a/n:
ty for 5k reads 💕 this is the most love i've ever gotten on any of my books and i truly appreciate y'all sm
salem needed someone to talk to, but tavia was with matt, and ian was with jaden. merlyn seemed to be having fun, dancing along to the music blasting through the speakers. actually, everyone seemed to be having fun, except for her. she didn't want to ruin the party for anyone, so she decided maybe it was best she took an uber home.
before leaving, she needed to splash her face with cold water, so nobody would suspect a thing.
before reaching the bathroom, though, she was stopped by kevin.
"whoa, salem! are you okay? what's wrong?" he asked, putting a hand on her shoulder and examining her face.
her cheeks were stained with the drying tears that ran down her face. her eyes were pink and puffy as she met eyes with kevin. her bottom lip began to tremble.
"i fucked up, kevin." was all she managed to choke out.
"c'mere." kevin pulled her into a hug, and she put her chin on his shoulder. "let's go somewhere private, yeah?" he suggested, to which she nodded.
he led her to his room, where salem mustered up the strength to tell him what had happened. "ciarán saw the text messages from ryan on my phone and got angry." her vision began to blur again, so she took a deep breath before continuing. "he's mad that i talked to him, and then i couldn't help but to get mad too because why the fuck would he invade my privacy like that?"
kevin listened intently, looking at her body language. she was fiddling with her fingers, and she held her head low.
"do you feel guilty?" he asked softly.
she finally looked up. pursing her lips, she nodded. "maybe i shouldn't have responded in the first place. i should've blocked his number already, i know it, but i couldn't seem to do it." she let out a shaky breath.
"why couldn't you?"
salem shrugged. "i guess i'm not as, i don't know, tough as i seem? even though he was a total fucking dick, i don't let go easily."
kevin nodded. "ciarán's stubborn, and in all honesty, he probably doesn't want to talk to you right now. i don't know how long it'll take, but i'll try and push him in the right direction. just give him some time."
"i wish i could've just told him everything, but i guess i'm too sensitive and blew up on him." she chuckled, trying to make light of the situation.
kevin frowned, "he's gonna come around eventually, and you'll get to tell him your side of the story. i promise." he stuck his pinky out, and she wrapped his pinky around his. "you want me to talk to him right now?" he asked.
"oh, hell no! let him be a party pooper. let's go enjoy ourselves." she got up, pulling kevin along with her.
"hold up! you still gotta wash your face!" he reminded her.
"shit, you're right! thanks for reminding me." she quickly ran to the bathroom, splashing cold water on her face.
she didn't look less puffy, or red, but it was one step in the right direction.
"you want some ice cream before stepping out again?" kevin asked, to which salem nodded eagerly.
he knows just how to make a girl feel better.
the two of them walked back outside with their arms linked, each of them holding an ice cream cone in their hands.
dom came up to them, asking, "have you seen cici?"
salem winced at the nickname. kevin noticed this, quickly coming up with a lie. "i think he went to go shower real quick."
salem smiled at him, mouthing thank you.
she knew that not only did he have ciarán's back, but he also had her back too.
