Chapter Thirty-Six
Shadow
Iknow I’m in shit. This is why I hate fucking secrets. They always come out in the end, and someone ends up getting hurt. This time, the people hurt are the two people who mean the most to me. I wish Megan would have just let me come clean about our relationship. Maybe I shouldn’t have agreed to keep it a secret like she wanted, but I didn’t want to lose her. Now I’ve got to hope I can repair the damage I’ve clearly caused in my relationship with Wreck and Wrath. I”m pretty sure it’s going to be easier to smooth things over with Wrath than Wreck. I could see in Wreck’s eyes how betrayed he felt when Blade revealed the truth about me and Megan.
I get why he felt that way too; I know I’d feel the same if the roles were reversed. We’ve never, and I mean never, kept something a secret from one another before, even when someone has asked us to. I’ve got a feeling I’m going to need to grovel my ass off.
I don’t even want to think about what Megan’s going to say when she finds out everyone is now aware of us. She’s not going to be happy, that much I know. I can’t think about that right now, though. I need to talk to Wreck. That’s what’s most important. Even Wrath can wait; he’ll understand.
Following Wreck out of the meeting, he heads straight towards his room here. He still has one, even though he has his own apartment. I’m glad he’s chosen to go somewhere private for this conversation. I don’t really want an audience for this.
Entering the room behind Wreck, I close the door and flip the lock so no one can interrupt. He’s standing with his back to me, his back ramrod straight.
“Wreck?” I say quietly.
“You know, I never thought you’d lie to me, but you did. When I got back, you lied to my face. In the meeting about Sera’s past, you lied again.” I can hear the hurt in his voice, and it destroys me.
“I’m sorry. I fucked up.”
He turns to face me, and I can see the pain in his eyes, and I fucking hate that I’m the reason that looks even on his face right now.
“Is she worth it?” He asks.
Part of me wants to say yes, but if I’m being honest, I don’t know. How am I meant to know when it’s been a secret from everyone except her mother and brother? The only reason they even know is because she lives with them.
“I hope so.”
“Me too, Alex. Me too.”
“Do you forgive me?” I ask. I”m hoping and praying he will. I don’t know what I’d do without him in my life. He’s my person. The only person who knows everything about me. The person I go to whenever I have a problem or need to talk.
“Right now, I’m pissed and hurt. That’s not going to just go away because you want it too. We both know I forgive you. Doesn’t change how I feel, though.”
“I’ll make it up to you somehow. I promise.”
“You can start by actually hanging out with me tonight. I’ve hardly spent time with you since I got back. Now I know why.”
I nod my head in agreement, even though I was meant to be seeing Megan tonight. It’s probably a good thing I won’t be seeing her now, I’ve got more time before I have to tell her people know about us.
Wreck walks over to the fridge and pulls out two beers. It always amuses me that he doesn’t live here, but his fridge is always stocked with beer. He walks towards his sofa, and I follow. As I sit down, he passes me one of the beers before taking a massive gulp of his own. Once he’s done, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone. Once he’s clicked a few buttons, music starts streaming through his sound system.
We both sit in silence, drinking our beers and listening to the music he’s chosen. Once our beers are finished, we actually start talking. About everything we haven”t since he’s been back and I’ve been M.I.A. He asks me about things with Megan, and I tell him about how different she seemed when we first met, and I couldn’t help but want to try with her. I don’t tell him about her getting violent; that was just a one-off, and no one needs to know about that. I know how everyone will react when they find out.
“So how’s she going to react to that fact we all know about you two now?” He asks as he stands to go and get more drinks.
I’m glad he has his back to me right now and can’t see me wince. I know she’s going to be pissed. She was adamant that we should keep our relationship secret for longer. She’s not going to like that it’s been exposed.
“Probably annoyed, but it was going to come out eventually. It’s just earlier than she wanted.”
Wreck doesn’t say anything as he heads back toward me. He just hums, hands me my beer, and sits back down next to me.
“No more secrets, Alex. Promise me.”
“I promise, Avery.”
From the corner of my eye, I see a small smile break out on his face, and it causes nothing but relief to pass through my body. I know we”ll be okay.