LOVE AND LIES || Kth

Part Seventeen

- taehyung

The ringing noise I knew too well had returned, stabbing me all over with that horrific nostalgia.

I'd swiped a gun from under the counter, not even thinking twice. I was terrified.

She fell to the floor, dropping her gun and blood seeping from her wound. The one I'd created.
Aria went pale, shrieked, collapsing forward and holding Lilli in her arms.

"I know," She whispered, the colour fading from her cheeks,

"I know it was you, Aria,"

Her eyes lost focus, and Aria lay her on the floor. I never realised how similar her and Lucas looked. This was the same thing I saw all those weeks ago.

"Aria," I whispered, holding her crying state in my arms.

"What did she just say," I asked, voice shaking.

I tried to convince myself that I didn't hear it, that in this heat and blood my mind had mustered up something to add to the thick fear-stricken atmosphere.

She was screaming, crying her eyes out into my chest, apologising to me over and over again.

"Taehyung I'm so sorry I never wanted any of this," She cried, desperately gripping onto my wet shirt.

I took her by the shoulders and turned her to face me, our watery eyes piercing through each other.

"Aria. Listen to what I'm saying," I beg, "What did you do Aria,"

She looked up at me, raising her hands to wipe away the blood and tears from my eyes.

"I... I killed Lucas, Taehyung," She sobbed, "I framed you, I ruined your life, and I will never be able to make it up to you,"

She stood up, maintaining her panicked breath and her hands stretching around her blood drenched shirt. She looked around the room in distress, not wanting to accept what had just happened.

Everything around me then just, stopped. My breath ran cold and my hands lost their strength, falling to the floor. Lilli was staring at me, as if I could hear her telling me sorry. I wish I could've said it back.

My hands were now also, drenched in blood. The very thing I was striving to run away from.

And her, the girl I treasured most in the world was the person I was searching for this whole time. The person I'd resented for taking my life away from me, and yet I felt like she'd given it back.

Lucas, I'm so sorry.

I'd killed Lilli, Aria had killed Lucas, both of us were sat in bloodbath of our own guilt and shame. I looked at her, she was slumped in the corner of the cafe, trembling.

I stood up, walking over to her miserable state.

"I'm leaving," I managed to say, my heart aching more than it ever had before,

"Don't get into trouble. The reason why Lilli is dead and you're alive, it's because I love you so much, and in that moment I couldn't bare to see you leave me too," I look away, my breath trembling as more tears drip down my face.

"But this, everything that my life has come to, it was all because of you. You killed my best friend, you killed a part of me, Aria,"

The tears didn't stop flowing from her eyes, they were bloodshot and flooded with obvious guilt. It killed me seeing her like this, but Lucas' death killed me more. It was her fault, everything was her fault.

"I don't even want to know why," I sobbed, biting at my fist in pain.

"I can explain, taehyung," She whispered.

"I can't hear it right now. Aria I need to leave, I need to get away from here,"

She limped, standing up.

"What should I do," She whispered, her voice cracking.

"I don't know. Just stay out of trouble, and away from me," I whispered back.

"I love you," She said, crying harder.

I walked toward the entrance door, lifting the silver barrier ever so slightly so I could duck through. I tossed the keys back over to her, turning back around one last time.

"If you really loved me, then you wouldn't have lied,"