Midnight Shades

Chapter 56

My heart beats so fast, then slows down, over and over again; tiring me. In these short minutes that I let his words sink in in, I feel a lump in my throat growing wider and thicker.

She kissed him.

My hands stop their movements, and slowly, I put the towel in the bowel before furrowing my eyebrows and focusing on my hands on my lap.

I swallow that lump and take in a deep breath before asking quietly, "Did she?"

He places his hand on mine and I hold onto it, clutching it.

"Are you mad?" He asks carefully.

With another deep breath, I dart my tongue out to wet my lips before asking, "Did you kiss her back?"

I look at Louis, seeing him furrowing his eyebrows before shaking his head. "No, why would I?"

Shrugging slightly, I bite the insides of my cheek to stop the huge sigh of relief. I believe him, I don't know why, I just simply trust him.

"What happened?" I question, clearing my throat after.

He raises his eyebrows. "That led to her kissing me?"

I silently nod, not wanting to speak any further. Louis shrugs and says, "Pretty much nothing. I mean, I opened the door and she told me she missed me and next thing I knew, her mouth was on mine."

I raise an eyebrow at him. "Does she know that we're dating?"

"Yeah," He nods. "I told her as soon as we started dating."

I rub my forehead before tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "Well, I now dislike her."

Louis grins. "You jealous, darling?"

Rolling my eyes, I get up with a smile and take the bowl with me, saying "You wish," as I get out of the room.

I put the things back in their place, standing by the counter and leaning my back on it as I dial Aaliyah's number. Thank Lyara I remembered, with everything that happened today. I also need to check on Esme.

"Hello?" Aaliyah's voice is clear and steady when she answers after the fourth ring.

"It's Tallulah." I answer, pushing myself up to sit on the counter.

"Oh..." She trails off, staying silent for a few seconds before continuing. "Uh... How are you?"

"I'm good," I breathe out, relaxing myself a bit. "And you?"

"Fine." She shortly replies. The tension between us is so high that it's unbearable, and the silence that follows only proves it.

"Louis told me you wanted me." I say, not knowing what to say other than that. Well, technically, it is the reason why I called.

"Yes," She immediately replies. "Uh... How are things in the village?"

Her question doesn't surprise me; I knew that whatever she wants to talk about is somehow connected to the village, if it's not all about it. However, her question does tear me apart, confusing me, so after letting out a sigh, I ask, "Do you mean Ed or in general?"

"Both." She says quietly as Louis enters the kitchen and whispers 'who is it?'.

"Well, Ed is doing good," I tell her, mouthing 'Aaliyah' to Louis. "And the village isn't... It's not exactly the same."

Louis walks over, sitting down on a chair and resting his forehead on my knees. He still looks tired and drained, he is going to need a few days to rest.