Page 78 of Aftertaste

Everything Was Different

Haven

Seven days. How did seven days pass by in the blink of an eye but also seem to drag on for all eternity?

I was back in my cage.

The same one Thalia had been in with me.

And it felt…different. Like there was something missing.

My cell had been too quiet. My mood too somber. Some days I felt like a zombie just trying to make it to the other side of the room.

I hated it. I hated how easily I’d let her in, and how quick she’d disappeared from my life.

Time and time again I’d picked my cell up and opened our message thread. She’d sent several messages in the days following our night together, but I hadn’t responded. And now it had been two days since I last heard from her. Two days of complete silence.

Fuck.

All I wanted was to reply and tell her we could talk like she wanted us to. That we could work it out. But the fact of the matter was, she was eighteen, and still in school for another three months. There was no way we could work around that, not when I was eight years older than her. Not like this. Not with her.

Right?

Right?

Fuck. Maybe I was overthinking it. Maybe I was being too cautious.

My gaze caught sight of Rush out of the corner of my eye, his attention focused on me. I hadn’t spoken to him since Thalia had left either. It was the longest I’d ever gone without talking to him, and although part of me knew I was being irrational, it didn’t make a difference. I needed someone to blame, and he was it, whether that was right or wrong.

He’d sent Thalia the message. He was the one who had taken my cell. He was the one who had probably let her into the club that night too.

In my mind, it made sense.

The DJ announced the last song of the night, and Rush still didn’t look away from me. He was waiting, trying to catch me off guard, but I was going to beat him at his own game.

Before the song had finished, I lowered down to the ground and beelined it to the staff area. I knew he couldn’t leave his post, not while everyone was leaving.

“Haven!” I heard him shout, but I ignored him, not bothering to get changed as I grabbed my bag and mixed in with the crowd as they left. A hand grasped my arm when I was mere feet away from the door, and I turned, seeing Rush’s sad face. “What’s going on?” he asked, his concern evident.

I shook my head, not able to get the words out. I was afraid if I spoke them, it would all become that much truer. At least inside my head I could try and deny them. “I…” I cleared my throat. “I’ll message you.”

“Haven,” he pleaded.

“I’ll message you,” I repeated, yanking my arm from his grip, and disappearing into the crowd.

Worse Than Lucifer Himself

Thalia

I sat at the dining table, the same one we’d all sat at only a few nights ago. But this time I was all alone. Alone with my thoughts. Alone in the house. Just…alone.

I’d spent the last three nights at Sage’s house, and she thought it was because I was upset about what had happened with Haven. Sage didn’t understand why Haven had kicked me out of her apartment. She didn’t get why she acted the way she did, but then she wouldn’t, not with her romantic situation. Her and Storm were breaking all of the rules, so to her, this wasn’t a big deal.

And I understood that. I did. But I also understood where Haven was coming from. She wasn’t just a random hook-up. We’d built a foundation, gotten to know each other, and I’d lied by omission about who I was. In truth, I hadn’t even thought about it. It hadn’t occurred to me at all. I was too busy soaking up all of the goodness she gave me. I was living the life I wanted and not the one I’d been given.

For a brief period of time, there had been light seeping into the darkness that surrounded me, but now all that was left was pitch black.

“Thalia.” I didn’t make a move ashesaid my name. My body and mind were too occupied with what had happened with Haven. I’d never be able to forget the way her face had looked as she told me to leave. Her eyes lifeless, her mouth in an angry line.

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