A single bullet // M.C ✔️

37

"Talk to me, Nicky, what's happened?" Kensie was sitting on the floor in front of me, holding my hands and soothingly rubbing her fingertips over my knuckles. I had called her in a panic after the call with Alex, begging her pathetically to come back to Luke's, alone. I knew I had said too much to the older sibling, knowing he's probably going to run to Morgan and snoop or, worse, go to my house and find Luke. No me, no Kensie.

"I phoned Alex, Kens," I broke the eye contact with my tv and titled my head slowly, looking over at her. "I needed my brother."

"What did you do?" She dropped my hands, leaning back and resting her back against the coffee table, now on edge. As she should be, I've just admitted I've phoned a police officer. "Nicky." She pushed as words failed to leave my lips, just staring at her wide-eyed.

"I didn't do anything..."

"Bullshit. You wouldn't have phoned me in such a panic if you hadn't done anything."

"I told Alex Michael beat Calum up," I ripped the Band-Aid off.

"You fucking what?" She stared at me in shock, running a hand through her hair before tying it up in a loose ponytail. "Why?" Her soft voice travelled the air till it reached my ears, hurt very present in the tone she was now speaking.

"I never mentioned names, Kensie. I- I'm not that stupid. He knew something was up with me, and I was talking about Calum and how Michael seemed, I don't know, jealous?" Doubt filled me as I took in Kensie's confused face. Had I misread Michael? "Don't give me that look, he beat Calum up and...."

Frozen, that's how I felt, glancing at her. I had been told by Calum what happened after I passed out, when Luke and Kensie gently took me away. "Kensie, what did happen?"

"You know what happened," she shrugged, pulling her knees up to her chest.

"I want the real story, not some story made up to protect me." I deadpanned, realising now what he told me was probably mostly a lie.

"Michael did punch Calum and bust his lips and cause the black eyes. But Calum also did it to Michael. In fact, Calum did the first hit after you were shot. It was scary, Nic. We were called back by Michael, and his phone hung up. We rushed in to see Calum beating him up." She whispered as if it was a huge secret that no one could know. "He was letting it happen..." she muttered, looking around.

That caused shock to fill me, freezing me in my spot. Michael was letting Calum beat him up.

"He was so fucking guilty, Nicky. He wouldn't even look at me, and his eyes were red. I don't think it was fully because of the punches either. He's been shot multiple times before and hasn't even shed a single tear. This... I don't even know."

Guilt. There was no way this man ever felt guilt in his bones. He wouldn't know guilt if it slapped him in the face.

"I said I wanted the real story, Kensie," I mimicked her position, pulling my knees to my chest just on the sofa and pulling the jumper sleeves over my hands, gripping the ends tightly in my fists.

"That is the real story, Nicky. Well, it's all I know. Calum and Michael are the only ones who know the full story."

"Calum lied to me about it." And I didn't want to ask Michael, in fact, "where is Michael?" I hadn't locked eyes on the blonde since he caused this whole thing. Not once has he checked on me. Why did it... hurt?

"Healing." Was all she said, crossing her arms and leaning her head back against the wooden plank behind her, closing her emerald orbs.

"Can I ask you something?" Change the conversation, Nicky. Kensie was shutting down on me with that topic.

"Shoot," blinking slowly, a sigh snaked out my parted lips as I glanced down at her.

"How did you know you loved Luke?" That made her orbs snap open and be revealed again in shock.

"What?"

"How did you know you loved the guy?"

"No, I heard you the first time. I was just shocked you wanted to know," she adjusted her body to be more comfy, throwing a blanket over her knees and resting her chin on them, looping and locking her arms around them to keep them upright. "I guess I just always wanted to be around him or at least near him. I would always seek him out in rooms, and time disappeared with him." Words flowed seamlessly out of her lips as she stared past me and at the wall, letting her mind wander.

"The world just shut down around me, and I felt safe. Wanted even. He would always be near me and always made me feel special, holding or touching me somehow, even just a little brush past at meetings. He saved me, literally." She spoke lightly of how they met again, brushing over details I already knew. "We fled the country together to protect each other. The thought of him being caught and hurt made me physically feel sick." She straightened her legs, letting her knees buckle down, hands now in her lap.

"That's when I knew it was love, Nicky. He could have just abandoned me in London and fled over here after Noah was killed. When we were sought out, but he made sure I was next to him at every stop. It was never a fling, never messing about. We always had an end goal in mind that matched. He wasn't playing me, and I wasn't playing him. We were just... us." I took in her words, letting each letter, each vowel soak into my skin as I thought over what she was saying.

'We always had an end goal that matched.' I knew she was on about marriage, and if her partner weren't serious about it, it was over. It was all she wanted, someone to love her forever. Till death do us apart. They were serious, and I smiled at that, letting us fall into a comfortable silence. Part of me wanted to tell her to go back to her man waiting for her at ours, but the other part of me didn't want to be alone after the hectic day. It weren't selfish me wanting her for one day, or night.

One thing I knew for certain now though was that I didn't love Calum in that way. I didn't see a huge grand wedding and babies in our future, the thought making a pit in my stomach and making me feel sick. Confusion was still present as I couldn't pinpoint the feeling and connection I had to the kiwi, my mind running haywire and unable to settle on any logical explanation as to why I felt connected to him.

All I knew is that I have to speak to Michael, let him know what I really meant even though I don't know what I meant, just so Calum never got hurt again over it. I can't live with that on my conscience. I just wanted the truth, I wanted to stop being babied. It's not like I can blurt it all to the articles now Luke's my boss, Kensie knows about it all and if I tell Morgan, Alex or mom they are getting arrested. I'm too close to them now to lose them. I care about the four men annoyingly and I don't think that's going to change any time soon.

——