Chapter 8
EIGHT
Seeing Melody after all these years is like a bullet to the heart.
I never thought I’d want to see her again after overhearing her that day. Hearing the words repeating over and over in my head for years has made me crazy. Well, more crazy than I was.
The girl I loved talking to some chick that wouldn’t leave me alone about how much she didn’t like me, didn’t like any of us, just liked having us at her back. Her cruel laughter had hurt, but the denial of any true feelings hurt more.
I felt heartbroken and wanted to go lick my wounds, but Reis… Reis wanted revenge. Once we got to the City, it was like any of his light was snuffed out.
Instead of breaking down, he broke angrily.
Through all these years, his need for revenge grew. Reis wouldn’t so much as speak her name during the day, too fueled by his anger and determination, but then…
When he’d get black-out drunk, he’d go on and on about Melody. About how much he missed her and how much he wanted her. About how he knows exactly what he would do to win her back if he ever got the chance.
Not to mention the suspiciously familiar portrait of a dark-haired goddess on his ribs. He claims it’s just a generic female face that the artist picked, but I know better. Markus and Adam do too. He’s only fooling himself.
I know I should be pissed off at her, angry that she said those things.
But while I might have some psychopathic tendencies, I also am damn good at reading people.
After we’d already left all those years ago and decided to make it in New York City, the scene kept replaying in my mind.
Melody backed into a corner, saying those things for some reason.
I knew that Melody hated that chick–I don’t even remember her name–because I thought she was two notes away from becoming my first full-blown stalker.
I’m all for stalking, but I usually like to be the hunter, not the prey.
And Melody… Melody has always been my prey.
Watching Melody fall unconscious while handcuffed to me is, by far, one of the scariest things I’ve witnessed. My heart dropped in terror when she called my name breathlessly, sounding so scared and weak…
I hold her tightly in my arms, pushing the hair back as her face softens as she passes out.
“What’s happening?” I bark out, wrapping her in my arms while trying to be careful with the handcuff attaching us together.
The three idiots behind me are arguing and George, our pilot, comes out to pull them apart since the security guard already walked off the plane.
“Stop! Fuck. What is happening to her?!”
They all look at me. Markus jumps up, coming to kneel next to Melody. He looks just as terrified as I feel. His tattooed hand feels her forehead, then cups her jaw.
“What happened?” He asks me as if I have any fucking clue.
“That’s what I want to know.”
“It’s his fault,” Adam sneers, holding Reis tightly by the shirt collar.
“What?” My voice drops as I turn to face him.
He wouldn’t…
“Thank you, George. We’re okay. We’re ready to take off whenever you are. Louis is taking a different flight.” Reis nods to the security guard, dismissing him.
“Very good.” George nods, looking at us skeptically, and walks back to the cockpit.
“What did you do, Reis?” Markus turns slowly, his shoulders broadening slightly in aggression.
“Just gave her something to make her a little less… combative.” Reis shrugs, turning towards the nearest seat and plopping down into it before buckling his seatbelt. There’s a nice bruise forming around his eye and his cheek is bright red from the force of Adam’s fist.
“Didn’t think you had it in you, dude.” I nudge Adam with my elbow, impressed.
“How is she?” He shakes me off and turns to the girl in my arms.
“You all are so worried about the bitch,” Reis drawls, his head resting back against the seat.
Ding, ding , the intercom goes off and the lights flash. Fuck, we have to get her buckled in.
“You fucking drugged her!” Markus shakes his head, growling angrily. “I can’t believe you.”
“What did you give her?” Adam snaps, helping me lift and adjust her into the seat next to mine so she’s comfortable as I reach across to buckle her in.
Melody looks so innocent, so sweet. Parts of her dark hair are tangled and wispy around her face, her lips parted slightly as she breathes, there’s a pink hue to her cheeks that’s just delicious.
I can’t help but smile fondly at her, at the gentleness and peace that relaxes out her features as she sleeps. Her skin looks so soft, so supple.
All the old feelings I had for her come rushing back, flooding my system. Affection, care, protectiveness, worry, obsession, need. They all come barreling back into my heart as she sleeps calmly beside me.
I have to touch her. Gently, I brush the back of my fingers over her face, carefully moving back a piece of hair off her face that’s moving with her breath.
She’s ethereal. Angelic.
Mine.
“Just some roofies.” Reis shrugs like he didn’t just become a little darker, a little more unhinged than even me.
“What is wrong with you?!” It’s Markus that lunges for him this time, but before he can get his hands around Reis' neck, George makes an announcement saying they’re starting to taxi and we need to get seatbelts on now.
“Look, she was going to run again,” Reis starts to say but Adam cuts him off.
“You don’t know that! I’m starting to think you don’t fucking know anything!
We all went along with your stupid shit for seven years and we, we, ” he says with anger, pointing to us all, “missed out on seven years with her. With her .” He jabs a finger towards Melody.
My eyes linger on her, and my mind races with all the things we’ve missed.
Melody graduating high school.
Starting her own company.
Getting the chance to tell her how I really felt.
Getting to take her virginity.
Getting to hold her while she cried.
Getting to wake up next to her.
All the fantasies I’ve had about the life we could’ve had with her flash through my mind and my heart aches.
Apparently, Adam has had similar thoughts.
The plane moves faster as we approach the runway, and I feel the thrill that I always feel when we first ascend into the air. It’s such a freeing feeling, one where I finally feel weightless.
“You didn’t hear what I did!” Reis yells over the roar of the engines.
“I did,” I say, putting a hand on Melody’s bare thigh. She’s so soft. Her thighs are milky white and so unblemished. I don’t know where her fishnets went, but I can’t say I mind getting her uncovered skin under my hand.
“I didn’t, but I know what she told me earlier! And you are such a fucking moron!” Adam snaps, smacking the armchair with his fist.
“We all are.” Markus drags his hands over his face before rubbing his eyes.
“I mean, I know we are but, why do you say that?” My head snaps to Markus.
“It should’ve been obvious, but we were too young and stupid to see it. Her feelings for us.”
“Her feelings for us?” I ask, sitting up a little straighter.
“For us ?” Reis emphasizes, his eyebrow raising in shock.
“We were all too stupid, too worried, too fucking blinded by our own insecurities to see it. Maybe we blocked it out, but now that I’m looking back on all these memories, she liked me.
She… she liked me-liked me. She looked at each of us like that, like she wanted us.
And that town is too fucked up, too narrow-minded and fucking biblical for what she knew she wanted.
” Adam grows softer with each sentence, but the frustration and anger reads loud and clear.
“Let’s be honest, guys. For maybe the first time.
It’s what each of us wanted, even if we didn’t think we wanted her together.
” Markus nods, and the lights flash on and off as we reach cruising altitude.
My breath catches and understanding dawns on me as I look down at her.
Is that what she wanted? All of us with her?
God, I would’ve agreed to that the second I knew.
I would’ve proudly called myself part of Melody’s harem if it meant I had her.
“What does that mean?” Reis' eyes flash with that possessive streak that’s what started all of us being stuck in this goddamn stalemate.
“It means, maybe we can share,” I say, my eyes connecting with Markus' as he nods.
“What? Share her? Like… you guys touching and kissing and fucking her like I would? No, fuck that.” Reis crosses his arms over his chest in anger as Adam scoffs.
“You think she would want you now? You fucking drugged her and have been nothing but a cruel prick since we found her earlier. Face it, Mathers, you obviously love her, just like the rest of us do.” It’s almost comical how offended Reis looks at being called out.
“I do not! She used us. She took our protection, our care, made us think she cared about us in return, and then turned around and laughed at us. She means nothing to me now, nothing. ” Reis snaps angrily, and the whole plane is silent after his outburst.
“If she means nothing to you, Reis,” I purposefully speak softer to really have my words hit home with him “then why’d you drug her? Why’d you make her come to the club? You did that. Why are we–let’s call it what it is, guys–kidnapping her if she means nothing to you?”
Reis' eyes narrow at me, and I shrug, giving him my signature easy smile. His moods don’t scare me. Especially not this fake anger he’s putting out. We’ve been through too much together for him to spout this fake shit and think that we are going to buy it.
He opens his mouth to say something, and closes it quickly, but I know I’ve got him. With a cocky smirk, I turn my back on him. I’ve given him too much of my attention today, especially when I have this angel next to me.
“She’s going to be so pissed off when she wakes up.” Adam runs a hand over his face, but leaves his hand over his nose for a moment too long.
“Probably.”
“What is the plan here, guys?” Markus stands up, walks to the minibar and pours himself a double scotch over ice.
I’m surprised he’s not reaching for his stash of drugs that I know are in his bag.
If it was any other show, Markus would be three sheets to the wind right now, high as fuck and slurring his words.
Instead, he’s sober and worried about Melody.
Coincidence?
“Reis?” I prompt sarcastically, waving my hand in front of him as if to say, alright it’s your turn.
Sure, he told me to cuff Mel to me so that we could talk and get answers without her running off, but after that, it’s gone this far because of him. I’m fairly sure the others would’ve stayed behind to try and make amends with Melody rather than this.
“Kai?” Reis mimics. When I roll my eyes, he sighs deeply and sinks lower into his chair. “I didn’t really have a plan, I just know that we all have some unresolved shit that’s impeding our music and I think it all stems from her.”