Page 35 of Exile
“Oh, um, yeah. We are selling the house so Mom can go to Whispering Grove. I’m going to move in with Dominick. It…it just makes sense.” I can sense her hesitation, and I hear the uncertainty in her voice. She doesn’t look me in the eye, instead opting to look anywhere else, but I can see the tell-tale shimmer of unshed tears in her eyes.
“Why? I thought the house was paid off? Do you need help? You know my parents and I are here for anything you need.” I step over the threshold, reaching for my friend, but Serena backs up, keeping the space between us.
“I know. But Dom suggested it, and Mom is all for it. We toured the facility the other day, and she loved it. She…she doesn’t want me to feel like I have to take care of her anymore. She doesn’t want to be a burden to me.” An edge of bitterness creeps into Serena’s voice at the end of her statement.
“Who said Laura was a burden? I know you didn’t.”
“No, I didn’t. She said it. I think she wants me to be free to live a normal life. Especially now that Dominick is in the picture. She wants me to be happy.” Serena finally looks at me, and I track the lone tear sliding down her cheek.
“You don’t sound happy,” I say in a low, careful tone. I see it in her eyes. She hates this as much as I do. She’s loved this house and fought so hard to keep it for the last two years. I know the idea of selling it is killing her as much as the idea of her marrying Dom is killing me.
“It’s a lot. Too many big changes at once. I’ll be fine… I…I just need some time to get used to it.” Her words are wholly unconvincing.
“ReRe, this is a big decision. You can’t take it back… Once the house is sold, it’s done. Are you sure you want to do this?” I step closer to her, and she backs up again, pressing her back against the wall. Gently, like I’m coaxing a feral kitten out of a tree, I lift Serena’s face so she’s looking me in the eye, when I say my next words.
“You don’t have to do this, ReRe. This is your home. This is your life. Don’t let him push you into anything you’re not ready for. This isn’t Dom’s call to make.” We stare at one another for a long moment. My eyes track every micro expression that flits across her face. We are close enough that we are sharing the same air, and I feel the rapid flutter of her pulse against my palm where it gently cups her jaw. “Serena, listen to me. This is the rest of your life you’re talking about. You have to be one hundred percent sure about this decision.” Silently, I’m begging her to reconsider. It’s one thing for her to be engaged to the domineering asshole, but to know he’s taking over her whole life and forcing her to give up everything she knows is too much to bear.
“It’s for the best, Kai.” Her words are like a knife to the heart, and I know I’m losing her. “He’s going to take care of me, of us. He’s going to front the costs of Whispering Grove until we sell the house and make sure Mom gets the best care she can have. Dominick doesn’t want me to work at Maverick’s anymore, and I can’t support us on what I make at the coffee shop. We won’t have to rely on Mrs. G or your parents when I need to work, so you’ll be free too. I’ll be okay, Kai, I will…” Serena trails off when she looks at my face and sees the devastation written across my features.
“I’m sorry, Kai. I think we need some space from each other. I need to focus on my relationship with Dominick and we…we need some time apart. I don’t think it’s good for us to be around one another right now.” Now the tears are falling more freely, and I wipe them away on impulse.
“ReRe…no. You don’t mean that. You’re my best friend.” My own words are a choked whisper as I lean down and press my forehead against hers, silently pleading with her not to cut me out.
“But that’s just it, Kai. I’m not just your best friend, and I can’t be more. Not now. Dominick loves me and I need to respect that. We need a break until…until you move on…”
“Serena—” I try to speak, but she pushes against my chest, forcing space between us.
“Kai, no. Please, go. Don’t make this harder than it already is. Just go. Okay? I have packing to do. We are having an open house tomorrow I need to get ready for. I can’t deal with this right now.” Serena looks at me with a coolness in her eyes that chills me to my core. I have never seen her look like this. So disconnected. So cold. Slowly, I nod and back away, back towards the open front door.
“Alright, ReRe. If space is what you need, I will give it to you. But know you can always count on me. Always. Call me when you need me, and I will be there. Promise me you will call me if you need my help.”
It feels like an eternity stretches between us before Serena gives the most subtle nod at my request. She doesn’t say the words though. All she does is choke out a tearful goodbye before turning and walking deeper into her house, leaving me alone and adrift in a tumultuous sea of heartbreak.
Back outside, I breathe in the crisp fall air, trying to cool the roaring inferno of emotion building inside of me. As my eyes land on the street in front of the Malcolm house, I see Officer Asshole himself climbing out of his penis extension on wheels.
I stop at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the porch, crossing my arms, readying myself for a confrontation. Dominick is still in his uniform, apparently having just gotten off shift. As he approaches me, his hand rests lightly on the holster on his hip, and a tingle of fear creeps up my spine. After our last confrontation and the high he probably got for getting away with murder, I’m not entirely sure he wouldn’t shoot me and make up some bullshit self-defense story to cover his tracks.
“Malakai, did I or did I not tell you to stay the fuck away from my fiancée?” Dominick’s expression is as icy as his tone.
“You don’t fucking own Serena. If I want to check on my friend when I see a ‘for sale’ sign in front of her house that she’s lived in her entire life, I damn well fucking will.” I lift my chin in defiance, daring him to make the next move, right here on Serena’s front lawn. I’d love to see him explain that shit to her.
Dominick’s jaw clenches, and his thumb strokes the leather snap holding his gun in its holster like he’s considering using it. Instead, he leans in close enough to speak menacingly into my ear. “I’d hate for your friend to pay the consequences of your choices. Serena knows she needs to keep her distance from you, but if you can’t abide by the same rules, then maybe I’ll need to punish her to make you stay in line. Now be a good boy, and fuck right off.” The blood in my veins runs cold at his threat. With a patronizing slap of my cheek, Dominick pushes past me and jogs up the stairs while I am rooted in place by fear that my stubbornness will wind up causing harm to the woman I love.
CHAPTER THIRTY
SERENA
Christmas break has finally arrived. The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of packing, house staging and open houses, all while trying to take my final exams and hold down my job at the coffee house. Dom, Mom and I agreed moving during break would be best, so today she finally moves into her apartment at Whispering Grove, and I will move in with Dominick. There are already several offers over asking price for the house, so now it’s up to the realtor to sift through them and make sure we accept the best one.
Every day has been an exhausting drain of my mental fortitude, reminding Mom each morning why the house was packed up and about the changes coming. She’s handled it surprisingly well, but my stomach is still twisted in a knot of anxiety. I’m constantly nauseous and have barely slept since our visit to Whispering Grove. It’s a small miracle I got through my finals without failing in my zombie-like state.
I’m standing in our empty kitchen, staring blankly at the bare walls, my vision clouded over with tears. The wall that used to host all the artwork I brought home from school throughout my childhood is now a stark white empty space. The sweet, spicy scent of gingerbread cookies is noticeably absent. We’ve been too busy getting ready for the move, so Mom and Mrs. G haven’t had their annual Christmas cookie bake-a-thon. There are no festive Christmas decorations bringing cheer to our home. No tree that we picked out together and decorated while drinking eggnog. My home is as empty and sterile as an operating room, and my heart is breaking over it. The worst part is, I don’t even have my best friend to lean on right now to get me through this.
I haven’t spoken to Kai since the day he saw the for sale sign out front. Grace and Luther have stopped by to help with packing while I went to work or class, but Kai has been notably absent. You told him to stay away, I remind myself, shoving down the feeling of longing that slithers through my veins when I think of him. Mrs. G has done her best to keep Mom excited about the move, which is precisely what I need, since I am dreading every moment of it myself.
Mom enters the kitchen, disrupting the pity party for one I’m busy throwing. “Hey, Sweet Pea. You okay?” She comes up to me, cupping my face in her warm, gentle hands, and peers into my soul the way only a mother can.
“No, Mom. I’m not.” That’s all I get out before the dam bursts, and the tears begin falling in earnest.