Nefarious

C141 - Lost in a sentimental haze

Time had passed by all too quickly. Apparently, Dane had to leave soon as well. "Are we good, Valerie?" he asked. I nodded twice, finally giving in to the idea of being able to trust Dane again. It was desperate times, and he'd really helped us out today. Therefore, I chose to take the bold risk that was to consider him as trustworthy.

Before leaving, Dane assured me it was safe to message him at all times. He was entirely responsible for his phone at the time, which was very positive, of course. "I'll see you around whenever," he said. "Sure thing," I responded. "Yeah, yeah. Bye now, Evanston," Jace said. Dane chuckled at Jace's impatient comment, and honestly, it caught me by surprise. "Later, Dizary," he answered eventually. Wow, didn't see that one coming. "I sure hope not," Jace muttered. Okay, that one I could see coming. 

Apparently, there were two double rooms, meaning I would either have to share a bed or sleep on the sofa, though that's not the most comfortable option. Earlier this evening, I would've gone for that uncomfortable sofa in a split second, but after Rain's honest confession, I chose to join her.

Rain's hair was newly washed, and it smelled strongly of cranberry shampoo. It was delightful actually. "Needn't you speak with Xavier?" she asked. "For information about Alex?" I raised an eyebrow. She nodded once, her face looking all too serious. "I'm not in a hurry. Anyway, some things are better to find out by oneself. I don't want to read him like an open book that someone else has written for him," I answered. "How dramatically formulated of you," she laughed.

A small laugh was all I left Rain with after her answer. And although I found the silence enjoyable afterwards, I still felt like our conversation wasn't yet to be finished. I had quite a few unasked questions that I wanted her to answer.

"Do you still love Jace?" I blurted out. At first, she kept quiet, which caused me to question if I'd really said it out loud or not. Not long after, she shifted and turned on the nightlight beside her. "Yes, Valerie, I think I do actually." "But are your decisions driven by jealousy?" I asked hesitatingly. She sighed sharply, her gaze avoiding mine. "No, it's driven by fear. I don't want Jace to throw me out of his life after all these years, and it already feels like he's doing exactly that," she clarified. "In all honesty, Rain, I doubt that Jace has bad intentions. It's a turbulent time with limited time to deal with such personal matters." She nodded in agreement, but frankly, she didn't look too convinced with what I'd said.

To avoid stirring up some heated feelings, I changed the subject to something a bit more objective. "Admittedly, I found it fascinating to read Jace's journal. He seemed to have included so much personal information as though he wasn't afraid of someone reading it. His feelings for both you and Xavier were even included, yet there's one secret that's not in it he said. Xavier knows, and I'm just curious, do you?" I questioned. "Oh, right, right. Jace finds it amusing how people think his feelings for his potential lovers is his greatest weakness. When writing about it in such a way that he does, it takes people's mind off of his actual dark secret. Repeatedly, I asked for him to divulge it as I was his most trusted person at one point, but he always declined. Unfortunately, Jace let his guard down once and managed to tell Xavier. He regretted it in hindsight, he even panicked several times, and, of course, he threatened Xavier numerous times afterwards." "He threatened Xavier?" I almost gasped. "Well, naturally. If that secret gets out-" Rain started. "Then what?" I asked. "Never mind, I've said too much already. Night," she answered shortly. 

The night went by irksomely slow, which left me with all too much time to speculate on details. Rain had already woken up and gotten out of bed without bothering to wake me up as well.

"Jace's sister called only minutes ago saying we have to meet her urgently, so you need to get dressed," Rain informed. "Is she in trouble too?" I asked. Unfortunately, my evident and unflattering morning voice was what caught Rain's attention. "Wow, and I thought Alex had a morning voice," she laughed. "He has!" I protested. "Yes, but his is hot in a way, yours makes you sound like you're dying." "She sounds fine, now get up!" Xavier commented.