Page 98 of Until We Burn
The car eases out of the neighborhood and turns towards downtown. I draw out Kai’s coin from my pocket. My thumb runs over the warm metal before it’s pricked with tears. I close my eyes, letting the rest fall as my heart mourns the people my siblings would have become if the HMG never existed.
CHAPTER 41
KAI
I will doeverything in my power to make sure you never take Simon’s place.
Matthias’ warning has me tossing and turning in my bed. I grab my phone from the nightstand to check the time.
12:30 a.m.
I groan. My eyes are so heavy with exhaustion, yet my thoughts are racing out of my control.
What is Matthias going to do to me? He can’t end everything with just one word, right?
Of course he can. He’s an investor. His company is the reason why so many businesses are standing on two legs.
Matthias Valdis was a powerhouse in the NHL. He had power then and he still has power today.
But it can’t just end like this. Not after everything.
The DHU Griffins are six months away from possibly playing in the Frozen Four and winning the national championship. The Vancouver Phoenix are still considering me as a potential recruit.
Pressure breaks into my bones. My other hand scrambles for Diana’s hair clip sitting on the nightstand. I hold it close, breathing in and out. The faint scent of her rose shampoo clings to the diamondsand the weight on my chest eases under the memory of Diana giggling and scrubbing shampoo into my hair.
It’s only been a few hours, and I miss the feeling of her hands resting on my chest, the soft sound of her voice reassuring me while she looks up at me with those dark eyes, and that subtle pout on her lips. I want that so badly right now. Not even that, I want to know how Diana’s dinner went. I was grateful to see the boys after the presentation, but the person I wanted to see the most was her.
I stare back and forth between the clip and my phone.
“Fuck it.” I set down the hairclip and start typing into DXMessenger.
This is a shot in the dark, but are you up? I swear this is not a hookup call
DIANA
I’m glad to hear it because I don’t look very delectable right now
The dinner didn’t go well?
DIANA
Can we talk on the phone? I’m too tired to text.
Yeah, sure
I throw on a hoodie and rush out of bed. I keep my footsteps quiet as I sneak out onto the balcony to answer Diana’s call. On the other line, I can hear the squeak of a balcony door shoving open and the rustle of a phone being nestled against her cheek.
“Can you hear me?” Diana’s voice sounds so tired and worn out that I almost don’t recognize it.
“Yeah, I can. It’s nice to hear your voice.” I clear my throat, rubbing the back of my neck. “I’m saying, you know, as a friend.”
“A friend you occasionally give orgasms to?” A bit of life flares back into her voice, making me slouch against the railing in relief.
There she is. There’s my girl.
“What happened tonight? I wanna hear it all.”
Diana sighs. She tells me everything from the start: the tense, quietmeal where no one talked, news of her grandpa’s failing health, and his eventual move-in to the Huang family mansion. That’s when Diana’s voice falls.
