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There’s no answer. Not even a lousy dragonfly.
I lean against the door to Narnia. Press my forehead against the hard panel, wrap my hand around the knob. Of course there isn’t, because he’s gone. I’m the only one here and I have to figure this out for myself. So what would it take for me to prove that I’m on Rogue’s side and not Alec’s?
My phone rings in the bedroom and I lift my head off the door. My heart pitter-patters in my chest. Who could possibly be calling me at this time of night? Unless… I beat feet back to the bedroom. Climb over the bed in my haste to get to my device.
Only for it to go silent.
Private number. It could be anyone. Rogue’s digits are in my phone so they would have shown up. Overwhelming sadness grips me. I make my way back to Narnia with much heavier limbs. Until I see that I have a voice message.
I press play and lift it to my ear.
“It’s me.” Rogue’s gruff voice washes over me. “I just… fuck… Rebel is T-Swift. I worked it out. He told me… I don’t know… not enough, because as soon as I worked it out I left his ass in the dirt. I need to see you. I need you to explain everything. I’m coming back from Malibu… it’s going to be a while. Oh, and we got him. Alec. We have evidence. Photos. He’s fucked. Baby, I… I want to believe I jumped to conclusions. Please tell me that’s fucking true. I need you. I…love you. Just tell me that you love me too and we’ll work the rest out.”
I sob into my hand. Happy tears. They well up, thick and fast. “I love you too.”
I walk into Narnia with a lighter tread and hope in my chest as I hit play on his voice once more. No word of a lie, I’m going to listen to it over and over until he arrives.
I flip the switch to the overheads and they splash light over every costume and shoe and… my heart stops and crawls into my throat at the sight of the damaged security cameras placed on the cabinet in the middle of the room.
He’s here.
I try to catch my heart with my hand to keep it from leaving my body as I scream.
“Alec.”
My pulse starts racing a million miles an hour. My lungs squeeze. I want to throw up an organ at his sudden appearance in Narnia. Somehow I manage to keep my voice calm. “You scared me.”
“That’s unfortunate.” He tugs on the sleeves of his jacket. He’s wearing a charcoal suit and white shirt. It’s rumpled like he picked it off the floor and dressed in a hurry. The buttons on his shirt aren’t done up right, causing the material to gape and pucker.
But his eyes are cold. There’s a calculated effect to the manner in which he moves. With cruel intention. Like he’s decided how this evening will play out and all I can do is hold on for the ride. It’s chilling.
I move to the island and put my phone down on top. Rogue is on his way. As fast as my pulse is racing… as much as I want to run screaming from the apartment… maybe this is the best opportunity I’ll ever have to get Alec to confess. “What are you doing here?”
He rises from the fluffy ottoman. Stands in front of me.
A shiver—the kind that people usually observe as someone walking over their grave—travels up my spine at the violence in his eyes. I glance at my phone.
He picks it up before I can snatch it back.
“I-I shouldn’t have put it down,” I say.
“No.” He tosses it and catches it. “You shouldn’t have.”
I flinch when he hurls it at the wall. My heart rabbits. I reach for it as it hits. My gaze follows its path down the plasterboard to the floor. My arm follows it’s trajectory until it hangs uselessly at my side. Broken pieces. My only connection to the outside world is gone. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“Let’s not cry over spilt milk.” His tone is cajoling, like he’s talking to a child.
I stand my ground. I don’t need my phone to catch his confession, just like I didn’t need the overhead cameras that were only for show. Adira is far too precious with his shoes. Of course he doubled down with sneaky security too. “What do you want, Alec?”
“I had to come and make sure my baby sister was okay after she broke up with her boyfriend.” He claps his gloved hands slowly. “You certainly know how to break a man’s heart.”
“He loves me.” I focus on the crooked photo of Adira and me. Straight was always too boring.
“That’s why I figured you were so useful to me.” Alec smiles as he clutches his chest as though there’s something inside other than a shriveled up demonic walnut. He acts the swoon. “If you want to hurt someone, go for their heart. Works every time.”
“But I didn’t want to hurt him.” I press my lips together. I ended up doing so anyway. Ended up breaking my own heart too. “I wanted to hurt you.”
“Of course you did.” He crowds me. Touches my hair. Takes off my glasses and folds the arms on them before putting them on the console.
