The Silence After
953 Words
*Kael's Pov*
For a moment, neither of us moved. The city lights blurred behind her and the music from the ballroom seemed distant.
My hand was still on her waist. Her lips were still close enough to mine that I could feel her breath.
And for the first time in five years, my mind was completely blank. Aurelia stared at me wide eyed and frozen.
The same way I imagined I looked. I should have said something, anything. Instead I just stood there like an i***t.
Then reality crashed onto me all at once. What had I done? No. What had we done? Aurelia stepped back first.
The movement broke whatever spell had settled between us. Her cheeks were flushed , her breathing uneven. For a moment she almost looked angry then confused then embarrassed.
The emotions changed so quickly, I couldn't keep up. Neither could she. I swallowed. “I'm sorry.”
The words left my mouth quickly without hesitation because she looked overwhelmed and I was also overwhelmed.
Because the last thing I wanted was for her to think I'd taken advantage of her.
Aurelia blinked then stepped back slightly. Silence settled between us again. Painful, awkward and heavy.
I forced myself to take a step back. Giving her space and giving myself space too. Neither of us seemed capable of looking directly at the other anymore.
Finally she looked away first, then turned and walked back toward the ballroom room. No dramatic speech, no accusations, no insults, nothing.
She simply left.
Leaving me back there like a complete fool. I stared after her long after she disappeared. And for a moment I wished she yelled at me.
At least I would know what she was thinking but now I was just confused. The cool night air did absolutely nothing to clear my head.
My lips still burned. My chest still felt tight. And no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop replaying the last five minutes.
I loved it. I was losing my mind. Five minutes later I finally returned inside. The moment I entered the ballroom, I started looking for Aurelia with my eyes but I couldn't find her anywhere.
While doing that I noticed Adrian was also scanning the room, looking for someone. It was Aurelia, obviously.
The realisation annoyed me immediately. Celeste was standing beside a group of investors, but her attention wasn't on the conversation.
It was on me. Vivienne was watching both of us and when our eyes met, she frowned.
For a moment I thought everyone knew everything that just happened outside but maybe it was just my mind playing tricks with me.
Across the room, I finally spotted Aurelia. She was standing near one of the windows, alone. Thank God.
At least Adrian wasn't glued to her side anymore. The relief I felt was concerning, very concerning.
I looked away immediately then looked back because apparently self control never existed. Aurelia caught me staring and immediately looked away.
My stomach dropped. Fantastic! Now she was avoiding me. I deserved that, absolutely deserved it.
The rest of the evening passed painfully slowly. Everytime I found myself looking in her direction, she somehow noticed.
Everytime she noticed, she immediately looked somewhere else. Neither of us approached the other, neither of us spoke and the awkwardness was suffocating.
Eventually the event ended. Guests began leaving. Investors said their goodbyes. Reporters packed their equipment and the ballroom slowly emptied.
I noticed all these things because I was nervous and I think just watching helped calm my nerves.
I could see Aurelia trying to leave and I decided I would go talk but then Celeste walked up to me carefully.
“Kael…” she said faintly.
“I don't have time right now.” I said and simply left.
The drive home was torture. She sat on the opposite side of the car looking out the window.
Neither of us said a word. I tried talking but I just didn't. I mean what could I possibly even say?
When we arrived at the mansion, she was out of the car before I could even open my mouth. She just left, straight upstairs.
I rubbed my hand over my face.
“What happened to you?” Adrian's voice almost made me jump.
I turned.
He was standing near the entrance watching after coming in the same car with our mother.
“Mind your business.” I said and brushed past him.
Adrian sighed. “You look terrible.”
I ignored him.
Adrian folded his arms. “You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd think we weren't brothers.”
“Step brothers.” I corrected him.
“Come on.” Adrian sighed.
“Oh my God.” I immediately started walking away.
“Kael.”
I kept walking.
“Kael.”
I hated him. I genuinely hated him. His voice followed me all the way down the hallway.
Fortunately, it didn't last. Because ten minutes later my phone rang, it was Marcus.
I almost ignored it but something stopped me and I answered it anyway. “What?”
His tone was completely serious. “I found something.”
My stomach tightened. “What?”
There was a brief pause.
“The accident.”
I stopped walking.
“What about it?” My pulse quickened. The hallway suddenly felt too quiet. “What did you find?”
There was a longer pause this time then Marcus finally spoke. “I found someone.”
My grip tightened around the phone. “What are you talking about?”
“I found someone that claimed an injured woman was taken away from the scene before authorities arrived.”
My heart stopped.
- Writer
