Wait. What?
Her father’s face was turning a bright shade of red, and he looked ready to explode. “Art school?” he wheezed. “You dropped out of premed at one of the best schools in the nation to attend art school?”
At this point, people had stopped to gawk at us, though they tried to do it discreetly. Tears rolled down Kate’s face, and I was grateful her brother at least seemed more concerned about her than appearances.
The volume of the music suddenly dropped, and a man spoke into the microphone on the stage. “If everyone will please take their seats…” But I didn’t hear anything he said after that.
“It’s my passion,” she said in a soft voice. She finally lifted her head, looking him in the eye. “And I’m good at it.”
“It’s true, sir,” I said.
“And I’m supposed to believe you?” he scoffed, his eyes searing into mine. “You’re fucking my daughter.” He sneered
I jerked my head back as Kate’s mom hissed, “Daniel.”
Kate stared at him in horror. And her brother looked ready to murder someone. I just hoped it wasn’t me.
My words were low and menacing when I spoke. “That’s enough. You need to apologize. Both for that comment and for striking Kate earlier.”
He ignored me, turning toward Kate. “We will discuss this later, young lady,” her father said with a hard glare. “Compose yourself then return to the table.”
“This is bullshit,” I said under my breath before turning to her. “Come on, Kate.” I held out my hand, expecting her to take it.
I was still upset she hadn’t told me, but no one deserved to be treated the way her father was treating her. He was an asshole.
“Leave,” her dad said to me, looking every inch the imperious asshole he was. “You don’t belong here, and I will have security eject you.”
He straightened, placing his hand on her lower back. “Katherine.”
She glanced between her father and me, clearly torn. Finally, she said to me, “I can’t.”
“He treated you like shit, and you’re just going to allow it? What happened to being brave? What happened to conquering your fears?”
When she said nothing, I scoffed. “You know what—he’s right. I don’t belong here, and I shouldn’t have come.”
I spun to leave, ignoring Kate when she called my name. I dodged a waiter carrying a tray as I headed for the nearest exit. Once I was in the lobby, I loosened my bow tie, feeling like an idiot.
“Xander,” Kate panted, a whisper of fabric rustling behind me, her heels echoing loudly in the empty lobby. “Xander, wait. Please.”
“Why did you lie to me?” I hissed as I spun to face her. I hadn’t realized how mad I was until then.
For the first time, maybe ever, I’d been vulnerable with someone. I’d shared my hopes and fears, and I’d let her see my insecurities. And now… I swallowed. Well, I was a fucking idiot because she clearly hadn’t felt the same way. Because when you cared about someone, you didn’t lie to them.
“I didn’t—” She sighed. “I didn’t lie.”
“Fine. Maybe you didn’t lie, but you failed to tell me something huge that was going on with you. I know I’m new to the whole relationship thing, but I kind of thought communication and trust were key ingredients.”
My earlier conversation with Theo floated back to me, and it dawned on me just how much I didn’t know about her.
“I…” She swallowed, her eyes brimming with tears. “You’re right,” she whispered, her voice hoarse with emotion. “I should’ve told you.”
“Why didn’t you?”
Despite desperately wanting to touch her, I remained rooted to the spot. Like it or not, I wasn’t sure I could trust a word she said. And I knew I couldn’t think clearly when I was touching her. The last few weeks had certainly shown me that. It was as if the cloud of lust had dispersed, making me wonder just how much of it had been real.
“I don’t know.” She stared at the floor, tracing the lines, the cracks in the tiles. “I liked not having to justify my passion for art, because you get it. You’re one of the few people who has ever taken it seriously, who has ever encouraged me. And I didn’t want that to change.”
“Kate.” I stepped forward. “That wouldn’t have changed. If anything, I would’ve admired you even more. For defying your parents’ wishes. For having the courage to embrace your dreams. For being so brilliant that you’re not only UCLA premed but also an honors student at one of the most prestigious art schools on the West Coast.”
