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Keda looked up at me, and I saw the desolation in her eyes.

“I will eviscerate that man with my bare hands.” I snarled at the way she was looking. “Don’t let him get to you. That was just a mean man who gets his rocks off on hurting people.”

How had I not noticed that before with his work?

Truthfully, I hadn’t loved him all that much. But Keda had, so I’d jumped on the bandwagon with her. I’d do anything for Keda, including finding that son of a bitch and giving him a piece of my mind.

“How about we get Chinese and watch some Monk?” I suggested.

Keda shook her head. “I know you’re trying to make me feel better by offering to do things you know I like… but I’m tired, Hollis. I think I just want to go home and sleep. Tomorrow… tomorrow I’ll do better.”

I deflated at her words. “Okay.”

She got out and then turned to look at me.

I saw on her face that she was already pulling back into herself. Something she’d been doing so much better at in recent weeks.

God. That motherfucker. I was going to track him down and murder him in his sleep.

Her smile was dull. “I love you, Hollis Aue. I love you so much it hurts.”

The words felt… final.

I didn’t like them one bit.

As if she was feeling big emotions right now but wasn’t sharing them with me.

I felt a tear dripping down the length of my cheek. “Don’t let what he said get to you, Keda. You have to realize that you’ve made so much progress since you were hurt. You are a superstar.”

Keda shrugged. “I’ll try.”

“Are you sure I can’t come in? We could totally order from that hibachi place… or Thai!” I pleaded.

She was already shaking her head. “I don’t think I could eat, even if I tried.”

“But you’ll text me later? You’ll let me know that you’re okay?” I asked.

You’ll let me know that you aren’t doing anything rash because that douchebag said something he should’ve never said?

“I, Keda, will not do anything rash. I promise you that I’ll think everything through before I do it.” With that, she closed my door softly.

I had this irrational urge to follow her, to hound her every move.

But I stayed where I was, knowing that wasn’t what she wanted from me tonight.

I watched her walk to her apartment.

Waiting until I saw the light flick on in her window, I started the car back up and headed home to my apartment four and a half blocks over from hers. I made one pit stop on the way, to the closest bakery, and got the largest cupcake they had, as well as a large coffee.

I’d just finished the last bite of my cupcake and was starting on the last dregs of my coffee, when the idea popped up into my head.

And once it was there, it was there.

I couldn’t get it out.

Pulling up Instagram, I went to the search bar and typed in: Taite DeRosa.

I found his name in hundreds of hashtags and geo-located photos.