No fucking answer, how dare he?
‘You’re just gonna do all this damage and leave?’
‘Seems to be my speciality.’
Lachlan closes the driver’s door and starts the engine.
Kade pulls the door open again.
‘You can’t come into my life, tell me all this insane shit and then leave just as I start to accept it!’Kade tells him, worryingly wobbly, heart aching.
‘You have everything you need.’
‘No, I fuckingdon’t!’
Lachlan tries to close the door, but Kade forces it open even wider, almost breaks it clean off, childish and stupid, he can’t let him leave, he just… can’t.
‘Let go,’ Lachlan bids gently, hasn’t looked Kade in the eye since they argued and Kademisses it,how stupid is that?
‘No.’
‘Kade—’
‘Say his name.’
Lachlan closes his eyes.
‘I always fuck it up with you no matter what.I just find different ways of doing it.Let go now, Kade.Give the book to your boss.It’ll all be OK.’
‘Call me by his name.’
‘You’re not him.’
‘No?I thought I was aselfish bratjust like you said he was!’
‘He was a frustrated, desperate kid who went through hell.I’m the selfish one.Me.I wanted you to be him but you’re not and I’ve brought your world down around you trying to make you remember.Your boss is right.’Lachlan swallows, staring at the road.‘Jules Penhalyx is dead.’
‘Look at me.’
‘Let go of the door.’
‘Lookat me, Bodyguard!’
Kade tastes salt from his own tears.
Please, look, just look, see me, see him, see more than I ever knew was there!
‘I always end up hurting you.’
‘Lachlan, please.Please look at me.’
Kade has the distinct feeling Lachlan’s debating kicking him in the chest just so he could close the door and drive off.
But then he does something worse.
‘You’re not my business,’ the bodyguard says, clipped.
Kade lets go.
