|𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑|
Song; Girl by SYML
Kaiden and I sat in the living room, talking about the whole situation to make sure we understood what was going on.
I sat with one leg tucked beneath me, a blanket loosely draped around my shoulders—not for warmth, but for something to hold onto. The fire crackled gently, but the air between us felt anything but calm. I kept my eyes on Kaiden, watching the way he stared into the flames like they had something to tell him.
"Is that what he does?" I asked, staring at my eldest brother. "Damon, I mean. Is this how he acts when he's grieving, angry? Sometimes I think I know but then remember I missed over one hundred years of his life, I don't know him."
Kaiden leant back and nodded, his jaw tightening just slightly.
"He lashes out, pushes people away, shuts down on everyone. He's done it ever since he thought he lost you. And now, he thought Katherine was in that tomb but she wasn't. He spent all his life planning on getting her back, only to find out that she doesn't care."
There was a hollow finality in his tone that I wasn't sure was for Damon or himself. I let the silence stretch for a moment before asking, softer this time:
"And you?" I tilted my head at him, catching the way he tensed up—just slightly—at the mention of himself. "You loved her too, Kaiden. It must've hurt, you haven't spoken about it."
"I told you." Kaiden said, standing up abruptly and beginning to walk out of the room. "I wasn't trying to save her for me, it was for Damon."
"Liar." I said, my voice quiet but steady as I threw the word into the space between us. It stopped him cold.
"Just because you're the older brother doesn't mean that you don't deserve happiness. A part of you was hoping that Katherine would be in that tomb and she would choose you. It's okay to feel that way, Kaiden."
He let out a deep sigh, his shoulders rising and falling with the weight of it—but he didn't turn around. He didn't say a word.
And then he left the room without pausing again.
I sat there in the quiet, staring at the doorway long after he disappeared, my heart aching—not just for Damon, but for Kaiden too. For everything they'd both carried in silence.
Damon suddenly entered the room and looked around in caution, his eyes flicking toward every shadow like he was expecting something—or someone—to jump out at him. He completely ignored my presence, which didn't surprise me. He always had a flair for dramatics when he was up to something. Wordlessly, he moved to the far end of the room and stared into the dining room like it held secrets only he could hear.
"Rossana," he said at last, his voice casual, almost too smooth, as he turned with that trademark smile of his. "You need to leave."
I scoffed and folded my arms across my chest, planting my feet firmly into the floor. I wasn't in the mood for whatever game he was playing.
"This is my house too, Damon. Don't forget that."
He shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant, but I could see the twitch of unease behind his smirk.
"Or you could stay. I've compelled some more sorority girls to come over. Be a bit weird if you were here—"
I narrowed my eyes. He was lying. I could see it in the way he didn't quite meet my gaze, how his body was just a little too stiff. There were no girls coming. Damon just didn't want witnesses. Or maybe, he didn't want someone who would see past his act.
"I'm going, I'm going," I muttered, brushing past him with a final glance that said I'm not buying it—but also that I didn't care enough to argue. Being alone with Damon in one of his moods was never a smart choice.
