30. Melody
Chapter thirty
Melody
The house is buzzing with Kaden’s friends, and the company is welcome. It’s been a while since I saw Saint or Ivan, and I whisk through the kitchen as Saint sits on the island.
“You should let me give you your first tattoo,” he suggests.
I shoot him a playful scowl. “Tattoos aren’t really my thing. I hate needles.”
He chuckles, shoving his curls out of his face. “True. I remember when Kaden had to go to your last doctor’s appointment to make sure you didn’t pass out.”
“I still did,” I muse. “He had to carry me back out to the car.” My chest warms at the memory.
I woke up to him ordering me an iced coffee and holding my hand over the center console as if he was afraid to let go of me.
All of the signs were there from the very beginning, but I was too ignorant to realize it.
Somehow, inside of myself, I think I knew, but couldn’t get past the sibling aspect of our relationship.
I’m glad I finally moved past it. This budding relationship feels so unshakable—as if this was always meant to be between us.
It has me thinking of our future. Long nights where we cook together, Kaden being there for the opening of my first flower shop, and the potential patterning of little feet in our shared home.
It’s a dream that’s become clearer with every passing day, and I can’t seem to stop replaying it over and over again.
He’s it for me.
As I cut the stove, I shoot Saint a glance. “Can you set the table?”
“Of course, Princess Melody,” he salutes, hopping down before grabbing some plates from the cabinet.
Ivan moves from the door, smiling easily as he tucks his hands into his slacks.
He looks so different from when we were kids.
He dresses like a businessman, a crisp white shirt buttoned over his wide chest. His charming features have matured into a sharp carving as if etched from stone. “Do you need me to do anything?”
“Can you bring the pot to the table?” I ask.
He moves past me, grabbing it and revealing Kaden. My heart stammers at the sight of him until I see his face. He’s unfocused, staring at the marble countertop of the island pensively. His good mood has faded into something that makes me frown.
I glide over to him, waving a hand in front of his face. “Earth to Kaden.”
He blinks, his gaze softening when he notices me standing right in front of him.
Odd.
“Is it ready?” He asks. His voice doesn’t have the playful edge it once did. It’s bland.
My frown deepens as I take his hand in mine. “Is everything okay?”
He pulls away quickly, making my head rear as pain lances through my chest. He’s never done that before.
“Um,” he runs a hand through his hair, staring above my head. “Yeah, everything is okay. Let’s eat.”
“Okay…” I trail as he shifts around me and heads for the table. I’m left blinking at the spot he once stood in, unsure of what to make of his sudden mood change.
I take my seat at the table, and Kaden doesn’t even try to sit beside me. He takes the head of the table, two chairs down from me, creating a distance that doesn’t feel right.
What is going on?
Saint talks boisterously, reaching across the table as he smacks a helping of noodles onto his plate. “Big plans tonight. Am I right, Kaden?”
There’s a tension in the air I can’t place as my brother grips the edge of the table so tightly his knuckles turn white. “Stop.”
My eyes bounce between the three men in the dining room. “What’s going on tonight?”
Ivan tilts his head, sitting back in his chair. “Kaden hasn’t told you?”
I shake my head, turning to my brother. “Told me what?”
Kaden doesn’t look at me as he fixes his plate and begins to eat as if he can ignore the thickness in the air. Suspicion tugs at my gut—a deep feeling that there’s something wrong and he isn’t telling me.
“Is it another meeting?” I ask, trying to battle past the churning in my stomach.
Wrong.
This is wrong.
“Is that what he’s calling it?” Ivan croons, rolling his head to the side. “That doesn’t seem fitting—“
“Shut. It.“ Kaden warns with a bite, his glare cutting into his friend.
Whatever is going on, he doesn’t want me to know. As everyone continues to eat, I stare at the wooden table, my mind moving miles a second as I try to reason this.
“Have you noticed anything weird?” Ivan finally asks, cutting through my haze. “Kaden disappearing at odd times—”
“Ivan,“ my brother warns.
”—Maybe he’s coming home later than promised? He only stays at your dorm twice a week, right?”
My mouth moves without sound before I pin Kaden with a glare. “Did you tell them?”
“It’s obvious,” Saint shrugs before shoving a forkful of pasta into his mouth. “We’ve always known about you two.”
“Fabulous,” I toss my silverware aside. “So, what’s going on? Why is everyone acting weird?”
“Care to fess up?” Ivan asks Kaden. “She deserves to know.”
“Know what?” I whisper, focusing all of my attention on the man I love. “Are you hiding something from me?”
Kaden slams his hands on the table, rising quickly. “Dinner is over. Get the fuck out.”
“Kaden—”
He cuts me off with a cruel expression that makes me gasp. I’ve never been on the receiving end of his anger. It’s an unspoken rule that he’s followed since we were kids.
“We’ve overstayed our welcome,” Ivan sighs, rising. “Walk us out, Melody?”
“Sure,” I mumble, pushing my chair out.
“Stay,“ Kaden whispers as his fist clenches beside his plate.
I ignore him, my face screwing up as I follow Ivan and Saint to the foyer. I open the door for them, muttering a goodbye before Ivan takes my hand and slips some paper into my palm.
“Be there at midnight,” he whispers before making his exit.
There’s a beat of silence as I unfold the note. An address is scribbled messily across it, and I tuck it into my pocket before rejoining Kaden.
I don’t sit as I place my hands on my hips. “What was all of that about?”
I’m giving him a chance to explain himself. I trust him. He’ll do the right thing.
He runs a hand across his mouth before pulling the chair beside him closer. He pats the seat for me, and I pad over before easing down. Our knees bump, but he can’t even look at me.
“There’s something I need to tell you…” He trails heavily.
I take his hand hesitantly, expecting him to pull back again. He doesn’t as he intertwines our fingers tightly and takes a deep breath. He finally glances at me, something I’ve never seen before swirling in his eyes.
Fear.
He’s afraid…
“Umm…” He shakes his head, looking away. “Fuck, I can’t even say it.”
“Kaden,” I whisper softly, chasing his eyes. “You can tell me anything. You know this.”
His gaze snaps to mine, his eyes rounded and desperate. “I can’t disappoint you. It physically hurts—”
“Hey,” I coo gently, cupping his cheek. “You won’t disappoint me. Is this about your business with Ivan?”
At first, there’s a jolt in him, as if I’ve gotten too close to the truth.
It’s a quick scrambling of his brain, a slip decision that I watch in real time before I see the shift in his being.
His features smooth out, panic easing into resignation as he sighs.
“Yeah. I just don’t want this to go wrong. ”
He’s lying.
Kaden is lying to me.
I don’t know how I know, but it settles like steel in my stomach—weighing me down as the truth sits somewhere I can’t reach.
Why would he lie?
I release his hand, sitting back in my chair as the note burns a hole in my pocket. It’s hard, but I plaster on a wobbly smile that feels forced and sterile. “Let’s get some sleep. Tonight was a lot.”
He swallows before leaning forward, his lips graze mine, and I have to physically stop myself from pulling away. Our kiss is quick, tasting of something that resembles an unspoken goodbye.
I don’t like it.
“Thank you for dinner,” he mumbles, his eyes glossing over my features as if he’s soaking me in. There’s a lingering melancholy to him—a sadness I can’t place.
I nod, floating above my body as this whole evening plays out like a poorly patched-together play. “You’re welcome.”
The good mood from earlier has died a quick death, and everything feels as if it’s too much.
The overhead lights cut into my eyes, the sounds of Kaden pushing out his chair are like nails on a chalkboard, and the deep sensation of knowing he’s lying to me twists like a knife to the chest. I’m not present in my body as he guides me upstairs to his room.
My sight lazily drifts over everything that’s remained untouched since he moved out—the altar piled high with his bone collection, the posters lining the walls, and the dark duvet pulled over his bed. It’s trapped in time, forever remaining right where he left it.
He undresses down to his boxer briefs before gently taking the hem of my shirt and pulling it over my head.
I let him, staring at my name inked over his heart as he strips me.
He discards everything into a pile before lifting the covers for me.
I slide under robotically, facing the wall as he curls around me.
His warmth soaks into me, and the bridge of my nose begins to sting. I don’t know why I want to cry, but this is too much. Every touch feels like the last, and I don’t know why.
“I love you, Sunny,” he whispers into my hair as he pulls me close.
Even his embrace doesn’t feel the same—like he’s someone else.
My bottom lip bobs as my tears fall silently. “I-I love you too.”