The Final Wait

Chapter 20

Song: Let You Down

Artist: NF

Chapter 20

Octavia knew Nikolai's friends would've visited sometime that summer. She didn't expect them on the day Ezekiel and Lochlan came over. She went to refill their glasses of lemonade when the doorbell rang.

 Danté gave her a letter that waited on the doorstep. She rolled her eyes because the mailman must not have seen their mailbox at the end of the gate. She opened the letter to see the invitation to Cressida's seventeen birthday party. To be held at Kings. Dress code was mandatory and a gift. She tossed the letter on the counter and hoped Eirene saw it to help her with a costume.

Usually, Octavia let Nikolai's friends walk freely since they knew the way. This time, she had to ask about that night. She followed Danté and the others until they were in Nikolai's room. They each patted him on the shoulder and spoke as if he was conscious.

'Can I get you guys anything?' she asked when they noticed her longing presence.

'We're fine, thanks.' Danté said. 'Where's Dustin?'

'He's out grocery shopping with Eirene and Lucca.'

'You're here by yourself?'

'I have friends in the pool house.' She pointed behind her. Danté nodded and expected her to leave or excuse herself to join her friends, but she didn't.

'Do you... need anything? You okay?'

'Yeah, I err... can I talk to you, Danté?' her eyes shifted to the others on the other side of Nikolai. 'Alone, in the hallway.'

Danté glanced at the others and turned to her with a nod. They walked out of the room and into the hallway. She sat on the staircase and waited for him to follow. 

It was a big chance that he'd tell her anything. He didn't the last time, but the last time she didn't know anything. At least now she knew things. He sat next to her, his black jeans tensed when he bent his long legs.

'It's worth a shot, but I know some things from that night. The night Niko got into an accident.'

'What things? Who told you?'

'It doesn't matter. I know he was meeting someone that night. That he drove off by himself. I just want to know where and who stopped him.'

Danté sighed and looked down at his lap. 'You won't let this go, will you?'

'I would if he woke up and told me.'

'Yeah, me too.'

'Wait, what?'

'We went to a party that night. Zuri's friend, Sasha has an older sister, so she invited all of us. None of their parents were home so we all went. Nikolai said he'd drive since he wasn't drinking. He disappeared most of the night, saying he was looking for someone. I didn't think much of it.

'When the party turned to shit, we tried looking for him. He was gone and so was the car.'

'So, you don't know what happened? What do you think was going on? Was he himself before?'

'I...I don't know, Octavia.' Danté stood up and spun around. She shot up and grabbed his arm. The hesitation in his voice was long enough to show that he wasn't telling her something. He shrugged her off. 'Octavia, this won't change anything. He's still in there, he's still your brother.'