Salient Secret

Chapter 29

I don't know how I feel about Kai knowing everything, but I guess it's okay because he has known the whole time and he hasn't let that change the way he acts around me or the way he treats me.

"Ave I just need to pick Sammy up from my friend TJ's house, he wants to meet you." I'm snapped out of my thoughts by Kai, I didn't even realize the car ride was so quiet.

"Yeah sure, is there anything I need to know about TJ."

"TJ and I went to school together, we were best friends, when my mom left he was the only person who paid any attention to me, he helped me with Sammy, he was there for me in my darkest times. His father was...abusive so we took him in in London when he was 15, we helped him stay hidden from his father, but then again, his father never cared so he wasn't really looking for him. TJ moved where we moved, and eventually he became my dads and Lorenzo's manager..."

"What about his mom?"

"She got tired of TJs father's abusive nature, but the morning she filed for a divorce, she went off to work and came home to a burning house, TJ was sitting outside the house when she came home, all beat up. His father made him sit there to give a message to her, 'You can divorce me when I'm dead.' TJ told her to run far away from him, he'll find her one day, she wanted him to go with her but TJ said someone has to stay behind to take the fall."

"What does that mean?"

"It means TJs dad basically put him on his death bed that night, fortunately the neighbors called 911 and TJ was rushed to the hospital. His dad disappeared. He has been with us ever since."

"Did he find his mom?"

"Apparently, he said he has met up with her a few times."

"We're here." We pull up to a pretty large house that looks very well kept and quite expensive.

"TJ lives here?"

"Yes, with Lorenzo, my dad and his Uncle Arlo."

Kai gets out of the car and comes around to open my door for me, we walk up to the front porch and Kai doesn't ring the doorbell, probably because it's late and everyone is asleep, he just pulls out his phone and texts TJ. We wait outside for a couple of minutes and the door finally opens, the lights are all off in the house so it's really dark, but there's a faint light down the hall, TJ motions for us to come in but we must be quiet, he guides us to the only room in the house with a light on.

"You must be Avery," TJ says holding out his hand to shake mine, I smile and realize who TJ is. He is Timothy, Julia Jackson's son. I try to keep my composure.

"And you must be TJ, nice to meet you." I shake his hand and smile.

"The pleasure is all mine," he says bringing my hand up to his mouth and kissing it, while making intense eye contact with me.

"Okay that's enough," Kai says breaking apart our hands.

"Where's Sammy?" he asks TJ.

"He fell asleep in front of the TV." Kai shakes his head and walks to, I'm guessing the TV room, holding my hand, he lets go to switch on the light and then he picks Sammy up carefully.

"Thanks man I owe you one," he whispers to TJ on the way out.

"You know it's not like that man, I got you." I move past TJ on the way out and he smiles and winks at me. My face reacts before my mouth does, I don't say anything, I just awkward smile and walk to the car.

"Don't worry about it, he is silly like that," Kai says to me while holding my door open noticing the uncomfortable look on my face.

The ride back to my place is quiet until Kai breaks the ice, "Ave, why didn't you just tell me you had cancer? I'm not mad or anything, I have my theories but I  want to know from you." I take a deep breath and begin hoping he doesn't think I sound dramatic.

"When my family found out, they all stopped acting normal around me. They walked on eggshells when I was in the room, they spoke to me in gentle voices all the time, they stopped treating me like who I am and instead they treated me like I was a piece of wet paper, ready to tear apart. It took them about a year to start being normal around me, and that's thanks to group therapy sessions, which is recommended when someone in your family is sick like me. I decided not to tell people because I knew exactly how it goes and I didn't want you of all people to treat me differently." 

He stays silent for a few seconds and then says, "Well, cancer or no cancer, you're still annoying," he jokes and I laugh.

"Sorry about all the lies," I say facing down playing with my thumbs.

"Don't apologize, we both tainted the truth regarding who we are."

"Yeah, the day we first met you told me you were home schooled," I say now looking at him and laughing.

"Says Mrs Appendicitis herself." Both of us are laughing when we pull over outside my house, we both get out of the car, and he walks me to my front door holding my hand.

"Are you happy now?" he says smiling because he is referring to the first time he dropped me off at home and made a sarcastic comment about holding my hand all the way to the door.

"Very," I say with a serious tone while staring into his enchanting blue eyes. He pulls me closer and brings his lips to mine.

"Thanks for making this one of the best nights of my life."

"The pleasure is all mine Mr Grayson." He smiles and watches me open the door and walk inside. My back hits the door and I slide down and touch my lips thinking about how incredible tonight was.

"I take it the date went well," my mom says walking towards me with a cup of something.

"It was amazing mom." She looks at me and smiles, and then I remember what else happened tonight.

"Oh my gosh, mom, you would not believe who I saw tonight." I stand up and walk into the kitchen. "Timothy."

"Whattttt? Where? Was he with Julia???"

"No, when Julia left your brother, Timothy stayed behind so they got separated. But he goes by TJ now, Timothy Jackson I presume."

"Or Timothy James," she says and I look at her with confusion on my face.

"My brother liked being called Dane James, instead of Shaw. James is the surname of his biological parents."

"I doubt it, Timothy lives with Kai's brother, father and his uncle."

"Julia's brother?" she asks like I'm supposed to know.

"I didn't even know Julia had a brother."

"Oh she had a brother, his name was Arlo. When her and I were still friends, Arlo used to be addicted to body building, he took all the steroids, all the protein stuff, he used to gym for 5 hours straight."

"That's intense. I'm sure he is one big guy now."

"Oh yeah for sure, Bridgit told me he fights professionally now."

"Mrs Henley? How would she know?"

"Charles is her brother, Charles and Arlo became good friends over the years."

"Charles?"

"Mr Grayson, Kai's dad." I don't know what I expected his name to be but 'Charles' was definitely not it. "Bridgit and I went out for coffee before you and Maya started fighting, and she was telling me how Charles and Arlo are best friends now, they bonded over the whole professional boxing thing." It doesn't sound like she knows it's illegal.

"What a small world," I say.

"Hopefully small enough to run into Julia."

"You actually want to see her?"

"A part of me does, I want to know more about the daughter she had, specifically, if my brother is the father."

"Okay, so let's find her."