Page 58 of Yearning Difficulties

‘Zella?’

Dave called my name; he’d found a spot at the table for the two of us. He patted the empty place next to him on the long bench. I hesitated but then moved.

‘Thanks.’

He frowned at my fragile tone. ‘You okay?’

Dave’s compassionate moments were few and far between. I’d learned not to be too swept away by them. ‘I’m fine.’

‘It’s not the freak, is it?’

I scowled and immediately got back up.

‘Wait!’ he grabbed my arm. ‘Sorry, sorry. That was – sorry.’

I reluctantly sat back down, still glowering at him. ‘Watch your words, Dave. I mean it.’

He glanced down at his plate and coughed awkwardly. ‘Congrats on getting into the seminar. I know I said it on the air, but I wanted to tell you for real. I mean it.’

‘Thank you.’

‘I tried to get in. Obviously wasn’t as good as you.’

It wasn’t fully self-aware. There was a touch of classic Dave Envy laced underneath. I decided to leave it alone. ‘You’ll be absolutely fine, Dave.’

He gave me a knowing look. He bent his head as his body rocked with amusement and leaned into me. I laughed and shoved him away, both of us giggling like children.

‘Touching.’

I caught a breath and glanced across at the other side of the table. Killian was watching us.

The laughter in me died at once. He stood over the table, staring at me with a look of – there was no other word for it – pure betrayal. He was so handsome. He wore a black suit with a loose black tie. His curls were mussed but in a cute, stylish way.

His dark eyes surveyed my face and I felt a pang of unease as coldness swept across his features.

‘Kill,’ I said softly, ‘you’re here.’

‘Yeah,’ he said sharply. ‘Sorry to disappoint you.’

I shook my head, baffled. ‘I—’

‘Killian!’ Dad cried from the head of the table, oblivious to the tension. ‘The Dark Knight is here! Sit, sir, sit!’

Killian obeyed, never taking his stormy eyes away from mine. He was raging. But I wasn’t going to grovel. He’d ignored me all day. He didn’t get to act like this.

His feud with Dave was his business, and despite what his mother suspected, nothing I did with my ex-boyfriend had anything to do with me and Killian.

With the sham that was ‘us’.

He sat across from me and said nothing more while everyone ate. I tried to catch his eye but he never looked my way. He was stewing. I could see it.

Dad got to his feet.

‘I don’t want us to make too merry tonight,’ he said, as people cried out, ‘Speech!’ ‘We have lots of young’uns here, and we all have a show tomorrow night. But I need to tell you all how proud of you I am. We have two more weekends left as well as the Halloween Ball to celebrate the end of the autumn season in Lake Pristine. And I can happily say that this is the best one we’ve ever had! There’s been a real commitment to the world we’re trying to create, from all of you. So, I’m proud of every last one of you. And I hope you’re proud of yourselves, too.’

People cheered and raised their tankards. I was about to excuse myself for a bathroom break, or rather an opportunity to hide in a toilet stall for a few minutes, when Killian rose to his feet, preparing to make a toast of his own.

Dread seeped into every pore of my body.