FIFTEEN #3
“And why is that?" I pushed, refusing to let him hide behind that annoying smirk.
"Is losing the pool house to Adam hurting your precious ego that badly?
Is that why you're drowning your sorrows?
" I added, flicking a nod at his discarded bottle.
I felt annoyed that his flirty behaviour was due to alcohol and therefore not real.
He didn’t like that. Kieran’s mouth opened as he cast a glare towards the locked door of the pool house. “Tonight isn’t about the damn house or your fucking brother.”
“OK." A cold realisation washed over me. "So, this is about your daddy issues.” I knew I was being cruel, but I couldn’t help it.
Kieran pushed off the wall, physically crowding me back until my heels hit the slick edge of the patio deck. The people who had been behind me had moved, and I was close to the water’s edge. “What did you say to me?”
I placed a hand flat against his strong chest and pushed him back again, and he let me. Boy, his skin was warm. "You’re your own worst enemy, Kieran. You don’t understand how disgustingly lucky you are. You actually have parents who care.”
“From what I’ve heard, you don’t have the best relationship with your own parents, so why the hell do you think you're qualified to judge mine?”
“I’m not judging you, I’m just saying it’s a shame you guys can’t work it out. And my situation is totally different to yours,” I pointed out, my palms itching by my sides.
“How?” he barked, folding his arms across his chest.
“Well, your father cares about you for starters.”
He cocked his head to one side and looked down his nose at me. “And yours doesn’t?”
“No, well, at least, not in the same way,” a lump formed in my chest.
Kieran shunted forward as someone bumped into him, “Watch it,” he hissed before turning back. He lowered his arms and motioned towards me with one hand. “Explain.”
I glanced around the space and saw Halo speaking to Weston.
They were watching Kieran and me. As I faced him again, I said.
“No, I don’t think I will. We’re not talking about me, Kieran.
We’re talking about you and this madness going on at your house.
You do know your parents are due back at four tomorrow? ”
He chuckled, ignoring my comment. “You're very good at deflecting.”
“So are you.”
The temperature between us dropped instantly, and Kieran dashed a hand of frustration down his face before saying. “And anyway, you keep saying, my parents. As I said before, Vanessa is not my mother, and don’t speak about shit you don't understand, Amelie."
“She’s your stepmother, and at least she tries!" The frustration boiled over, ripping a raw confession from my throat before I could stop it. "I would have killed for the luxury of a mother who even looked at me the same way she does you.”
“And how the fuck does she look at me?”
“With empathy, understanding and affection. She gets you.”
The words hung bitterly in cool air, momentarily drowning out the heavy thumping of the party around us. A predatory stillness washed over Kieran. The anger left his face, replaced by a dark, laser-focused intensity as he tracked the sudden, desperate panic across my eyes.
“So, what are you saying?" he asked, his voice dangerously soft. "That your parents didn’t care about you at all?”
I stiffened, stepping sideways to avoid plummeting into the water behind me. "No. They didn’t."
Before I could take a second step, Kieran’s hand shot out. His fingers clamped around my forearm—his grip firm, hot, and impossible to break against my cold skin. He halted my retreat, pulling me back into his chest. “So, tell me what happened. Talk to me.”
“Let go, Kieran," I whispered, tugging my arm free. My voice shook with a toxic mix of fury and unshed tears. "It’s not really the time, is it?”
“It’s never the time with you,” he grunted. Did he really care, or was he just trying to take the heat off himself?
Kieran didn't let me escape as I walked away. Step by step, he followed me, before his arm shot out, landing on the wall of the pool house, trapping my escape. “You spend so much of your time with your nose stuck in other people’s business, but what about your own?” I could hardly hear him over the music.
“With you in this mood? No, thank you.”
He let out a sharp, exasperated breath, running a heavy hand through his dark hair. The hard edges of his posture softened just a fraction. “Amelie, I'm sorry, okay? Look at me—I know you don't understand what's happening tonight—”
“You know what, Kieran? You’re right, I don't understand," I cut him off, the tears finally stinging the backs of my eyes. "And I’m tired of watching you torture your family, and at the top of that, yourself. I’m done. I’ll see you later.”
I spun on my heel, intending to melt into the crowd. Kieran reached out, his palm brushing against my waist to catch me. “Where the hell are you going?”
I slapped his hand away, the sharp movement drawing a few glances from nearby students. “To find some better company!”
“Amelie! Wait—”
“No, I suggest you sober up, Kieran. Especially before my brother comes back.” I threw back over my shoulder, diving headfirst into the sea of sweaty, dancing bodies.