Page 24 of Voracious

He smiles. “Watch your tone. See you soon, baby.”

Everything within me recoils when he calls me that, and I snatch my bag and slam the car door with more force than necessary. I don’t look to the right in case I draw any attention to him, but Barry is leaning against a wall across the street, talking on the phone.

Chris won’t drive away until I’m inside, so there’s no point waiting around to try explaining anything to Barry. What would I even tell him? That his colleague fell and smashed his face into a brick and disfigured himself – that he’s dead?

Luciella isn’t in tonight – she’s doing a placement in the labs at the Royal Infirmary, but Tylar screams and claps when she sees me. “Thank God! You’ve not answered one single text. I thought something bad had happened!”

I fake a laugh. “I told you; I was at the lodge and had no signal. I left my phone there.” I fake another laugh. “I’ll get it back soon.” Probably a lie.

She hugs me anyway and tells me about the past few weeks. Her and Dez are officially together, and she even posted about it online. He’s become attached to her hip, and they’re talking about going travelling together. Backpacking, to be exact.

She sounds so happy, and she’s smiling so hard, it’s infectious enough to make me smile. I haven’t in a while, and I love that I got an hour to see my friend and dance.

“What about you and Kade?”

“What do you mean?”

She smirks, nudging my shoulder. “You know what I mean. You left the airport to see him, and you two have been close again. Dez told me what he knows, but you know you can tell me, don’t you? I’ll help you tell Luciella, if that’s the problem. You two are good for each other.”

I avert my gaze in an attempt to tamp down my annoyance. Not with her but the situation. I miss him. I miss him, and I’m worried about him.

“We’re too busy and too different.”

She rolls her eyes, laughing. “When you’re ready to really talk to me about your hot, American fling with your bestie’s twin brother” – she winks – “I’m all ears.”

I shove her arm, somehow smiling. “Shut up and teach the class.”

We’re doing pole class tonight. My students are doing a photoshoot soon and want to perfect their poses. I spot them, catching ones who fall, then direct them to point their toes, to arch their backs and to stop looking like they’re taking a painful shit.

By the end of the hour, I feel myself deflate at the thought of having to leave. I can’t even text Chris and beg for more time. That’s how low I’ve sunk – I’d actually beg my stepbrother and be thankful if he said yes.

Not that he would.

“What are your plans tonight? Do you want to lie in bed and watch movies and eat loads of pizza? Gossip? Sleep until ungodly hours?”

Tylar looks at me hopefully, grinning as if I’m going to say yes like I always do. I’m a sucker for movie night with my friends, but my shoulders drop as I shake my head. “Sorry. I need to go home. I’ll hopefully be at class tomorrow night though, so I’ll see you then?”

Her smile drops. “Oh, okay. Are you still helping out with Festival of Fright Night? A lot of the students were looking for you to help make up routines, and I could use the extra hands on production.”

I bite my lip. I want so badly to say yes, to nod, to scream and say, “Of course!”

“I’ll let you know?”

“Are you okay?” she asks, giving me a warm smile. “Really, are you okay?”

No. I’m slowly dying inside, and I think my soul is shrinking into a black box that’s locked away in a deep closet, and only Christopher has the key.

“Yeah. I’m just tired.”

“Well, Dez is outside. I’ll see you tomorrow maybe?”

I nod, and she smiles and kisses my cheek. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” I say, my voice cracking.

As soon as I walk out of the studio doors, a firm hand snatches at my arm and yanks me into the alleyway beside the studio entrance. “What the fuck happened to Emmerson?”

I blink up at the man, realising who it is. “No. No, Barry. You need to go.Now.”

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