Year 6 (First Draft) #Wattys2016

-Chapter 44-

  Just as I'm about to set the salad I have made onto the table in the kitchen, Kane walks in the door, followed by Anya and Mrs. Porter. Just when I think Andrea isn't coming, she steps through the door too, wearing a hot pink peplum dress. She sends me a smug grin, and walks over to the table, eyeing the food I have set out.

  "The salad looks great," Kane says, pulling out my chair for me. He brings Amelia's crib closer to the table, placing it between his seat and mine. "Let's dig in."

  Kane helps serve the salad, and soon everyone has a bowl full, but I soon notice the unsettling look on Andrea's face. I know she's debating whether to say something or keep it to herself. Her bad side wins over.

  "I'm sorry about your parents," She says, but her tone implies that she doesn't really mean it genuinely. "I can't even imagine how you must feel. I mean you've been through a lot, and now your parents are dead. I mean, that must be terrible. At least you weren't close to them. I mean, they did kick you out without much of a fight."

  I see Kane tense next to me, and I feel the lump in my throat grow, and my eyes start to sting.

  "Andrea, be more understanding," Kane says, his voice low and authoritative. "I expect better from you. And I'd expect some sympathy too."

  Andrea sets her jaw, and I watch as she takes a deep breath.

  "Whatever. I'm sorry, Felisha," Her tone is pretty monotone again, and I doubt that her apology means anything, but I nod, not sure I can trust my voice right now. Kane's hand finds mine under the table, and he runs his thumb over my knuckles, being the reassurance I need.

  "This salad is great," Anya says, cutting through the tension in the room. I send a small and thankful smile her way. She nods, taking another bite of salad.

  "I agree," Mrs. Porter says, sending me a warm smile. She looks up at her son, and Kane smiles affectionately, reaching across the table to take his mother's hand. "Don't forget about my appointment tomorrow," She says, and I see the way Kane's jaw clenches. His mother's recent diagnosis isn't easy for him, nor would I expect it to be.

  "I hadn't forgotten," He says pulling his hand away, "but I have been trying."

  Kane and I step into my room, and I set Amelia in her crib.

  "I'm so sorry," Kane says again, running his fingers through his hair. "I honestly don't know what's up with her. She's never acted like this before." He takes a seat at the end of my bed, running his fingers absentmindedly over my toes.

  "It's been this way since day one," I say, and then it dawns on me, and I wonder how I hadn't seen it before. She doesn't trust me with Kane. "I don't think she enjoys sharing her cousin's attention," I say, bending the truth slightly.

  Kane looks straight into my eyes, and I can tell he too has come to the core of the matter at hand. I feel suddenly transparent and vulnerable, so I turn away, reaching for Amelia who is resting in her crib next to my bed. Kane stands, moving over to the small Hoverdesk near my dresser. The room feels charged, and I hug Amelia to my chest, hoping to snuff out the feeling.

  "I understand," Kane says, only further proving my theory that he too knows exactly why Andrea has been acting the way she has. "I don't agree with her execution, but I can see why she feels the way she does."

  "Do you agree with her?" I ask quietly, worried to hear his answer. After my near betrayal all those weeks ago, is it possible that he still lacks trust in me? "I mean, I betrayed you in a way no one else could. I took your hospitality and dragged it under the rug. I took your trust and stepped all over it in hopes of completing something that was just a fantasy. Nothing was set in stone, and I was willing to pay with your freedom." I feel tears in the corner of my eyes, suddenly feeling guilty all over again.