Weight of The Untold

Chapter 23

"He told me I could stay here. He's in the study."

I nodded, pretending I knew exactly where the study was, even though I absolutely did not. I turned away before anyone could notice the hesitation and made my way down the hallway, following instinct more than direction, until the house opened up into the kitchen.

And that's when I saw it.

My bottle of gin, sitting there like it had been waiting for me.

Finally, I screamed internally, my shoulders sagging in relief.

"You should watch your drinking, Kyla."

"Em, there is a literal goddess in Zach's house right now. Gorgeous, effortless, unreal. I don't even compare to her feet. I mean, look at me. This gin will calm me down. It will help me breathe. It will help me think."

I opened the cabinet and reached for a glass.

"Why do you compare yourself to everyone? He wants only you, can't you see that? Why do you think so little of yourself?"

"Em, stop it. I am not in the mood for your lectures right now."

"You're making a mistake."

I rolled my eyes, poured the gin, and twisted the bottle shut. Right. We weren't alone.

"Do you want some?"

She smiled at me, warm and polite, and nodded.

Why didn't you just say no?!

I grabbed another glass, poured the gin, and walked over to her. She took it easily, gracefully, like this wasn't her first drink of the day.

"Thank you," she said.

I forced a smile, then looked away. "I'm Loren, by the way."

"Kyla." I took a sip, slow and controlled, while she downed the entire drink in one go.

"I know who you are," she said casually. "You're Caleb's little sister."

"Right," I replied, taking another sip.

"I think it's safe to say it's an honour to meet you. Caleb was right-you're a beautiful and humble kid."

"You know my brother?" I asked, surprised.

She giggled. "Of course I do. We all went to the same university, including Zach."

I nodded softly, the weight in my chest refusing to ease.

A door opened to my right. That must have been the study. A black, middle-aged man stepped out, dressed sharply in a suit.

"Babe?"

Loren stood immediately.

Babe?

Wait. Are they-

"Nice meeting you, Kyla." She leaned down, lowering her voice. "Don't worry, I won't tell Caleb about you and Zach." She winked.

"Oh no, we're just friends," I rushed out, panic spilling into my words. "I actually came to help him pack. That's why I was in his room. Caleb knows-you can ask him."

"Oh." She smiled softly. "I'm sorry, I thought you two were together. Bye, Kyla."

She walked toward the man just as Zach stepped out. His eyes met mine, and he smiled.

"Billy, it was nice seeing you, man. Thanks for the file."

I looked away and gulped down the rest of the alcohol aggressively.