Page 14 of The Jealous Girl

I pushed myself away from the railing before that thought could settle too deeply.

I hurried past the pool bar, towards the gate, lifted the latch and stepped through. It clicked shut behind me, the sound sharp against the quiet evening.

The steps stretched down ahead of me, carved into the cliffside, narrow and uneven.

I started down them slowly. It was cooler here, shaded from the sun. My flip-flops slapped lightly against the worn stone, the rhythm steady. Familiar. It took me back to the last time I was here…

Two Years Ago – Mid May

Footsteps thudded quickly behind me. Too fast.

‘Ryan, slow down,’ I called, glancing back, as he raced down the steps towards me. ‘You’re going to fall.’

‘You worry too much.’ He laughed, rolling his eyes as he reached me. He didn’t slow. Didn’t hesitate. Just brushed past me and carried on down the steps ahead.

A smile tugged at the corner of my lips despite my indignation. He was right. I did worry too much. It was who I was.

Whereas he didn’t worry about anything. He just lived in the moment.

‘Come on!’ he called from the bottom, unable to contain his excitement, his feet already in the soft golden sand.

My smile widened. His childlike excitement was infectious, and I cautiously picked up my pace.

I loved it when the end of our shifts coincided. When we could come down here and catch the last few rays of the sun together.

He always knew where to find me.

And I always knew he’d come.

The memory washed over me before I could stop it.

I should have been used to the feeling by now. It was always the same. Beautiful and unbearable all at once. Especially here. Wasn’t that precisely why I came back?

‘Kirsty.’

I glanced back over my shoulder and froze as my gaze locked on him. I blinked. I hadn’t expected him to be here, on these steps, at sunset.

Our sunset.

For a split second, it felt like I could step back into that life. As though nothing had changed. As though we were still together. Still us.

I picked up my pace, hurrying down the steps away from him.

‘Kirsty, wait⁠—’

I didn’t respond. I didn’t stop.

His footsteps quickened behind me. I should have known he wouldn’t give up. Wouldn’t slow down. It wasn’t who he was. He would always⁠—

‘Argh!’ Ryan’s cry resounded in the narrow stairway.

My fingers tightened around the rail as a sharp thud followed.

I swung round, my heart lurching. My eyes widened as I saw Ryan sprawled across the steps, his right leg twisted awkwardly beneath him. One hand gripped the rail, the other pressed to his face.

Blood.

I was already moving before I could think, instinct propelling me back up the steps towards him.