19

25 2 0
                                        

"Good, you're home. I need you to start fucking talking." I chucked my keys to the side as I made eye contact with a very confused Kensie. She was sitting on the sofa with a fluffy blanket around her shoulders and her iPad on her lap.

"Hey, James, can I call you back in a bit? Or send me any details you want changing?" she smiled before putting her iPad down after a brisk bye. "I was on a meeting with a customer, Nicky. What the fuck?" She spoke in disbelief, making me scoff.

"How do you know Luke? I want the truth this time." I deadpanned, crossing my arms.

"Whoa, first, can I check you're okay? I heard someone was killed in your office."

"Because Luke told you!" I raised a brow at her. "See what I mean? That isn't something that just travels the grapevine, Kensie. I want the truth for once about who he is. There's no way he just wanted a drawing." I shook my head, waving my hands around, making her sigh and look down.

She shuffled along the sofa, sinking further into her blanket, picking at any loose fluff.

"You can't be mad at me."

"Kens, I would never be mad. He just treats me like I don't know and pawns me off to you. He said I should get breakfast with you to leave the office when it was my office. Sarah was in. He was updating you on everything. I didn't even get the chance to, and it was my office. He knows so much about you, and I don't believe you're just a client and an artist." I let myself get carried over to her, sitting next to her. "Just tell me."

"He's my boyfriend, Nicky." She mumbled, looking up at me through sad eyes. "That's why he knows so much about me. That's why he told me. I was the first person he told about the murder as he was in such a panic over what's going to happen now. It's why I was asleep when you left. I was up till four, five am trying so hard to calm him down."

"Why have you never told me?" I shook my head again, taking in her words.

"I told you when we started, Nic. A few months after I moved here, and you said it was too soon to remember." Oh shit, yes, I do.

I was already living in the familiar place, and Kensie was still in London, my original hometown, before she decided to move over to New York. She was going to buy her own place, but we thought it was better to live together so she could get settled. Years passed, and no one made a move to move out, so we just stayed living with each other.

A few months of Kensie living with me, she would come home talking about a tall guy who helped her, and long story short, they started dating. I had always given the impression that I didn't like him and the fact that they were dating so soon, hence the reason she decided to tell me they broke up. Turns out they didn't.

"He's mystery boy?"

"Yup," she popped the 'p. "I know you didn't like how soon we started dating, Nic, but I love him, he loves me, and we've been together the whole time I've been here. You have to understand that."

"I would have come around to the idea, Kensie. I just thought he wanted sex or some shit, then would drop you. Is that why he's never been over?"

"He's been over Nic. Just when you're not here, I didn't want to make you uncomfortable or put him through death stares you would have given him the whole time. But we are also client and artist. I've done a few drawings for him and his family." She quickly added, letting me know it weren't a lie, just weren't the full truth.

"Did you know he was going to be my boss?" The question I needed to know. She shook her head, smiling softly.

"I know hardly anything about his work, and I don't want or need to know. I knew he was starting at a new building but didn't know it was yours."

"Ok. I can deal with that, just no more secrets." I pointed at her, making her laugh and nod. "Even if I'll completely hate the idea of whatever you're hiding, especially when it's about a secret boyfriend!" I couldn't believe it.

"No more secrets." She promised, nodding. "I have nothing else to hide, Nicky."

——

A single bullet // M.C ✔️ Where stories live. Discover now