AGAIN (Underground Flames)

Chapter Nineteen

NOW

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"I waited and searched for you like a pathetic piece of shit. But I-- I didn't know where to find you."

Kyle pulls me closer, pressing my hands on his hard chest to feel the drum roll inside. He leans and kisses the falling tears gently.

I'm shaking, sobbing. Holding those words for so long and finally having the chance to release the pain have plucked a huge thorn from my soul.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." He murmurs again and again as he continues catching my tears with his lips.

But then it hit me, so I push him back though it's against what my heart says. "Stop, this is not right. Your wife and daughter--" I try to explain.

"What are you talking about?" He sounds confused. I stare at his wet, tempting lips. Gods above, this is so wrong.

He laughs all of a sudden, catching some of the strands of my hair. He tucks them back behind my ear.

"Maeve is not my daughter." He laughs again. "And I don't have a wife. Yet. I'm still busy flirting with my dream girl." He says, voice full of hope.

"Shut it. It's not funny." I scowl, hitting him hard on the chest. "But I still don't understand. If what you're telling me is true, about what happened years ago, then why--"

I haven't even finished the sentence when a loud noise has our heads turning.

Tires squeal and screech before the inevitable collision...

**********

-=Dale's POV=-

The sound of screeching tires and a sickening crunch cuts through the quiet. I jolt in my seat.

"What the hell–" Kyle mutters.

We both twist around.

Not even twenty feet behind us, two cars have collided at the intersection. One's front bumper is crushed in, the other's spun sideways, blocking half the road. Smoke curls from under a hood.

We're out of the car in seconds.

Kyle calls 911 while I rush toward the wreckage. A woman is trying to climb out of the driver's seat, visibly shaken but conscious. Another man is slumped over his steering wheel, groaning.

"We've got help on the way," I say to whoever will listen, trying to stay calm, trying not to think about how easily that could've been us.

Police and medics arrive quickly. We give statements, hang back as the scene gets roped off. Eventually, we're cleared to leave.

–

We drive back in silence.

The accident still plays on a loop in my head. The sound, the smell, the way time folded in on itself.

When we reach the resort hotel, I pull up near the entrance. The car idles, headlights casting a soft glow on the pavement.

Kyle unbuckles his seatbelt but doesn't open the door right away. He turns to me, brow furrowed.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asks quietly.

I nod. "Yeah. Just... rattled. But I'll be fine."

He hesitates. "I can stay with you. Or go with you back to your place, if you want."

I manage a small smile. "That's sweet, but you need rest too. I just need to sit with it. Process."

He studies me for a moment longer, like he's still deciding whether to insist.