Page 85 of Then Came You

“Don’t fucking call me that,” he lashes. My intestines twist at his revile. Then he shifts his eyes to mine. “How could you, Row? I asked one thing. After everything I’ve done for you, this is how you repay me? By fucking my dad?” Disappointment seeps into my bones. “You were supposed to be my friend?” he says, voice cracking.

His words crucify me.

“You don’t understand,” Blade tries again. He steps towards him, but Xan is having none of it.

“Oh, I understand,” he scoffs. He lifts his hand. “I understand that you both betrayed me.” He ticks off one finger. “You lied.” He ticks off another. “Manipulated and played me like a fucking fool.” He ticks off three and four. “You both used me. I never want to see either of you again,” he spits, ticking off his last finger and shoving Blade’s chest so hard, he stumbles back and collides with me.

Stalking off into the crowd, I see Xan shaking with rage, Avalon, and Cindy in tow.

“What…what just happened?” I croak, my teeth chattering, while my body and muscles locking up out of self-preservation to protect the blows that we were just dealt.

Blade doesn’t move from where he’s staring after his son, who looks like bloody Moses parting the Red Sea.

“Blade?” I chatter.

Still nothing.

I reach my hand out to touch his back, but he recoils, surprising even me. What happened to being in this together?

“You should go after him. Try and explain,” I say in a diminutive voice.

It was only a few hours ago that my body felt as light and weightless as a helium balloon. I could have floated away with how in love I was. Even though there were still going to be insurmountable struggles to get through, I wasn’t going to be alone. I was going to face everything with Blade and finally submit and lean on him when needed. Now I feel like I’m being crushed by a blue whale made out of osmium.

As Blade starts walking away, he stops short when he sees his brother and sister-in-law coming our way.

Jogging toward us are Alex and Sydney, followed by Grant, who seems a lot calmer than the rest of us. “What the fuck happened?” Alex huffs. Sydney’s sympathetic face flits between Blade’s and mine. I still have no idea about the expression that Blade is sporting on account he hasn’t even glanced in my direction.

Blade is stealthily silent, leaving me to fend or explain for the both of us.

“Um, I’m not really sure. One minute I was going back to the employee tent. I saw your whole family at the front starting the march, and then Blade must have cut away and come looking for me. We… got caught up, and the next thing I know Xan and Avalon catch us.” I scrub my hands down my face.

I feel a mixture of tears and rain on my skin. I feel grimy, slimy, and gross, and I want to remove myself from this entire situation.

“They caught you having sex!” Alex bemoans just loud enough for Grant, who is metres away, to hear. I groan, avidly shaking my head from side to side.

“No. Blade was telling me he loves me, and we were just kissing. I swear!” I defend, feeling like a schoolgirl getting chastised.

Grant steps in. “Alex, that’s enough. Let’s take this somewhere a little more private, shall we?” It wasn’t a question.

“If it’s okay, I think I’m just going to go home. I need to check in on Tori anyway.” I don’t want to deal with any of this right now, especially since Blade seems to be ignoring me.

Expecting a verbal reply, I’m sorely disappointed when all I get is a half nod as if he is dismissing me not just for the night but for good.

“Do you need a lift?” Grant asks in a fatherly way, the softness in his voice wrapping around me like a warm hug.

“Oh. No. I’ll be fine. I’m just going to Uber it.” Fishing my phone out, I wave it in the air. I’m buying time. Buying Blade time to jump in and say…well…anything.

He doesn’t.

It doesn’t escape me all the worried and pitying glances I’m getting from Grant, Alex, and Sydney.

“Let us know when you get home safely,” Alex adds, hugging Sydney to his chest to warm her from the chill in the air.

Feeling like the lowest of low losers, I scamper off from where I’m sitting and sprint to find my bag that holds my keys and wallet.

On the way home, I decide a little time and space might be needed, so I text Blade telling him I’ll send someone else to do our corporate gigs for a week.

Chapter 37

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