best counter
Search
Report & Feedback

Chapter no 37 – JOSH

Twisted Hate (Twisted, #3)

The next day, I accompanied Jules to her motherโ€™s funeral.

Besides the minister and funeral home staff, we were the only people in attendance, and the service passed without any fanfare.

โ€œWould you like to say any words before we put Adeline to rest?โ€ the minister asked after he delivered the eulogy.

Jules shook her head. โ€œNo,โ€ she whispered. โ€œI donโ€™t want to say anything.โ€

I reached for her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze, wishing I could do more to help. Jules didnโ€™t look at me, but she gave me a small squeeze back.

The minister nodded, the staff lowered the casket into the ground, and that was that.

It was, in Julesโ€™s words, anticlimactic, but that didnโ€™t stop a knot from forming in my stomach when I stared at Adelineโ€™s burial plot.

Decades of life, snuffed out just like that, with no one except her daughter and a stranger seeing her off. A lifetime of dreams, fears, accomplishments, and regrets, wiped out by a single freak accident.

It was fucking depressing.

I allowed myself to dwell in melancholy for a moment before I pushed it aside and placed a gentle hand on Julesโ€™s elbow. The minister and funeral home staff had already left,

but she hadnโ€™t moved since the service. โ€œWe should head out. Our flight leaves soon.โ€

There was only one evening flight from Columbus to

D.C. today, so we were flying together by default.

โ€œRight.โ€ Jules sucked in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. โ€œThanks for being here with me,โ€ she said as we walked toward the exit. โ€œYou really didnโ€™t have to.โ€

โ€œNo, but I wanted to.โ€ My mouth tugged up in a half smile. โ€œWho knows what trouble youโ€™d get into if I leave you alone?โ€

โ€œThe possibilities are endless,โ€ she said solemnly. โ€œYou sure you donโ€™t want a tour of the Whittlesburg police station before we leave?โ€

โ€œIโ€™m sure itโ€™s fascinating, but Iโ€™ll pass.โ€ I examined her, trying to figure out where her head was at. โ€œHow are you feeling?โ€

โ€œSurprisingly okay.โ€ Jules tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. โ€œI think the shock has worn off, and now Iโ€™m justโ€ฆ resigned, I guess. Iโ€™ll never get to say bye to my mom or make amends.โ€ She hesitated. โ€œActually, I know our flight leaves soon, but can we make one stop before we head to the airport? Iโ€™ll keep it quick.โ€

โ€œYeah, of course.โ€ We were squeezed for time, but I wasnโ€™t going to say no to her after her motherโ€™s funeral.

Fifteen minutes later, we arrived at a small, dilapidated house near the outskirts of town. Chipped blue paint covered its exterior, and the door was unlocked when Jules twisted the knob.

โ€œThe house my mom rented before she died,โ€ she said after she caught my questioning stare. โ€œWhen I notified the landlord of her death, they said I could drop by and pick up any personal items. I wasnโ€™t going to, butโ€ฆโ€

โ€œI understand.โ€ It was Julesโ€™s last chance. She was probably never coming back to Ohio.

We stepped into the house. There wasnโ€™t much furniture except for a couch, TV, and a dining slash coffee table. Dirty

dishes piled high in the sink, and a pot of flowers sat dying on the windowsill.

It was eerie, like the house was patiently waiting for an owner who would never return.

I followed Jules into the bedroom and stayed by the door while she approached the cluster of framed photos on the dresser. They all featured a beautiful older woman with red hair, obviously her mom. In one, she was wearing a gown and smiling at a fancy-looking party; in another, she was being crowned Miss Teen Whittlesburg, according to the sash across her chest.

There were no photos of anyone else, including Jules.

โ€œI thought she would have at least one photo of me,โ€ Jules murmured, running her hand over the teen pageant picture. โ€œAll these yearsโ€ฆโ€ She shook her head and let out a self-deprecating laugh. โ€œIt was stupid. I held out hope, but Adelineโ€™s never cared much about anyone except herself.โ€

An ache bloomed in my chest. Neither of us had model parents, but I hated seeing her hope vanish. โ€œIโ€™m sorry, Red.โ€

โ€œDonโ€™t be.โ€ Jules dropped her hand before facing me. โ€œWe can leave. We have a flight to catch, and I got what I wanted.โ€

โ€œWhatโ€™s that?โ€ โ€œClosure.โ€ย Closure.

The word echoed in my mind during our ride to the airport.

Maybe that was what I needed with Michael. Iโ€™d avoided contacting him for two years, thinking that was the solution to my problem. All itโ€™d done was allow thoughts of him to fester like cancer. Slow, invisible, and gradually bleeding me of life until I was nothing but a shell of myself.

The monsters in our imagination are often worse those

in reality.

The sudden, blinding clarity sliced through me like a blade.

โ€œYou okay?โ€ Jules asked after we passed through security. Whittlesburg was so close to Columbus it took us less than an hour to arrive at the airport. โ€œYou look delirious.โ€

โ€œYep,โ€ I said, still high from my discovery. It was so fucking obvious I felt like an idiot for not thinking of it earlier, but we were the blindest when it came to our own lives.

I didnโ€™t look forward to seeing Michael, but itโ€™ll be like ripping off a Band-Aid. Once I did it, I could finally move on. I was sure of it.

Closure.

The answer had been there all along.

โ€œWe spent two whole days together and didnโ€™t kill each other.โ€ Jules cocked an eyebrow as we picked up sandwiches and chips from one of the airportโ€™s delis and settled at a table in the food court. Our flight didnโ€™t leave for another seventy-five minutes, so we had time to kill. โ€œWeโ€™re making progress.โ€

โ€œIt was a day and a half, tops.โ€ I smiled, welcoming the shift to a lighter tone after the heaviness of our morning. Sadness lingered in Julesโ€™s eyes, but she seemed determined to leave the past behind her. โ€œWe still have some time left.โ€

โ€œHow reassuring.โ€ She bit into her sandwich, chewed, and swallowed before adding hesitantly, โ€œIโ€™ve been thinking about what you said at Bridgetโ€™s weddingโ€ฆโ€

My pulse quickened. โ€œYeah?โ€

โ€œYou might be right.โ€ She didnโ€™t look at me, but pink crept over her cheeks. โ€œAbout there being a difference between what something is supposed to be and what it actually is.โ€

The quickening turned into a roar. Warmth glowed in my chest and filled some of the cracks that had formed over

the years.

โ€œIโ€™m always right.โ€ It was all I could do to suppress a grin.

Iโ€™d never wanted an exclusive relationship. It came with too many expectations, and honestly, Iโ€™d neverย likedย anyone enough to go on more than three dates with them.

Lusted for, sure. Liked? No.

But with Julesโ€ฆfuck, I didnโ€™t even know how it happened. Iย likedย her, even when she pissed me off, which was half the time. Our arguments lit me up more than my conversations with anyone else did, and when we actually talked, she was the only person I felt like who got me. The only person who saw past the doctor, the playboy, the adrenaline junkie, and every other mask I wore to hide the messy imperfect pieces underneath.

I swallowed the odd lump in my throat while Jules rolled her eyes and smiled. โ€œAlways modest.โ€

โ€œThat too.โ€

Her smile widened, and our gazes lingered for a moment before her expression turned serious again. โ€œSo, what does that mean for us?โ€

Good question. I had no experience with the whole relationship thing, butโ€ฆ

โ€œIt means we should probably go on a date.โ€ My grin exploded at the way her eyes widened. โ€œDonโ€™t look so shocked. Itโ€™s a date, Red. Not a marriage proposal.โ€

โ€œObviously,โ€ she huffed, though the nervous look in her eyes remained. โ€œIโ€™ve been on dates before.โ€

My smile slipped at the reminder.

Of course Jules had been on dates before. That didnโ€™t mean I wanted to think about it.

A ribbon of possessiveness unfurled in my stomach, and it took all my willpower not to grill her for the full name, number, and address of every guy whoโ€™d ever fucking touched her.

โ€œNot with me.โ€ I rubbed a speck of sauce from the corner of her mouth. My thumb lingered on her bottom lip, and dark satisfaction flared through me when her breath hitched. โ€œWhenย I take you out, itโ€™ll be the best damn date youโ€™ve ever had.โ€

โ€œYour ego truly knows no bounds.โ€ The breathlessness of her voice erased the sting of her insult.

I leaned forward and replaced my thumb with my lips. โ€œLetโ€™s make a bet, Red.โ€ My mouth brushed over hersโ€”not in a kiss, but in a promise. โ€œI bet after our date, you wonโ€™t even be able toย thinkย about another man.โ€

The last part came out as a low growl.

Jules audibly swallowed. โ€œYouโ€™re setting very high expectations, Chen.โ€

My smile returned. โ€œDonโ€™t worry. I never set expectations I canโ€™t meet.โ€

You'll Also Like