Then she left, leaving both Reid and I dumbfounded.

Reid rubbed his hand down his face, and dressed in only a pair of his boxer briefs he really looked ridiculous.

“Fuck,” he muttered. “That was…”

“Yeah,” I sighed.

“You want to tell me what the fuck just happened?”

I looked at my best friend, and decided it was time for a chat. I needed to get some of this shit off my chest before it completely consumed me. I’d fucked up, and anyone could tell me how to fix it, it was Reid.

“Grab a beer,” I said, turning towards the living room. “It’s going to be a long night.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Kennedy

I DIDN’T KNOW whether I wanted to scream, cry, throw something, or curl up into the fetal position and wait for…I don’t know what.

My bedroom door opened, and I knew it was Jade before she said anything. She lifted my comforter, and climbed into bed behind me.

“He kissed her,” I said, not bothering to turn around. “He kissed her in front of me, like he wanted me to see it.”

Jade brought her arm around my waist, and gave my hand a squeeze. “I have to tell you something.”

I twisted my head so that I could see her face, frowning when I saw her hesitation. She was chewing on her bottom lip, a sure telltale sign that I wasn’t going to like whatever it was she needed to tell me.

“He did it on purpose. He only asked Ashley out because he saw you with Beau earlier and assumed you’d just moved on.”

I turned my head towards my window, the moon casting muted light on the outside world. I’d spent many nights watching Dane sleep while the moonlight danced on his body. He’d looked so peaceful, so still. It was hard to believe he was the same guy who’d not only asked my roommate out, but kissed her too when he knew I was watching, just to hurt me.

“I’m not sure it matters anymore,” I replied. I wanted to fight back, I really did, but I didn’t have it in me to keep going back-and-forth with Dane.

“Wait,” I looked at Jade from over my shoulder, “How do you know that’s why he did it?”

“Uh,” she winced, “He told me about seeing you with Beau, and I kind of put two and two together.”

“When did you talk to him?”

“It was about an hour ago,” she replied. I wanted to ask her what she was doing next door, but decided better of it. I had a feeling she wouldn’t have told me anyway, since it most likely included Reid, and whole lot of non-talking activities. I didn’t want to fall asleep with that knowledge in my head.

I closed my eyes, and prayed that I would fall asleep soon. I wanted this night to be over.

“You know, he’ll come around eventually,” said Jade. Her voice was soft, and she spoke carefully as if I was about to break into a million pieces. What she hadn’t realized yet was that I’d already done that. I didn’t reply, for fear that if I opened my mouth I’d end up telling her how desperately I wanted more with Dane, how I felt like half my soul was missing when he wasn’t with me, and how my body responded to him like it had found its’ mate. I didn’t want anyone to know that. Once I said it, there would be no going back, no retracting words already spoken. It needed to be kept inside. Safe from a world that wouldn’t understand the road I’d travelled to get to Dane, to find the man he was inside, and discover that once-in-a-lifetime kind of love that had stemmed from a lifetime of hate.

WHEN I STIRRED the following morning, the first thing I noticed was that it was raining outside. The sky flashed with lightening, and the sky thundered loudly. It was the perfect metaphor really.

I was still nowhere near finding absolution from all that had transpired with, and after Dane, but at least the world outside matched what I was feeling inside. I didn’t have to pretend and put out a sunny disposition when the last thing I was feeling was ‘sunny’.

The second thing I noticed was that Jade was gone. It was only seven thirty a.m. and that was early for her considering our classes were over. I put my robe on, tied my hair up, and headed into the kitchen to find some food. I heard a commotion outside the front door and just as I stepped towards it Jade stumbled in.

“Have you seen the news?” She asked breathlessly.

“No, why? Why are you so wet?”

“You need to see something,” she replied, ignoring my second question. I trailed behind her as she turned on our television and flicked through to the news channels.

My father’s name, and image started popping up, followed by pictures of Dane’s father. Jade turned the volume up, and then I listened to what the reporter was saying.

“What started out as a run of the mill land dispute between Brighton’s two long-standing feuding families has now become a public blood bath between Anthony Monroe, and Derek Winters. Winters, who is the plaintiff, has resulted to some rather underhanded tactics in the courtroom in attempt to get the defendant to buckle under the pressure…”

History was slowly starting to repeat itself, and I stood immobile as it all unfolded on a screen for the whole world to see.

“Two years ago Winters’ lost his only daughter in a car accident involving Monroe’s only son, Charles, and according to sources who were close to both victims, the two were engaged in an affair, unbeknownst to their families. Winter’s has requested the case be reopened for investigation after accusing the deceased, Charlie Monroe, of murder….”

Everything stopped at the word murder.

Derek Winters was accusing my brother, my dead brother, of murdering Jewel.

My lungs constricted, and I struggled for air. Why was he doing this? Why was he digging up our pasts and splashing it all over the local news? It was bad enough dealing with the press the first time when they’d found Charlie’s and Jewel’s bodies in his mangled truck.

“Kennedy?” Jade’s voice sounded far way, like I was in a tunnel, or worse, like I was drowning. Her hands came to rest on my shoulders and she moved me towards the sofa until I was sitting down.

“Turn it off,” I said, watching images of Charlie and Jewel flicking onto the screen. I couldn’t stand to hear more. Jewel and Charlie were both dead, and I couldn’t stand to hear what they were saying anymore. My brother wasn’t a murderer. He loved Jewel more than anything. They were in love.

Jade shut the television off, and came to sit beside me just as our front door burst open. Dane filled the doorway, dressed in drenched sweats, and a grey t-shirt. His hair was dripping, and stuck to his face.

But it was his scowl that held my attention.

He stepped forward, his shoulders heaving like he’d run here, and his stance menacing.

“Is it true?” His tone was as thunderous as the weather outside.

“Is what true?” Asked Jade. She rose from her place next to me, and took a protective stance in front of me. Little did she know there was nothing she could to protect me from what was coming.

“Step aside Jade,” warned Dane. He glowered at her, but she stood firm, and folded her arms across her chest. She was preparing for a fight, but it wasn’t hers to begin with. It wasn’t really mine either, but with Charlie gone I made it mine, and I guessed Dane was doing the same for Jewel.