Chapter 28 Chapter 27:
Arya:
The silence on the other end is so deafening, I can feel my heart literally pounding out of my ribcage. The only confirmation that he hasn’t hung up is the steady breathing coming from the other end.
My hands are trembling as I grip the phone tighter. “Hello, is anyone there?”
“Who’s this?” The person- who may or may not be Devon’s twin brother sharply says. “If you are sent from Barbara, I don’t want anything to do with both-”
“I am Arya, Devon’s girlfriend.” There’s no better way to put it, I can’t just blurt out that we are friends or something; he’s going to hang up even before I can catch my breath. Again, another stretch of silence.
Is this even funny? Leaving the other person all nervous? I have a feeling that Devon’s brother likes to gather his thoughts in his head before saying them out loud, it’s weird because Devon does exactly that.
“Devon.” His voice is very tight, “How do I know you aren’t lying?”
My heart leaps a bit, am I right? Is this his brother?
“He didn’t make me call you; in fact, he has no idea that I am doing this at all.” I say with a sigh, whatever this is, I don’t think Devon and his brother have spoken for a very long time.
“Oh.” Another silence, “Nice to meet you, Arya. I am hanging up now.”
The relief in my chest turns to sheer panic; I can’t just let him hang up without saying anything. “Wait!”
“What’s it?” He says, this time his voice resigned.
“I don’t know anything about your family drama, but all I know is that you have to come back home and deal with all these. Talk to your brother again, we could meet first in a coffee shop and talk about everything, running away will never get you anywhere.”
“What makes you think I ran away, Arya?” His voice is colder now, I hear the banging of his palm on the table and I jump in fear. Shit, I just annoyed him.
“I didn’t mean it like that, honestly I didn’t-”
“Very well, Miss. Morris, I don’t appreciate people judging me without even knowing me, and I don’t know why you are doing this, digging up old family feud, I have only one piece of advice for you. Don’t try to look for things you shouldn’t have, it will only get you into trouble.” My phone beeps twice and it dawns on me that he has hung up.
My shoulders slump heavily as I try his number again, but it doesn’t even go through, he blocked my number. What’s really going on in the Brookes family? It’s not my place to tell or judge, hell I know nothing about their family.
Still, something seems broken and it feels like they need someone to piece them back together. I wouldn’t know how it felt, having a family who don’t care about each other, because I grew up in a family where family photos were hung everywhere in the home, where everyone showed up for my younger brother’s graduation party and where we have an annual thanksgiving feast.
But I feel like someone needs to do something, digging up the past is very scary, but somehow, in a very strange way, I feel like I am actually helping Devon. The door opening jolts me out of my thoughts as Devon walks in, dressed in his office suit.
He stops dead in his tracks when he sees me, “Hi.” I say simply.
His brows furrow, “Are you okay?”
Sweat begins to drool around my forehead, and I try not to start blurting out like a fool. “Yeah, why do you assume so?”
“You seem tense.” He drops his suit jacket on the edge of the seat and pads towards the kitchen; my gaze travels to the books of Logan Kane on the table, and I widen my eyes, before hurriedly arranging them behind the stacks of books on the bookshelf. Surely, I wouldn’t want Devon catching a picture of his twin brother.
It bothers me though, I don’t think I will be able to speak with Logan Kane aka Devon’s twin brother ever again, his voice was undoubtedly cold when he spoke to me and he even blocked my number without hearing me out.
I feel tempted to ask Devon about his brother, but I don’t want him to think I am invading his privacy, when we started co-parenting, we made a deal that this was going to be about Vera and nothing else, there was even boundaries set, I was allowed to date, to find my true love. But right now, everything just seems so messed up.
My phone vibrates with a call from Nicole and I pick it up immediately.
“What happened with Logan Kane?” She asks effortlessly, the sound of someone telling her to drop her phone booms on the other end. “Sorry, it’s just my dad, apparently, he doesn’t like whenever I am busy with my phone too much.”
“No problem,” I shake my head, “And, by the way, it ended really horribly. He asked if I was sent by Barbara or something, he was very cold when he spoke to me, I said something that somehow hurt him, he hung up, and then he blocked my number.”
“Oh. Shit.” Nicole breathes in sharply. “That was the only way of contacting him; let’s just hope he actually comes back.”
“What makes you think he’s going to come back?” I ask.
“Oh, Arya, you are oblivious to the way humans act. He’s trying to forget about everything and that one call you just made tonight is going to make him rethink everything. Just trust me on this, okay? I have to go now.” Nicole ends the call, leaving me wondering if maybe Devon’s brother will come back home.
Devon and I eat quietly without any words spoken to each other, we feed Vera, and later on. We read her a bedtime story, before tucking her into bed. And then everyone retreats to their bedroom.
Changing into my pajamas shorts and tank top, I slump on the bed, trying to fall asleep.
A terrible nightmare wakes me up and I jolt out of the bed, my chest heaving, sweat gathers around my body, the tick of the clock on the wall adds to my rising anxiety. The dream felt so scary, the babysitter was wheeling Vera away even when I screamed for her not to, I couldn’t even get to them, it was like I was fucking bound or something. Someone once told me that dreams were composed of what we think about.
Either still, I am scared shitless. I climb out of the bed, my throat feeling dry. I need water to cool myself down right now. I pad through the hallway barefoot, making my way towards the kitchen.
When I reach the kitchen, I freeze when I see a shadow leaning casually on the counter under the dim light. I didn’t realize that Devon is going to be here at this time.
For a moment, I think about retreating back to my room but I swallow and take a step closer. The dim lights seemed to make his features more defined and sharper. We lock eyes and I don’t know why my stomach does that awful back flip again. He faces his back to me as he drops his mug on the counter; the black shirt he’s wearing expands around his shoulders, gray sweatpants hugging his waist.
Sometimes, I still can’t believe he’s the father of my daughter. He turns to me and moves closer, in one smooth motion, his hands grip my waist and he lifts me effortlessly on the cold marble kitchen island, his touch gentle.
My body tingles from where his hands had been and I can barely breathe. I gaze at him through my lashes as he leans in.
“Why were you so tense earlier?” He asks, his voice low, barely a whisper.
I am taken aback at his question and my heart flutters, he’s paying attention. To me, noticing the things that Kevin, even in a million years, would never notice. If it was Kevin and he asked me why I was tense, he would have left it at that, but the fact that Devon really wants to know has my stomach tightening.
With the way his intense emerald eyes are fixated on me, I know that I can’t lie. Especially to him. “It was....everything’s just so messed up right now.” I stammer and his gaze softens, I need serious help, I am about to kiss this man right now.
A strand of dark hair falls over his face and damn, Devon Brookes is cute in his pajamas. I have other things to worry about like our close proximity and our breaths come out in shallow gasps.
“What about you? These days, you have been stressed...” I look at his emerald eyes and I see the tiredness hidden deep inside, he might act okay to everyone, but I know. He’s so fucking tired.
He blinks his lashes, as if he’s taken aback by my question, if he pays attention to me, then I should do the same. “Oh. Work has been hectic.” He says, searching my eyes.
I sigh, he always does this, even that night in the cruise ship, he doesn’t elaborate on his problems. Ever.
I can feel my heart pounding, “I am here to listen though.”
He widens his eyes a little and remains silent. For a second, I think that he isn’t going to say anything, but then he sighs. “Someone was running for the election and she committed suicide, at least that’s what everyone says.”
“And you don’t believe this, why?” I ask calmly.
“Maryanne isn’t the type of person to do such a thing, I believe it was murder, I think someone killed Meg.”
I blink my eyes, my heart skipping a bit. “Meg?”
“She was known as Meg, I am having tea with her sister tomorrow before she leaves for the Philippines.”
Meg...The name is so familiar because that was the name of the person who posted that photo on the internet. No, that can’t be. She can’t be dead now.
“Tell me about Meg.” It really seems like a weird question to ask, but I need to know, I just have to.
“She was a photographer, that’s what her sister says she does.”
At that moment, my heart almost plummets out of my chest. I take a sharp inhale of breath, shit. Maryanne or Meg might or might not be the one who committed suicide.
I swallow, the weight of the next question I am about to ask pressing down on me. “How did she die?”
“She was found in her bathtub, her throat slit.” Devon shuts his eyes, his body shaking a bit; I lean in closer, softening my gaze.
“I am sorry,” this is horrible, really bad. How can she die? I remember the text then telling her to take that picture down, is the person that commented the same person who killed her and made it look like a suicide?
“It’s okay,” Devon shakes his head, finally peeling his eyes open. “Can’t sleep, huh?”
I want to open my mouth and tell him about the nightmare I just had of the babysitter wheeling Vera away, but I debate over it and keep my mouth shut.
“Yeah, the night is slow.” I reply, us talking this way feels like a connection. I feel so drawn to him, so engrossed in his personal business. What’s wrong with me? This has to stop right now.
Devon places his warm hand on my thigh, and electricity rushes through my spine. “Goodnight, Arya.”
I swear I almost lost my senses right there. “Goodnight, Devon.”
I hop out of the kitchen island, his eyes peering at me as I make my way towards the hall that leads to my bedroom; I reach for my phone on the bedside table and shoot a text to Nicole.
Me: We have to meet tomorrow after work, there’s a lot that I need to tell you about Meg.
The three dots appear almost immediately, does this woman not sleep at all?
Nicole: See you tomorrow, Arya.