The Heart Wants What It Wants

♡ THIRTY ♡

❝ ᴍᴏᴠɪɴɢ ᴏɴ ɪs sɪᴍᴘʟʏ ʀᴇᴀʟɪsɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴀᴛ
ʏᴏᴜ ᴡɪʟʟ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ʙᴇ ᴏᴋᴀʏ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴᴇᴅ, ʙᴜᴛ ʟɪᴠɪɴɢ
ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ɪᴛ ᴀɴʏᴡᴀʏ ❞

~~~

🇬 🇦 🇧 🇷 🇮 🇪 🇱 🇱 🇦 :

The bell rings overhead, and I make my way out of the school like my life depends on it. Someone hooks me in by my right arm, and then another by my left when I exit the school.

“What are your plans for the day, birthday girl?” Josie asks from beside me. Before I can answer, Theo speaks up.

“She already has plans with Hunter…” Theo says with a little eyebrow wiggle toward Josie. I look between the two of them, confused.

“No, I don't.”

“Of course he didn't ask you yet.” I look at Theo, my eyebrows tight with confusion.

“Ask me what?” She doesn't answer as they let go of me. We make it to Hunter's car in the parking lot, and I watch in confusion as Theo does a little dance in front of Hunter. He rolls his eyes in response to her behavior.

“What was that about?” I ask Hunter as everyone else climbs into the car.

“When it comes to Theo, I have no fucking clue.” I watch as he takes a seat on the hood of the car.

“Are we waiting for someone?” I ask. He looks in my direction, a hint of a smile on his lips.

“Yeah, Tony will be here in a minute then we'll leave.” I nod slowly, and look at the handle of the car door. Should I get in, or should I sit up there with him?

Almost as if he senses my confliction, he says, “You can join me if you want.”

“I don't want to bo—”

“You'd never bother me,” he says softly, as he taps the hood beside him as an indication for me to join. I take a seat beside him, and a rapid tapping sounds on the window behind us. I turn around to see Theo giving him an enthusiastic thumbs up with a bright smile on her face.

“Is she okay?” I ask hesitantly.

“Not at all.” he replies with a deep sigh. After a long moment of silence, I ask the question that's been swirling in my mind since this morning.

“What happened between you and Kaz?” he lets out another sigh, and lays back against the windshield.

“It's a long story…” he says in a whisper.

I turn to him fully. “I have time.”

“Six years ago,” he says after a moment as his eyes focus on the cloudy midday sky. It might rain today, my weather app said. “Your dad brought Kazimir over to live with us. Something about him wanting my dad to train him further. Because your dad didn't have the suitable equipment, he brought him to Taylors Manor to teach him with us. We became friends after a couple of weeks.”

He looks at me, “I trusted him with my life. I thought he trusted me with his. Turns out he was only using us to get closer to my dad. He'd been planning to kill him all those weeks he'd stayed with us. That was the real reason your father wanted him to stay with us. Elijah wanted my dad dead.”

I hesitate for a second, but then decide to let the question slip from my mouth, “Kaz killed your dad, didn't he?”

He tilts his head to look at me, an emotion similar to rage flashes across those beautiful silver irises of his. “Yes.” He pauses for a moment, “He killed my mother as well. Right in front of Theo and I.” My heart stops in my chest for a second, then it picks up rapidly.

But I killed her, I want to scream. I killed your mother because I wanted to live! Because I was selfish!

“He… what?” my voice sounds surprisingly calm compared to the chaos happening in my mind.

“He killed both of my parents, Gaby. I know how strongly you feel for him. I can see it in your eyes, but the person you love so much isn't the same person I've grown to know in the past six years. He does cruel things and revels in the pain of his victims’ family members.”

“That…” I inhale a shaky breath. It's so hard to believe Kaz could be anything but sweet and caring. And yet, something inside me screams that Hunter is telling the truth.

“Can't be true?” He whispers, slowly getting up. “I know it's hard to believe. Trust me, I didn't want to believe it either, but it's taken me months to realise his true intentions. He does things that will only ever benefit him. He's a selfish, sociopathic narcissist, Gaby. If you're going to let him go any time soon, do it now before it hurts your heart further.”

After he speaks, Tony shows up, and gets into the passenger seat. I get in the back and we head home.

Only one sentence replays at the forefront of my mind like a broken record; If you're going to let him go any time soon, do it now before it hurts your heart further.