Page 85 of Crimson Desires

“You missed a lot,” I said.

Violet’s voice bubbled out of her throat, half-sobbing. “I know, Aster. And I’m sorry. But I’m here now. And if you’re willing, I’d like to get caught up.”

I smiled, bittersweet. “Okay.”

I took my first bite of food. The flavors melted in my mouth, salty and tangy.

Then, I told Violet everything.

I told her about how I’d endured Mom and Dad’s arguments. About how those arguments only got worse and worse as Dad’s health declined until they eventually culminated in divorce. I told her about how I’d gone to art school for a year before Dad’s stroke forced me to drop out. I told her about the night I’d gotten stiffed out of a tip by a famous rock star—and how that night had been the catalyst for this exact moment.

Violet listened intently through it all. She barely spoke, except to say things like, “uh-huh,” “keep going,” and “what happened next?”

By the time I finished catching her up on my life, we’d both cleaned our plates.

“Jack really cares about you,” Violet said.

“Yeah. I guess.”

Violet shook her head. “You didn’t see him when I talked to him in Charleston. The protectiveness in his eyes when he talked about you—he arranged this meeting because he wanted you to hear my apology.”

Every word from Violet’s mouth clutched my heart, constricting it tighter and tighter until it was on the precipice of bursting.

“You really think he cares about me?” I asked. I looked to my sister for her approval, an action that felt almost disturbingly natural.

Violet smiled. “Yeah, Aster. I really do.”

***

Violet and I stood outside the restaurant’s front doors as we waited for Dave to pull up. We exchanged phone numbers and promised to keep in touch. Despite the excitement filling my chest at the thought of having a relationship with my sister again, I forced myself to manage my expectations.

Violet had been out of my life for years. It was going to take more than one lunch for us to repair all the damage that her absence had caused.

Eventually, I saw Dave’s Honda approaching from down the road.

“You know, Dad misses you. He doesn’t know why you left, but I think he has a feeling that he played a part in you leaving,” I said quickly before I could think better of myself.

Violet tensed.

“I know you probably don’t have the best opinions of him. But he’s not a bad guy, Violet. And if you just gave him a chance-,”

“Text me his number,” Violet said. “I’ll give him a call.”

Dave parked in front of the restaurant. Violet and I said our goodbyes and parted with a hug. Hugging my sister for the first time in nearly a decade felt weird but nice.

“One more thing, Aster,” Violet said, breaking our embrace. “Try not to kill Jack when you see him. Tricking you might have been a little scummy, but he was only doing what he thought was best.”

“Okay. I won’t kill him. But maiming isn’t off the table, right?”

Violet laughed.

“Aster,” she said, “you haven’t changed a bit.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Jack

Somehow, between Wicked Crimson’s shows in Miami and Nashville, Ava managed to book us a studio session so that we could record After Aster.

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