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Once the song ends, I collapse against his chest, and he hugs me tightly. I squeeze him with all of my strength, never wanting to let go, and when I draw back, I’m crying.
Quickly, he shields me and guides me back into the alcove.
“Nessa?”
“After you left, Jesse,” I whisper, “it was like a storm had engulfed everything. Dominic was there, but the void you left... It felt insurmountable. My entire world became so dark.”
“I never meant to leave you alone, Nessa.”
“I wasn’t. I had Dominic and later Xavier, but…”
“You were right to push me to go, but it tore me apart leaving you.”
I wipe away my tears. “I thought I could handle it all. I convinced myself that strength was forged in solitude, but the truth is, your absence left scars that still ache.”
“I’m here now, Vanessa,” he says softly, “and I won’t leave you again.”
As Jesse holds me, the weight of the past and the present converges in that embrace.
“Honestly… leaving you almost killed me.”
Jesse’s revelation hangs in the air, an unspoken admission that tinges the atmosphere with vulnerability. As the weight of his words settles between us, I find myself staring into his eyes, searching for the truth beneath the surface.
“Almost killed you?” I repeat.
He nods. “It felt like I was tearing a part of myself away. I thought I could handle it, move on and find my own path. But every step away from you felt like a step into darkness.” He hesitates. “I hit rock bottom, Vanessa.”
“You hit rock bottom?” I ask, surprised.
He smirks. “Yeah, imagine the guy who’s always in control suddenly losing it all. I questioned everything, my choices, my purpose. It was like being adrift in an endless sea of chaos.” He pauses and then hugs me again. “You were my anchor, Vanessa.”
“I had no idea.”
“When I heard about the Shadow Syndicate being no more, I had to come back. Wild horses couldn’t drag me away.”
“You’re never leaving me again.”
He meets my gaze. “I’m not planning to. Hey, call up Dominic.”
“Why?”
“So the three of us can have a drink together.”
“I love it.”
I call my brother, but he doesn’t answer. Jesse’s undeterred, though. He has drinks brought over, five of them.
For me and my four lovers.
We raise our glasses.
“To unexpected reunions and the chaos that follows,” I say, looking at Jesse.
Dylan clears his throat. “A chaotic life is never dull.”
Alex nods. “To enduring bonds that survive the storm.”
Xavier smiles. “And to the unpredictable dance of fate.”
