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“Nera–”
“No, it’s not okay. He needs to know that.”
“We don’t know him, Nera,” Rhys says. “He’s not one of us. Of course we looked into him when it became serious between you two.”
She stalks up to Rhys and pokes him in the chest as she grits out furiously, “I already have a brother, Rhys, I don’t need three more.”
My heart is in my throat as I watch her defend me when I know what she’s about to learn is going to hurt her. I wish I could turn back time to five minutes ago, to before they walked in here. I wish I could have found the courage then to be honest with her instead of letting her learn like this, with an audience.
“Listen to what he has to say, Ner,” Bellamy suggests gently, giving her a soft look.
“Nera, please, let me talk to you,” I say, taking another step forward.
Rogue puts a hand out, stopping me. “He told you to stay right where the fuck you are,” he grinds out from between clenched teeth.
Nera looks at every person in the room, one after the other, slowly taking in their facial expressions. When her gaze finally lands on me, her face is awash with confusion. Her friends’ obvious concern has doubt etching itself on her features.
Her voice shakes slightly. “What’s going on, Tristan?”
The silence stretches in my desperate attempt to keep things as they are for one last moment before they change forever.
She stares unwaveringly at me and I find that I can’t say it.
In the end, I really am a coward.
Rogue answers for me, mercilessly delivering the killing blow.
“Ask him what his real name is.”
The words explode in the silence.
You can hear the sound of a pin drop in the unearthly stillness that follows his announcement. Everyone stares at me with varying expressions of anger.
Everyone, except Nera.
She still chooses to trust me, to believe that maybe she misheard or that Rogue misspoke.
She laughs, but it does nothing to dispel the tension. When none of her friends laugh with her, when I don’t immediately express outrage or say anything, it dies a quick death on her lips.
Her voice turns small. It sounds frail enough to break when she finally speaks.
“What is he talking about, Tristan?”
Everything stills inside me, down to my very blood cells. I can’t look away from her, I can’t blink, I can’t speak. I have so many things to say, all of which I should have told her before but didn’t, and I don't know where to start now.
“Say something,” she begs, taking a step towards me. “Deny it. Tell him he has the wrong information, the wrong person — better yet, tellmehe does.”
I need to touch her. I need to hold on to a part of her when I finally tell her the truth, otherwise I’ll lose her forever. I maneuver around Rogue and stride to Nera, cupping the back of her neck.
She falls against me, relieved.
She thinks I’m going to tell her he’s wrong, I can tell. Her face is open and trusting as she looks up at me and I’m the one who has to hurt her now.
“I’m so sorry.”
She flinches.
She flinches like I hit her. In many ways, it is a blow.
