Heartbeats in Moonlight

Chapter 48

David retorted, "What's that got to do with me?" But, now, the colour in his cheeks matched his neck. And David had shielded his eyes by looking away.

Jack watched David as he blush, and he lowered his voice as he mumbled, "Just wondered."

"About what?" David demanded, feeling more than guilty. Jack shrugged. David barked, "Whether I told her to go away?" He poked his tongue into his cheek to stop his temper.

Jack waited. Seconds passed. David, again, used his palm to wipe his lip. Jack waited. They were both good at poker, but in this case, David folded before Jack.

"I didn't know about her pregnant sister." David said. Jack shrugged. David glared and then confirmed Jack's suspicion. "I told her I thought you guys would be asking us to be in the wedding party and we should try to be civil to each other."

"That's all you said to her." Jack's eyes pinned David to the spot.

"Yes." David glared and then added, beneath his breath, "Just a bit more direct."

"More direct? You were more direct?" Jack narrowed his eyes. "What did she say?"

"To what?" David snapped.

Jack folded his arms and ignored David's tone. "To your order, to act civilized?" Jack wasn't happy about that.

David shrugged. "She didn't say anything. Actually, nothing much."

"Really." Jack sighed.

David looked at Jack, as the guilt really hit home, "You think she made up the baby excuse, that her sister was pregnant?"

Jack's eyebrows rose. "David you can't be that naïve! She is Amelia's best friend. Of course Amelia would ask her to be in our bridal party. Then you and she have a conversation. You tell her to be civil, and suddenly she isn't available for bridal party duties."

"Don't blame me, Jack! Or are you saying that she made it up, that her sister is pregnant to avoid bridal team's duties?"

"No her sister really is having a baby. I'm just not sure why she had to take off for Auckland so soon and stay away for weeks. She is going back."

"When's she going?" David asked as his guilt grew.

"Wednesday."

Jack looked at David, "I thought she was still doing your place."

"Nearly done. She came round two weeks back, we went through some things. We've even ordered the furniture. She said the decorators would do the rest, they would just followed her instructions. They'd work to her directions and my expectations. If there were any problems, they or I would get in touch with her. In any case, they've nearly finished. You'll have to come up and see it. It is looking good. She was going to pop in tomorrow to see the decorators and check if they understood her directions."

"Talk to her then."

"I'm at school. She said she could only make it at 11 am. The decorators are going to be there. She said she'd leave me a note if there were any issues."

The two brothers looked at each other. They knew she had deliberately arranged her schedule to avoid David.

Jack said after a moment, "Dave, you don't hold grudges."

David acknowledged that statement by just nodding. "Yeah, so what?"

Jack asked bluntly, "So why her?"

David rubbed the side of his face, "I am not holding a grudge..."

Jack snorted. "Yeah, you are." Jack folded his arms, "I just don't understand it. The tribunal exonerated you and even her father supported you. You carried on at the camp. She went back to school."

"Yeah, exactly, she went back to school." David muttered.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing."

"David!"

"She didn't have to go a tribunal. Her dirty laundry wasn't aired in public. I bet she didn't tell her school or have a chat about her personal and social life. I had to talk to other people about personal things that should be kept private."

"Ok, Ok, I get that. But you were ok. In any case, a kiss at a public venue is not exactly personal. So why the grudge? There is more going on here."

David's rubbed the back of his head, "It wasn't just a kiss."

"What? I thought you said it was just a kiss. One kiss."

"Yes. One kiss." David murmured.

"I am really lost, David."

"I told you, we talked. Proper conversation, I can't remember talking to girls like the way Ella and I talked back then. It was the first time in my life that I understood what people meant when they talked about falling in love. And with every statement I gave her a piece of my heart." Jack blinked in surprise. He didn't expect David to be a romantic. David said quietly. "And I knew, when we kissed I was in love with her."

Seconds passed. Jack said calmly, "You know, she might have felt the same."

"Doubt it."

"Within seconds, she gave my heart away."

"What do you mean?"

"She could have told Henry at the time, instead she threw out my heart. Left without looking back. Nothing. Just left. Didn't stand up for me. And she left me to face the brouhaha on my own."

"Come on David. Her father told our parents that she told him about the kiss." Rather than go over that again with David, probably with the same result, Jack looked at David and said, "You need to reschedule that appointment."

"Why?"

"Because you know she is avoiding you, and you need to talk to her. Trust me, David, sort this now. You need to talk to her about that incidence and how she felt, back then, and now."

"Yeah. Like she is going to volunteer that information." David snorted.