened, wondering what triggered this…
Theboomsfrom the confetti cannons.
“It was the confetti,” I say softly.
He gazes up at the ceiling. “Yeah. Stupid, I know.”
“That’s not stupid at all.”
“For a few seconds, I wasn’t here, but…”
“Overseas,” I finish for him.
His eyes meet mine. “Sometimes I hear a loud noise, and I’m fine. Other times, I’m not. It’s like it triggers a flashback that I have no control over. I can’t make it stop.”
I nod, taking a step closer. “I can’t even imagine how tough that is on you.”
“I’m fine,” he replies quickly. Too quickly.
And my heart hurts for him. For all of the invisible pain he never allows anyone to see.
“Eli.” I place my hand on his chest, looking up at him. “You’re strong, and you’re brave. Having PTSD doesn’t change that one bit. It doesn’t change the way I look at you. And it’s okay to not always be okay.”
He sighs. “I know. Or at least I’m trying to. But it’s taking longer than I thought to feel any semblance of normalcy.”
As if it were the most natural thing in the world for me to do, I wrap my arms around his waist, resting my head against his chest. “Why don’t you stay home tonight? One of us should get some of that rest we were talking about earlier.”
