AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I know. I’ve been watching.”
“I flew here just now just for this.”
I shook my head. “Grab a beer and come out on the balcony.”
I wandered away from my best friend.
This was the thing Andy probably feared the most.
The notion that someone would get hurt and relationships would change.
He was probably happy April and I weren’t exactly together anymore.
It probably helped our friendship.
Yet I felt like hell over it.
Andy stepped out onto the balcony and looked at the beer bottles on the table.
He whistled. “Going hard?”
“Only seven are from today,” I said.
“Oh, okay. That makes it okay.”
I curled my lip. “You came here for this?”
“I came here to talk to you, man. To talk to my best friend.” He sat down. “I came to apologize.”
“Apologize? For what?”
“For my reaction to things,” he said. “You and April.”
“Oh. Listen. I get it. That was the wrong way for things to happen.”
“Yeah, well, I’m sure glad you were there for her, Seb. You kept to your word. To me. And to her. You were there when she needed you the most. When she needed someone. I want to be mad at her right now. For not telling us about that guy. I mean, I knew she was dating him. I just didn’t know anything else. I never even met him. I was so locked into the season. Playing hockey.”
“She’s an adult,” I said. “Adults make choices. She was also terrified of him. I never saw her that scared.”
“That just pisses me off even more, Seb. I want to fucking kill that guy.”
“Yeah? Stand in line.”
“You did the right thing though. By not hurting him. April told me everything. I’ve been in contact with the police and the detective too. And I got a lawyer. Just in case. I’m not letting it go. I’m going to make sure this prick gets buried alive for what he did. And not just to my sister. There’s no way in hell he wasn’t like this to other women.”
I looked at Andy and nodded. “That’s good. Good for you. I hope that helps her feel safe too.”
“She feels safe near you.”
“I know that. That’s why she came here.”
“Seb, she came here because of me. I told her to come here. I talked to you. Remember that? That was all me. I didn’t know what was going on in her life. April makes big decisions on a whim. I don’t live like that. Maybe I shouldn’t project myself onto her about that stuff. But it always drives me crazy. I figured you’d be able to at least keep an eye on her. I just thought you’d do it with her fully clothed.”
“I’m not in the mood,” I said. “I will fight you, Andy. I’ve never felt like this before.”
“I can see that, Seb. You love her. You really do love her, don’t you?”
I stood up and walked to the railing. “What the hell does that even mean?”
