Ten Days of Perfect (November Blue #1)(74)

“And they were in it.”

“Yes,” he mumbled, still looking at the floor.

I stood slowly, brushing off Adrian’s hand, “It’s fine, Adrian.” I paced toward Bo.

My knees were level with the top of Bo’s head as I continued, “I told you that the truck looked exactly like the one that night behind the garage—exactly. So that night you had all the confirmation you needed, and you still didn’t say anything to me?”

Bo lifted his head and his face was twisted in regret. “What would have been the point?”

“The point,” I snarled, “is that you chose not to tell me that it was you the entire time. The point is that the next day, and the day after that, we said we loved each other.”

Adrian wiped his palms on the front of his pants and headed back to the window; this conversation was sucking the life out of the room.

“Ember, I had my suspicions, sure. But, what was I supposed to do? Tell a girl I just met that I was beaten up behind some garage? At that point I couldn’t have told you about the blackmail without scaring you away or risking Rae’s safety - I didn’t know you. By the time I knew it was you, it was too late; I was in love with you.” His shaky hand trembled against my arm, but I didn’t move.

“That’s the reason you should have told me!” I roared as I took one step back, causing him to drop his grip.

“Ember!” Bo raked his hands furiously through his hair as he stood, “I was backed in a corner! You were never supposed to find out about the blackmail, but it was all spiraling out of control so fast!”

“Holy - that’s the reason my dreams of that night didn’t start until after we met . . . it was your voice . . .” My eyelashes touched my eyebrows at the thought. “And even after I told you about the nightmares, nothing? Shit, that bruise you had on your stomach, that wasn’t from helping your friend-that was from that night!”

“Ember, it shouldn’t have ever happened like this! It was too late, I was so f*cking in love with you I couldn’t think straight . . .” I answered his step forward with one back of my own.

“You were never planning on telling me, were you? We were talking about forever and you were going to leave that out - forever.”

“November-”

“Don’t! It’s too late.” I raised my hands in defense as more tears plummeted down my face.

“No!” Panic rang through the room with a deafening howl.

I turned toward Adrian to avoid Bo’s face.

“Get out,” I said as emotionless as possible.

“Come on, Ember, it was just-”

I felt a breeze behind me and turned to see him on his knees again, hands clenched in his hair. I looked back at Adrian, who had to turn away.

“November, please, please try to understand,” he pleaded painfully as he reached for my calves.

When his hands wrapped around my calves they slid a little under the sweatiness of his palms. He tried to stop their shaking by tightening his grip around me as he buried his face in my bloodied knees.

“Bowan when I met you. . .” My soul shifted; my heart pulsed with fresh blood. “Never mind, it was all a lie; I was just a pawn in some high-society bullshit blackmail.”

“No! November, no!” His fingers dug deeper in to my legs.

I bent at the knees slightly, forcing him to look at me through tears and blood. When our eyes locked I took a deep breath, aiming for clarity.

“Trust, Bo. All that keeps two people together is trust. Love isn’t enough. I don’t trust you. I don’t want to see you ever again. Get out.” My throat locked and threw away its own key against the words.

Bo reached up and pulled me to my knees by the wrist, causing Adrian to rush to my side.

“Ember, please. Calm down. We can work this out, come on!” His plea wretched through my soul, and for a split-second I wanted to concede, but couldn’t. I had been purposefully put in danger, lied to, and deceived.

I couldn’t meet his eyes. I remained on my knees, begging the floor to swallow me.

Adrian lifted me from the other side, “Everyone needs to sleep on this, I think,” he said with remarkable poise. After I was on my feet, Bo tried one more time to convince me to talk.

“Ember, can we just take a walk, or something?”

Adrian put his hand up, “Dude, tomorrow, OK? Everyone needs to sleep off tonight.”

Crestfallen, Bo followed Adrian out of the room, looking at me one more time over his shoulder before the door closed.





Chapter Twenty-Four

The water in the shower at The Centennial burned my skin. It was liquid therapy. I let the water boil over the raw skin on my face, elbows, and knees; inviting it to boil through my soul to no avail. I heard the door to the room click open and closed.

“Ember, it’s Adrian - you OK in there?” The sincerity of his voice produced fresh tears that washed away with the shower.

“Yea, I’ll be out in a minute. Thank you.”

Turning off the shower produced an eerie silence; a foggy, suffocating silence. Not even the TV could be heard in the other room; Adrian was observing the silence as well. As I dried, I groaned at the fact that all of my belongings were still at the Cavanaugh house. Without pretense, I walked in to the room in just my towel and stared at my red dress, crumpled on the floor.