The Protection

Thirty-Six

I sat in the plush black leather seat for several moments debating my next move. I knew I should lay low and drive back to my apartment, grieving the end of my years long relationship with Ben. But the truth was I didn't want to. I felt free for the first time in what felt like my entire life and I knew exactly who I wanted to celebrate my freedom with. I knew now that being independent and strong wasn't about being single. It was about loving yourself as much as you loved someone else. And I knew without a shred of doubt that I was irrevocably in love with Kyler Isaacs. I just didn't know if he fully understood the enormous depth of my love for him.

I pushed the start button and the car revved to life, deciding I had to tell him. I allowed my internal guide to take over, winding the car through the streets of north Dallas turning wherever the magnet instructed me until, after about twenty minutes, I sat in front of the small pale brick house where I had been before. The immaculate black truck parked in the driveway told me I was in the right place. I frowned. There was another car in the driveway that I didn't recognize: a bright white, top of the line Range Rover. Kyler's mother? That seemed like a car an Elite Protector would drive.

I slid my heels off and crept up the pathway as quietly as I could, peeking through the front windows where a sliver of light shined through. Kyler sat on the creme couch with his homemade beer in his hand, looking as handsome as ever, but also a bit conflicted. My heart leapt at the sight of him. His hair was disheveled and, as if on cue, he ran a hand through it. I wished in that moment I could tug on the ends of his hair and bit my lip at the thought. He took a large drink before turning back to someone. I moved closer to the window, ignoring how the white rose bush dug into my thigh. The girl on the couch with him was beautiful and her unmistakable raven hair shone brilliantly despite the dim lamp light. Alana.

I was frozen, unable to turn away, transfixed by the intensity between the two of them. It was palpable, even through the double pane of the window. She moved closer on the couch curling up next to him. Their bodies fit together in a familiar way as she reached for him, pleading for him to understand. What she was pleading for I wasn't sure, but I watched as his face smoothed over in a caring way, and she ran a hand through his hair, just as I had envisioned doing myself, moments before. I clutched at my dress trying to suppress the nausea. She rested her head on his shoulder, and he stroked her cheek. I turned away. I had seen enough. I had been a fool to come here tonight, hoping to confess to Kyler that I was in love with him. He didn't love me. He never had. He was promised to someone else after all, and despite whatever cosmic connection I thought we had, I had been terribly mistaken.

I drove home with tears blinding my eyes. The stoplights were smears of color. Red. Yellow. Green. I stumbled into the apartment a half hour later, dropping my purse and stripping off my heels, throwing one in each corner of the living room trying to suppress the scream that built in my throat. I didn't even bother to take off my red dress as I slid into bed. The sheets were cold and scratchy, but I barely noticed as I pulled the covers around me like a cocoon. My heart was shattering into a million different pieces. I had never felt anything more painful. Neither the concussion nor the traumatic arm injury could compare to this pain. I closed my eyes, praying for sleep so I didn't have to feel anything at all, unaware of the dark figure standing in the shadows of my room.