24 - You Can't Be With Her

Apart from the innate curiosity that occupied my brain to know what Kyle had been up to all these years, I couldn’t emphasize enough on the warmth that enveloped me when my eyes met his as I stepped out dressed in this wedding dress. He walked over to me, gently caressing the lace that adorned my shoulder. The touch sent a shiver down my spine and ignited a simmering passion within me and in that moment the world seemed to fade away, leaving just the two of us – lost in a intoxicating haze.

“I can’t seem to pull my eyes off you Aria.” Kyle’s touch lingered in every pose, his hand finding its way to the small of my back or fingertips lightly grazing my cheek, I could feel the chemistry crackling between us, my heart bursting, and my stomach fluttering. We giggled like children and held unto each other a little bit excessively.

“Now look at her, like she’s the only person you’ll rather look at.” the photographer said and without hesitation Kyle turned to me, and I looked up at him through my eyelashes unable to fully bear the intensity of his gaze until he willed me into it and I was being transported to a time when nothing else mattered in the world except Kyle’s love for me, back to the times when he never failed to whisper sweet nothings into my ear every chance he got, leaving his fingerprints imprinted on my flesh amidst the fat goose bumps that developed at his touch. I could feel him moving closer to him and I closed my eyes waiting for the sweetness of his lips, the intoxicating feeling of his lips on mine drawing me into a passionate kiss and I could hear the camera shutter go off endlessly.

“Lovely, just lovely.” I could hear Orion echo in the corner, and in that moment I wanted Kyle – I wanted every thing we used to have, I wanted it back and I wanted more.

After we had changed back into our clothes and we had exchanged final goodbyes with Orion and headed back into the car, I was still buzzing with excitement.

“That was fun,” I said, “I never knew playing dress up could still be so much fun. That dress – was immaculate.”

“You looked way too beautiful, I couldn’t keep my eyes off you.” Kyle said and a slow blush crept up my cheek.

“Don’t be a tease,” I waved him off with a slight smile, “And right now, I’m actually starving, I have a presentation to prepare for.”

“Right.” he said, starting the car immediately and driving off.

We had barely gone halfway and it was dark out when the weather suddenly changed and without warning, large droplets began to fall from the sky and my heart seized.

“Oh shit, it’s raining.” Kyle said but I wasn’t listening, I was trying to control my breathing. I squeezed my hands into a ball as the memories came rushing back into my head and all of a sudden, it felt like I was back there, in the car with my father, the rain pouring heavily out of the sky and that was when it happened – the gunshots.

I could hear it – loud and clear.

I hated the rain, worse I hated the rain while I was in a car and I never learnt how to drive because of it

“Aria – Aria.” there was the distant sound wafting into my ears but I focused more on getting the panicked look of my father off my head – I clutched my stomach.

Please stay alive

“Stop the car!” I yelled.

KYLE’S POV

“Stop the car!” I heard Aria yell and immediately I pulled over at the corner of the road while the rain poured down heavily on the car.

“Are you okay – ” I asked but her eyes were closed while she held her stomach with tears streaming down her face.

“Aria – I’m here.” I said, trying to pull her out of whatever trauma she was locked in, “Aria, look at me!” I yelled forcing her to do so and her eyes shot open, taking me in with shock on her face.

“Kyle, I – ” she couldn’t form the words to say and she didn’t need to.

“Come here,” I pulled her vibrating body into my hands, smoothing her hair down, “I’m right here Aria.”

“You weren’t there when it happened.” she cried into my arms and she didn’t need to explain further because I knew exactly what she was talking about but it never occurred to me how much that incident affected her.

“He’s gone Kyle, I’m never going to see him and – and – and our – ”

“I know.” I said softly into her ears, I didn’t want her to say it because I couldn’t bear to hear it, I couldn’t bear to relive it again because I knew it’d send me into a spiral.

“You weren’t there.” she kept saying.

I was Aria – you just didn’t know it, and it’ll kill me if you find out.

“I’m sorry – I’m here now.” I held her close, placing soft kisses atop her head, “I’m here now, I promise.”

It took a while for Aria to completely calm down and for it to stop raining before I could start the car again, it broke me for her to relive her trauma because of me.

“Let’s go to mine, I could order in.” I said to her and she nodded at me distractedly.

I drove quickly to my house and when I stepped out to open the door for Aria, I caught the familiar silhouette of someone that my heart froze – it was my father.

Oh shit!

Immediately, we locked eyes and his eyes narrowed at the sight of me and even more when he looked into the car and saw the Aria and I could see the visible lines of annoyance crease his forehead and quickly I got back into the car – I wasn’t sure if Aria had seen him but she did.

“I gotta take you home.” I said, and the disappointment etched on her face but she nodded looking back outside at my father before looking back at me.

“That’s fine, but you have to be there tomorrow at my pitch.”

“I wouldn’t miss it for anything Aria.” I said and I meant it.

It was a quick drive to her house and even longer back home, because I dreaded going back, I didn’t think I was in the mood to face my father because each time it felt like I had moved on, he always came lurking back.

I found him still seated in the exact spot I had left him, smoking a cigarette and casually holding a bottle of beer and he smirked when I alighted from the car and walked up to him.

“You didn’t tell me you were coming.” I said to him.

“You didn’t tell me you had moved from the city.” he shot back, and a certain annoyance enveloped me.

“I don’t have to tell you anything, we don’t have that kind of relationship, we never had.” I walked into my house and he followed suit behind me, I saw him take my house in before he spoke.

“Smaller than I imagined.” he said but I ignored him and poured myself a drink and reluctantly another glass for him.

“Thanks son.”

Son?

The word rolled effortlessly out of his mouth like he believed it, like he had always seen me as his son and not a pawn in his games.

“Did you move to California for her,” he asked and who was I kidding, I was expecting it. I locked eyes with my father as we were only a few inches apart but I faltered first, taking a sip from my drink.

“It’s none of your business.” I turned away but my father grabbed me by my arms pulling me back to face him.

“It is my goddamn business and you know it.”

I looked at the man with a fixed jaw, and running my hands through my hair in frustration but my father’s face was set in stone and when he looked at me like that, he wasn’t playing.

“I want her.” it was a desperate confession but to the wrong person and I could see the slight look of disgust flash across his face.

“There are so many girls in the world, even prettier – why her?”

“I want her.”

“You cannot be with her!” he yelled at me, “Have you forgotten what you did – ”

“I didn’t do anything – ” I said it but did I even believe it?

“Don’t say anything – don’t remind me.” I said to him almost pleading but I could see that look in his eyes, he was set on reminding me.

“She’s going to find out eventually if you don’t stay away from her.”

“She’s not.” it was a desperate attempt to make myself believe it.

“And when she does, you’re going to pay for it.”

“Stop!” I said to him but he wasn’t listening to me, he had that smirk on his face when he knew he was hitting the right nerve and pushing the right buttons.

“What do you think is going to happen when she finds out that you killed her father? Stay away from her Kyle!”