“Get the fuck out of my house!” I yelled, pointed behind me. “Get out!”
Kyle was looking exactly the way he had when he’d wrecked my life. Heart-breakingly good-looking. Damn him. His face was chiselled perfectly, as was his body. He looked like some Greek God, with his brown-streaked blond hair, muscular body, and a face models would kill for. But that wasn’t why I fell for him, all those years ago. I was his eyes. His stupid, twinkly, long-lashed blue eyes.
“Calm down, Alexis,” he said, smirking. “I’m here by invitation.”
Behind him, was the last person I’d wanted to see.
“Alexis, darling,” my Mother said. “I see you’ve given up your disguise. I knew it was a stupid idea of your Father’s. As if dressing you up in glasses would keep boys away.”
“What the hell is Kyle doing here?”
“Kyle? Oh, Mr. Clark. Why don’t you come in? We’ll explain everything.”
I should have run. I should have run long, and run hard.
***
“No.”
“Darling, you have to listen to me. This was not my idea. It was your Father’s.”
“I don’t want that bastard living with me!”
“I don’t want it either, Alexis. I know how you are. But your Dad seemed set on it. He trusts Kyle. You know how they got close when you two were dating.”
I closed my eyes. “I know, Mum.” Like an idiot, I’d invited Kyle to my house for dinner, after only the third date. I was a stupid, naïve romanticist, whose heart deserved to be broken.
“So just deal with it, okay? You’re Father’s just worried about you. After he found out you skipped school, he went crazy.”
“Then why didn’t he come here himself?” I asked, my voice very soft. I don’t know why I was asking. I knew the answer. It was a meeting, or a business trip, or just that he was busy.
“He’s been very busy the past few days.”
I almost laughed. I knew it.
“How’s Jake?” I asked, changing the subject in a desperate attempt not to cry.
“Your brother? Running about in Harvard. You know, he’s apparently; he’s become some sort of a boxer to raise money to ‘pay his own way through school’. I don’t know where I went wrong with him.”
“That’s…nice.”
Mom looked at me.
“Go downstairs, now, and spend some time with Kyle. I’m only going to be in town a couple more days. I bought a new house, so I’ll be staying there. I don’t want to get in between you guys.”
I glared at her. She was the only one who knew how much Kyle had hurt me.
How could she?
***
She’d left, leaving me and Kyle stuck in a house, with no one else but my Maid. Fun times.
“Kyle. Why are you doing this?” I asked immediately.
“No reason.”
I raised my eyebrows. Right. No reason. Just like there’d been no reason he’d dumped me.
“Tell me, Kyle, or I swear to god, I will go up to the room you’re staying in, find your suitcase, and burn it up.”
“Calm down, Alex. What the hell happened to you? You used to be sweet and shy.”
