Stardust and Kisses

Unwound

Aaron

The party was in full swing, people buzzing around like they were at some sort of victory parade. My dad, of course, was holding court in the middle of it all, slapping backs, grinning like he’d just won the lottery. I stood at the edge of the crowd, nursing a drink that I didn’t really want. I couldn’t stop thinking about the call from Veronica, about the chaos that still felt like it was lurking just beneath the surface, even though everything looked calm on the outside.

And then there was Heather.

I spotted her the moment she walked in, and damn if she didn’t stop the whole room. She was wearing this dark blue dress that hugged her figure in a way that felt almost unfair—low cut, but not too much, with those straps that crossed her back, leaving just enough skin exposed to make you wonder. Her hair, normally tied up or pinned back while she worked, was loose, falling in waves over her shoulders, catching the light as she moved. She was... striking, in a way that made it impossible not to look.

She hadn’t noticed me yet, too busy being swarmed by my dad and a bunch of other over-eager business types who thought they owed her their firstborn for what she’d done. And honestly, maybe they weren’t wrong. But the whole time, she kept glancing around the room, her eyes searching for something—or someone.

Probably me.

She’d been trying to talk to me all night, and I knew I owed her a real conversation, but every time she got close, my dad swooped in, dragging her into some other bullshit conversation about how this was the kind of loyalty people needed. How Heather was the one who had brought the D’Costa name back from the brink.

Eventually, he made his way over to me, beaming from ear to ear. “Aaron, you see this? It’s all thanks to Heather! Remember when you two used to run wild down the streets as kids? Barefoot, dirty as hell, causing trouble everywhere you go? Who would’ve thought she’d grow up and save your ass, huh?”

I blinked, the memory catching me completely off guard. I hadn’t thought about those days in… well, forever. I stared at him, confused. “What the hell are you talking about?”

He laughed, clapping me on the shoulder. “You don’t remember? You and Heather were inseparable! She used to come over to the house all the time—her folks were always out of town, so you’d run around together, get into fights, and she’d cover for you every damn time.”

I looked across the room, my gaze landing on Heather again. No way. That can’t be right. Could it?

She caught my eye then, and something flickered in her expression. Before I could process it, she made a beeline for me, her heels clicking against the floor as she pushed through the crowd. “Aaron,” she said quietly, “let’s get out of here for a minute. We need to talk.”

Without waiting for me to respond, she grabbed my arm and led me out to the balcony, away from the noise, the music, the clinking glasses. The air was cooler outside, the city lights stretching out below us like a sea of stars.

I leaned against the railing, glancing at her as she stood next to me. “So... do you remember?” I asked, trying to keep my tone casual but feeling the weight of the question.

Heather didn’t answer right away. She looked out at the skyline, her jaw clenched, like she was debating how much to say. Finally, she nodded. “Yeah, I remember.”

I stared at her. “Why didn’t you tell me when we met? Or… re-met, I guess?”

She turned to face me then, her eyes sharp but not unkind. “Because it wasn’t like you’d remember anyway. We were kids, Aaron. You probably forgot about me five minutes after I left.”

Her words stung more than I expected, but I couldn’t argue. She wasn’t wrong. The years between now and then had blurred everything. But still, there was a strange sense of guilt settling in my chest. “That’s not fair,” I muttered, running a hand through my hair. “I didn’t forget on purpose.”

She sighed, leaning her back against the railing. “I know. It’s not like I’ve been holding a grudge. It’s just... it wasn’t important at the time. And honestly, we had bigger problems to deal with.”

I shot her a sidelong glance. “Like the fact that my career was going up in flames?”

She smirked. “Exactly.”

We stood there in silence for a few moments, the noise of the party muffled behind us. I could feel the tension in the air, though I couldn’t quite place it. There was something else she wasn’t telling me, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know.

“So,” I finally said, breaking the quiet, “is that what you dragged me out here for? To tell me you’ve been holding onto this secret from our childhood?”

She shook her head, her expression serious now. “No. There’s more.” She hesitated, like she was weighing her words carefully. “When I was tracking down the source of the rumors, I found something. The blog that published the first article—someone tipped them off. An anonymous call.”

I frowned. “Someone? Who?”

She crossed her arms, looking frustrated. “I don’t know. But whoever it was, they knew enough to cause real damage. This wasn’t just some random bullshit story. Someone’s coming after you, Aaron. And they’re playing dirty.”

I felt a cold knot form in my stomach. The call from Veronica flashed through my mind. “So, what, do you think this anonymous caller is the one behind all this?”

Heather shrugged. “I don’t know. But I’m telling you, this isn’t over. We put out the fire for now, but it’s going to come back.”

I stared at her, my mind racing. Veronica’s voice, the accusations, the pregnancy... it all started swirling in my head, mixing with the realization that whoever was behind this smear campaign wasn’t done. Not even close.

Heather’s voice broke through the chaos in my mind. “Aaron, you need to be ready. Because when they come back, it’s going to be worse. And I don’t know how much longer I can keep pulling you out of the flames.”

I nodded, though my thoughts were miles away. "Yeah," I muttered, barely registering the words. "I hear you."

But all I could think about was that anonymous call. And what the hell was coming next?