The Secrets They Kept

A Confrontation

Marley walked back into her room carrying my blue dress for the day. She didn't report anything. She didn't ask anything. She let me be still as I needed. I watched as she changed into her dress, a beautiful dark blue satin gown with a sash layer that hung down to the floor. The mermaid style clung to her curves beautifully. She had put beautiful beads throughout her braids that matched the gold jewelry she was wearing. Truly, she looked like she would be an amazing ruler. 

"Skye..." She started, holding up my dress.

"I know," I muttered. I scooted off the bed, snagging the bag from her and walking to her bathroom. I'd walked the halls all night, ending up here around four in the morning. Thankfully she accepted me with open and tired arms. She didn't ask any questions, knowing I'd say what I needed when I needed. That is what I valued in her as a friend. 

Shut in the bathroom, I stripped down to my underwear and shimmied into the dress. It was a strapless a-line dress with cuffs around my biceps and draping off the cuffs that lowered to the floor and blended with the skirt. The glittery pale blue made me look paler, or maybe that was my lack of sleep. I wanted to leave my hair down to hide myself, but Marley had demanded in putting it in a simple messy french twist to keep it off of my shoulders.

I had to admit she knew what she was talking about. I quickly through on some makeup, keeping it minimal with a light smokey eye and some mascara. Then I stepped out of the bathroom only to hear a whistle from Isaiah. "My, my. She does look beautiful." He was wearing a blue paisley tuxedo jacket and matching shoes. 

"Wow, look at you. You could be my grandma's kitchen curtains," I joked. 

He scoffed, "I'll have you know I cut this out from those kitchen curtains myself thank you."

"You look good, stud." 

"You do, too. So, what are our plans group?"

Marley checked her phone before setting it back on the nightstand. It had been dubbed a no device day in case anyone became too inebriated. We didn't want to hunt for anything. "Dodge parents. Dodge the Founders. Drink."

"Sounds like a solid plan to me." I agreed.

There was a soft knock on the door. Isaiah walked over to let Marley's date in while we talked about details. They'd split and decorated all of the grounds into several areas. Even the inside was for entertaining. I doubt we would have much trouble dodging anyone. "Skye." Except him. His voice sent chills down my spine, making me want to crawl over to him and demand why he did what he did. I ignored Ezra. He wasn't supposed to be here. 

"How about we go to the refreshment tent first and get a couple of shots in us?" I suggested.

"Skye." His voice was closer, more sturdy.

"Or do you guys want to start with breakfast and get some food in our systems? That may be smarter." I peered past Ezra's figure now only a couple of feet from me to acknowledge Isaiah. Isaiah only made a nodding motion toward Ezra. I sighed and looked Ezra in the eye. Something looked...off. Darker. Were those dark circles?

Good. We could match.

"Well, since no one is answering me, let's go straight to drinks." I started to shove past my hulking Fated, but he gently gripped my arm. 

"Sorry, Skye," Marley muttered. Her hand brushed my back as she walked out of the room with Isaiah.

"Traitor!" I yelled after her. Or maybe I was yelling it at Ezra. Immediately I yanked my arm away from him and turned to look out the window. I stepped closer until my knees were against the bench seat.

"Skye. We need to talk." He said slowly, surely.

"We don't need to do anything except leave me alone." I muttered. I didn't need him ruining whatever I did for makeup, that was sure enough. "You do what you want. I'll do what I'm supposed to."

The sharp scent of mint filled my nostrils, making my heart feel like it was cracking in my chest. How could a man I'd never been with cause such turmoil? I focused and started pulling walls up around myself. He didn't need to feel the aching I was feeling everywhere. The absolute pits I felt swirling in me, for once not because of my core. I needed a drink.

"Don't do that." He placed his hand on my shoulder. The heat of his palm felt like it was soaking into me. The feeling of his skin gently on mine felt like basking in sunlight. I couldn't tell if I wanted more, which scared me. 

So I pulled away and closed my walls. "Where's Layla?"

"Skye."

"Where. Is. Layla?" I spun, looking him in the eyes. I hadn't expected him to be so close, though. My chin almost smacked him in the chest. "She's your date, right? Shouldn't you go be with her?"

"Put your shield down."

"I won't do that." The muscle in his jaw twitched at my quick response. He stepped backward and crossed his arms over his chest. "Think all you want. I don't see why my shields matter to someone who can't be bothered to give a shit if I come back to the room to a girl in our bed." Pain sparked in my chest, and I had to correct my sentence for my sake. "In your bed. We share a room. You could at least have been respectful of that fact."

"I saw Evan follow you out of dinner."

"Don't try to twist this. Neither of us signed up to be Fated, but we are. I didn't know what that meant when we met, only that I felt like I would fall through the earth for you as soon as my core opened. I'm terrified of how I'll feel when it's completely open. If you want to live separate lives, fine. You chose that the moment you did what you did last night. I merely exited a dinner I was being berated at, and some stranger followed me out. Some nice stranger." I pointed my finger at his chest. "And you will see me with Evan more. Because unlike you  and ninety nine percent of the people here, he is kind and he talks to me like I'm not a growing mold rotting his house. He talks to me like I could mean something." My words vomited out of me like a rhino on a rampage. Once I was done, I was so mad with myself for saying anything and the fact that his facial expression hadn't changed a single bit that I stormed out of the room. This was such a mess, and it felt like I was only making it worse the longer I was here.

Quickly I walked down to the front lawn to the beverage cart where I found Marley and Isaiah. They both turned to face me, letting me walk between them. Scooping up two of the shots the sat on the pre-poured table, I downed both of them. I assumed it to be tequila, so I took another one. "Hey, save some for the party." Marley laughed. "Are you okay?"

"I will be." I muttered. "What's first?"