Page 49 of Killing Me Softly

Kenny took one more look at the body encased in sheeting. He closed his eyes, tears threatening to spill. Then he turned and walked out to the hallway, where he leaned against the wall and…fell apart.

* * * *

“Why are we spying on Dr Lyons’ hospital appointment?”

“It’s not a hospital appointment.”

Parked over the road from the main entrance of Ryston Hospital, Aaron stared out of the passenger window of Mel’s car at the familiar, white-washed walls where Kenny had retreated with DI Jack Bentley. He chewed on his thumbnail, mind on overdrive.

“Okay, so, I got you here. Now it’s time to spill.”

Aaron sighed. “Yes. I’m sleeping with Kenny.”

Mel waited a moment, then suddenly erupted into squeals, stamping her feet and slapping the steering wheel. “Holy fuck! Since when?”

“Properly for about nine months.”

“What’s improperly?”

“We danced around it a year before that.”

“So literally the day you joined Ryston.”

“Yeah.” He shrugged, looking back out of the window to stare ahead at Kenny’s car parked alongside DI Jack Bentley’s. “Sort of.”

“What do you mean by sort of?”

“We met in a club in London before I came to Ryston. Had an…encounter. Turned out he was my professor. He tried to keep away from me, but, well, I’m irresistible. So, yeah, he caved. Now we’re fucking. Regularly. That’s the highlights from season one and two. Congrats. You’ve officially moved from recurring character to main sidekick energy for season three.”

“Oh, my God.” Mel knocked her head back on the rest. “Isthatwhy you’re getting top grades?”

“No!” Aaron ripped his gaze from the car back to Mel. “I’m pretty smart, y’know.”

“But it helps that you’re sleeping with the bloke who sets our assignments.”

“I don’t get any extra help from him.”

“No?”

“No!”

“Then why?”

“Why what?”

“Why are you sleeping with him?”

“Because I like him.” More than like, but he wasn’t ready to say those words out loud yet.

Mel’s lips curved into a grin. “He is hot.”

“Yeah.” Aaron turned back to the window. “He is.”

“So, why are we stalking him again?”

“Because I think he’s hiding something from me and I want to know what it is.”

“And you don’t want to ask him because…?”

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