AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Hello, sis. Still here?”
I try to return his smile, but my heart is breaking, shattering right down the middle as I think about the first time I kissed his best friend. More than kissed him. The steaminess, the declaration of forever.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“Is that why you stink so bad, huh?”
I laugh, prodding him playfully and softly. “You’re one to talk.”
“Bullet, gut. Bad combination.”
“You seem more lucid than last time.”
He nods shortly. “Can I get some water?”
“Of course. Sorry. What am I thinking?”
I go to the corner of the room, grab a bottle of water, and bring it to him.
“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” he says as I unscrew the cap.
When I motion to help him drink it, he groans, shaking his head. He reaches up, takes the bottle, and carefully brings it to his lips. Some drips down his chin, but not much. This is usually where he’d fall back asleep, but he seems stronger now. He lays the bottle down and sits up, wincing, eyes open.
“You can yell at me now if you want,” he says with a grin. “I know I shouldn’t have lied.”
“I’m not going to yell. I understand why you did it. You were protecting me, and you were right. I never would’ve left on Dad’s anniversary if we didn’t have that fight.”
“Who told you?” Ryan asks, and I realize my mistake.
He doesn’t officially know thatIknow about the lie. When he said I could yell at him, he could’ve been talking about the lie that he knew Dad was sick. I can’t do anything except tell him the truth. The guilt has been doggedly chewing at my sense that I’m a good person, a great sister, somebody who can look in the mirror proudly, without shame.
“Kai. Randall—that man, the hitman, whatever he was—was following us.”
“Kai saved your life,” Ryan says, his smile getting sleepy as his head falls back. “I’m not mad he told you. He did the right thing. He always does the right thing. He’s the most capable man I’ve ever known.”
“He is,” I whisper, my voice cracking. “He’s the best.”
Ryan tilts his head and raises his eyebrow. “Are you okay?”
I rub my cheeks. “I’m fine. Happy you’re awake.”
“Is that all?” he asks, staring at me.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Like what?”
“Like you’re trying to read my mind.”
He chuckles, but it sounds labored. “It’s just this tone you get when you talk about Kai. I think they’re pumping me full of drugs. I shouldn’t be saying any of this.”
It feels like I’m on a tightrope, hands held to my sides as I attempt not to fall.
“Do you still have a crush on him?” Ryan asks, and I fall.
I collapse backward in my chair, wringing my hands, trying to laugh and pretend it’s all a big joke. Panic rises, and bad poetry flows endlessly, a busted fountain in my mind.
“It’s okay,” Ryan says dreamily. “You don’t have to be ashamed.”
