Page 80 of In Between Darkness
Oh Gods. The urge to look back is too strong, and my eyes catch the familiar motion of River speeding down the hallway, his hand waving in the air as if to make him more noticeable. Shit. I spin on my heels and continue walking. My legs tense as panic drives my limbs down the spiral staircase. The sound of his footsteps behind me makes my heart flutter. He must be right on my tail. My hands grip the metal handle of the courtyard door and pull with determination, but it doesn’t budge. I force it again. For fuck’s sake. It’s locked.
“Asha, it won’t work… I know you’ve been avoiding me,” River says behind me, a tad out of breath. His left hand is balled into a fist aimed at the door.
Of course, he has Influenced the door shut to stop me from running. An exhale escapes my mouth as I surrender to the fact that I cannot avoid this conversation any longer.
“I-I’m not avoiding you. What are you talking about?” I scratch at the back of my neck and attempt to gaslight him into thinking his accusation is ludicrous. I try the door again, and my elbows grunt with its weight. It’s still not budging.
“Asha. You practically just ran away from me,” he says a little awkwardly.
I feel for him, I really do. All of a sudden, I am blanking him, and he doesn’t even remember why.
“Was the date honestly that bad?” His eyes look glassy, and I know he is hurt.
A lump forms in the back of my throat. I want to tell him that the date wasn’t bad, that it was, in fact, amazing. Every little detail was perfect up until I lost control and messed it up… but I can’t have him remember that. The disgust in his eyes still keeps me up at night. I have to keep up the ruse and play dumb.
“You don’t remember?” I feign confusion and continue acting.
“Not really…” He bows his head and scratches his neck again. “I can usually handle my liquor, but that was strong stuff.” He forces a smile. “It doesn’t take a genius to know that it didn’t go too well, though.”
He lets out a large sigh, and I fight back the guilt plucking at my tear ducts. This is why I was avoiding him. I have already caused him enough pain, and now, instead of letting him heal, I feel like I am rubbing salt into his wound. I must separate myself from this guilt. I have to let him know that it was nothing he did… It wasn’t his fault.
“Please don’t blame yourself. We just weren’t as good for each other as we thought.” I place my hand on his cheek and stare into his hazel eyes. I remember getting lost in those eyes before disaster struck. My heart thumps a little louder; the attraction is still there. I take my hand away to stifle the feeling. I am protecting him.
“Doesn’t mean we can’t still be friends,” he says with a hopeful glint to his eyes, and I nod my head and smile, even though my heart is aching right now.
We can’t be friends. If I get too close to him again, I risk the serum wearing off.
“I just need some time, you know, to come to terms with everything.” I’m not lying. I do need time, but not for the reason he thinks.
He nods his head and gives me a slight smile.
“See you around, Calloway.” He winks at me and walks back up the stairs.
The Influenced door finally creaks ajar, and I let out a heavy exhale I didn’t know I was holding. That was a close one. His footsteps soften as he continues up the staircase. I stand by the door for a moment, making sure that I don’t get any more unexpected surprises from anyone else I know. Next time, I am taking the portal.
It’s now become second nature to head over to the far bookcase and open the door to the office; I do this without even thinking. The office is quiet. The rug on the floor suffocates the light pattering of my footsteps, and the sound of my breathing is now more apparent. I think you could hear a pin drop in here. The room is silent, but my thoughts are deafening. I sink myself into the burgundy sofa and sit down for a few minutes. I keep thinking about what my father would say if he saw me now, if he would approve of my selfish actions, taking away River’smemories to protect myself. I don’t think I am ever going to be able to keep my head above the sea of guilt that encompasses me. I just need to keep treading water and try not to sink. I fidget into a comfier position and pull out the end of a charred joint from in between the deep crack in the sofa. I thought I could sense the faint smell of char root lingering in the air. River’s friends must’ve been down here recently.
The black soot rubs off onto my fingers as I push it back down into the sofa’s deep pocket. I hear a creak behind me and jump to my feet. The door swings open with a bang.
Chapter Thirty-One
A tall build takes up the size of the door frame. I feel the colour drain from my cheeks and I can’t help but gasp. It’s Alex.
“What are you doing here?” I edge slowly away from him, creating more space between us.
He takes a menacing step forward, bridging the gap with hunger in his eyes. In a fiery rage, he flips the sofa, making me flinch. This isn’t good.
“I followed you here. Think I haven’t noticed you sneaking around?” he snarls with bitterness, and his eyes eat away at my soul.
I gasp when his hand ignites with a white-hot flame.
“I seem to be the only one who sees you for what you are.” His jaw clenches tight. “A freak.” His words cut deep. I am a freak.
“Look… I don’t want any trouble,” I say, shuffling backwards, away from his towering frame. I could just portal out of here, but then I’d be putting another target on my back.
“I think it’s time someone puts you in your place…Asha Calloway.”
I can see the rage in his eyes, the same rage that bubbled when he was fighting Abel. The same rage that pummelled the life out of him and left him bloodied in the sand, but this time, he has his Gifts, and he does not look afraid to use them.
