From My Love to My Life (MXM) (sequel to From My Enemy to My Love)

Chapter 38

Gareth Scoville

When my phone rang, I was hoping it was Kanni. It wasn't. It was Pete. "Hello," I answered.

"You haven't given me an answer yet," he said. "Are you coming with me to the party tonight or not?"

"I don't think so," I said.

"You're waiting for Kanni to call, aren't you? You are so whipped."

I hadn't told him I liked Kanni let alone loved her, but like my parents, he had it in his head that I did. And to be fair, I did.

"It's not that I'm whipped," I said. "Her mom is flying back home today and maybe Kanni will call and want to hang out after."

The thought both elated me and saddened me. Part of me wanted to ask her out, start dating and toss all cares away. But there was a realistic part of me that thought about Chet. If things didn't end up working out between me and Kanni, I couldn't lose my friendship with Chet. Because of that, it was probably best that we never start dating.

"It's been less than a week since the incident with Bree," I said, "I doubt she is wanting to go to a party. Chet also has his MLS Cups final tomorrow."

"Whatever, man," he said with amusement in his voice. The phone buzzed indicating I had an incoming call. I pulled the phone away from my ear long enough to see that Kanni was calling me.

"She's calling," I said into the phone. "I've got to go."

"You're going to ditch me for..." I hung up and quickly answered Kanni's call.

"Hello," I said in my best casual voice as if I hadn't been waiting all day for her to call. My thoughts had been filled with her all day. It had made it difficult to get anything done with my game.

"Hi," she said.

"Did you get your mom to the airport okay?" I asked.

"Yes," she said. "She should be on the plane now."

"I see," I said. "Are you okay with her leaving already?"

"Yeah," she said. "She can't stay here forever. I still haven't wanted to tell Chet so no one has said anything to him yet. I assume you haven't told him."

"I wouldn't. Not without your permission."

"That's what I thought," she said. "But mom does need to get back. She is supposed to go to the game this time and my dad is supposed to watch Goldie. From what they've told me, Chet has asked them a few times why it is necessary for her to stay with me so long if she is just making arrangements to repair some things on the house. That was the excuse we gave him. I'll tell him the truth in a couple of days. After his game and he has time to process either his win or loss."

"Okay," I said.

"The detective on my case called me today," she said.

I was sitting on my couch. I sat up a little straighter at this. "What did he say?"

"They found Bree and brought her in for questioning. She denied everything at first." Kanni was trying to hide her anger and she could probably fool a lot of people, but I had known her for a long time. She couldn't hide it from me. "Eventually she admitted to all of it. I wasn't the first one she had drugged although I was the first one she used a needle with because I would never take a drink from her. She said Alice was the first. She was the experiment to see if it would work but she never did anything to her.

"They said they are trying to contact the other girls Bree named to see if they'd be willing to give statements."

Did that mean she did something to the other women? I couldn't think about that. It was too disturbing.