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I don’t envy her or the Elites and what they have to face going forward. I almost choked on my drink when they explained that they had been offered roles within the Hex, only to shut them down immediately and be offered roles at Saints Academy, which they’re considering.
I have no idea what my plans for the future are, but re-enrolling at Saints Academy isn’t one of them. I’ll find my way exactly where I am, even though I have no clue at all what that looks like.
“If you need me for anything at all, reach out, I’ll drop anything to be there for you,” Rhea murmurs against my ear and I nod in understanding, not wanting to mention that I don’t have a phone at the moment. I don’t want to worry her over it, I didn’t even realize I was without one until this moment. The need for it has been little to nonexistent. Besides, Talon got in contact with her just fine and he definitely didn’t have her number.
“Of course, and the same goes to you, Rhea,” I reply, squeezing her biceps as we both take a step back. Each of the Elites offer me a nod, except Adonis, who steps forward and gives me a hug. The menacing gleam in his eyes tells me it’s to piss Talon and Malik off and the grumble that comes from Malik seconds later tells me he’s succeeded.
“Stop being an asshole, Adonis,” Xander grumbles, offering me an apologetic smile as he pulls Adonis back, and I grin, not complaining even a little bit when Malik fills the space moments later.
I love the feel of his arm around my shoulders, and it stays there as we wave off Rhea and the guys, who opt to summon a portal to leave before we pile into the SUV in the same positions we had earlier.
Music plays quietly through the radio as we make our way back to the house, a smile continuing to spread across my lips as I hum along to the tune. It’s not until we’re almost home that I look across the console at Talon before glancing to the back seat at Malik. Malik is already staring at me and the second I moved, Talon’s attention began switching between the road and me.
“Thank you for this. I can’t tell you how much that meant to me.” Butterflies flutter in my stomach as a wave of happiness falls over me, only intensifying when they both smile at me.
Any response from either of them is paused as Talon pulls up to the house and Malik assists me out of the vehicle. The three of us head inside and I kick my sandals off as soon as we step into the entryway before we move into the open living space. As always, the view takes my breath away. The twinkling lights of the city in the far off distance gets me without fail.
A yawn breaks past my lips and I attempt to cover it with my hand before I turn my attention to the guys. Malik is sitting at the breakfast bar, swaying from side to side on the stool as he eyes me while Talon leans against the doorframe. They both look deep in thought, a hint of uncertainty lingering in the air as I look from one to the other and back again.
“What’s wrong?” My brows pinch together as they both glance at each other for a split second before looking back at me. I’m trying to piece it together but I’m falling short. The last thing I said was how much I appreciated the night, and this kind of isn’t the response I was expecting.
It’s Malik who breaks the silence, rubbing at the back of his neck nervously as his eyes settle on mine. “Tonight was amazing for me too, Mona. Seeing you with your friend, laughing, enjoying yourself, and being yourself, that completed me.” His words sink into my soul and make my heart swell. “I just can’t help but think how much we missed the past six years.”
Fuck.
My heart goes from swelling with pride to sinking to my toes with guilt.
Talon moves into the room, taking the seat beside his friend as he pats him on the back. It’s a silent stand of togetherness, telling me that he feels the same. Not liking this much distance between us, I take one of the bar stools facing them as I try to find the words to express how I feel about everything that went down between us.
“Closing the door on you that day is my biggest regret, yet my most self-defining prideful moment I have.” Their eyes widen, not likely expecting that level of truth from me, but after tonight, after the lengths they went to for my happiness, they deserve it. “I’ve loved the three of you for as long as I can remember. It’s indescribable and incomparable to anyone or anything else in existence.” My hand falls to my chest and I can feel my heart racing. “When you showed up at my door telling me that I was destined to be yours and that’s why you were there, my heart broke into a million pieces. I wanted you to want me for the longest time and I wanted it to be real, not forced because of some destiny, but because it was our own wants, needs, and desires.”
“Harm—” Talon murmurs my name, hand extending in my direction, but I wave him off, needing to get this off my chest and to clear the air between us.
“I shut that door in your face and sobbed for hours. Fuck, I don’t even remember my friend leaving. I don’t recall a damn thing until my mom came rushing into the house all panicked. Relief washed over her features when she saw me there, but that quickly changed when she realized what had happened, what I had done.” My chest starts to heave with each breath, my emotions and long-held feelings finally being set free. Shaking my head, I attempt to get a handle on myself, but it’s useless at this stage. “The next morning, after the worst night's sleep of my life, I stood tall and I marched over to Alexi’s house with so much determination that I almost put a hole in the front door when I knocked.”
Malik’s eyes widen as he holds his hands in the air before him. I can’t tell if he’s pleading with me to stop or pause, but he takes advantage of my brief hesitation.
“We were already gone.”
His words hang in the air, attempting to cut my soul into a million pieces just like they did on that fateful day six years ago. The sadness in Alexi’s mom’s eyes when she told me they left will forever weigh heavy on my heart.
Nodding in response, I try to find any kind of words to explain what followed, but it’s not as easy as I hoped. Instead, it’s Talon who places his palms flat on the table as he leans forward, looking so deep into my eyes I think he might actually touch my fucking soul.
“What did you go over there to say, Harm?” His question catches me a little off-guard and my brows pinch together as I look at him.
“What?”
Rising from his seat, I notice his shoulders are tense and heavier than usual, but he keeps his palms on the table and his eyes fixed on me.
“What. Did. You. March. Over. To. Alexi’s. To. Say. Harmonia?”
My entire body trembles with the racing of my pulse as I swallow past the lump forming in my throat. I force myself to take a deep breath, needing them to hear the truth clearly without my emotions clogging my words.
“I came to say that I was meant for you, just like you were meant for me. But you could only have me when you deserved me.”
“When we deserved you?” Malik repeats, and I nod mindlessly in response as I rise from my seat, arms folding over my chest. I feel raw, vulnerable, and completely exposed and there has to be something between us to stop me from crumbling right now.
“Yeah. But I never got the chance to say any of that, to explain that my heart knew the truth all along, I just needed a second to process and understand.”
Talon’s brows knit together as his jaw tightens with confusion. “What truth?”
“That you deserved me. Always. Then and now.”
