KIERAN
Ava looks potentially ready to commit murder. I wonder what had happened to make her feel so upset. She just arrived at my home five minutes ago, her eyes darkened with rage. So, here I am, handing her a glass of water as she requested.
I lower myself onto an armchair and watch her carefully.
"Why are you so upset?" I ask and she sighs.
"You won't ever break my heart, will you?" She asks, her voice small and full of insecurity.
"Oh come on, Ava. We've talked about this several times. I love you so much and you mean a lot to me. I wouldn't do that to you, love" I say and she wraps her arms around herself, curling in on herself. She suddenly seems so fragile, so vulnerable. I watch her, concerned.
"This is about Sapphire isn't it?" I say and she lowers her gaze as she bites her lower lip. I rise to my feet and rake my fingers through my messy hair. She rises to her feet and ambles towards the window, her arms still wrapped around herself.
"Do you feel anything for her?" She asks and I let out an exasperated groan.
What part of 'I love only her' doesn't she understand?
"Ava, I only like her as a friend, that's all"
Her arms are now hanging limply by her sides.
"How did you two meet?" She asks.
I bite my lower lip, my hands curling into fists as frustration sets in.
"Can we not talk about Sapphire, right now?" I say and she turns away from the window.
"I don't like her. There's something about her that is off. I can feel it in my guts. She's going to try to come in between us. She wants you for herself-"
"Ava-"
"All she wants is you. I won't let her have you. She is a pretentious bitch-"
"Ava! Stop it, okay?! Just stop it. I know you don't like her. I get it. But, don't you think you're taking this too far?"
"I want you to stop hanging out with her" Ava says, her eyes meeting mine.
"W-what? I can't"
She doesn't understand.
She never will.
"Is she that important to you? Would you choose her over me?" She queries, tears filling her eyes. "No, but-"
"Why won't you do this for me?!" She cries and I squeeze my eyes shut, rubbing my aching head.
"Ava, I've done basically everything that you've asked me to do for you ever since we started dating. But, I just can't do what you're asking of me, right now. I just can't"
"What is it that she has that I don't?"
"Ava, you don't understand-"
"Then, make me understand!" She yells, angry tears rolling down her cheeks. Guilt immediately washes over me and my breathing quickens.
She's disappointed.
I can see it all over her face.
And, it hurts.
It fucking hurts.
It's killing me.
I can't tell her the truth about what I truly am, she would never look at me the same way.
"Why won't you fucking say anything?!" She yells, hitting me on the chest with her fists. "Ava, please don't do this. Stop crying, please" I say. "You want me to stop crying?! Well guess what? I'm crying because of you! You made me cry! You're such a shitty boyfriend!" She cries and my face crumples.
She doesn't mean that, right?
She's just pretty upset right now, I try to convince myself.
"You don't mean that"
"Oh, I do! I meant every single word I said!"
My head spins for a moment and I bend over, holding onto the armchair to keep me upright.
Ava let's out a gasp and rushes to my side. Dizziness rattles me one more time, my vision blurring at the edges. "Kieran!" Ava cries and immediately steadies me when I sway. She helps me sit. Then, I lean back on the chair, rubbing my forehead.
"Kieran-" Ava breathes but I quickly silence her.
"I'm fine, Ava. I'm just tired. You should go home" I say and she frowns.
"But-"
"Few minutes ago, you were yelling at me. Now, you're concerned? You confuse me, Ava. You should go home, I need to rest" I say and she opens her mouth to say something but quickly decides against it.
She grabs her lilac purse and leaves my house quietly. She drives off almost immediately.
"Wow. That was intense"
My sister's voice startles me and I flinch so hard, I nearly fall off the chair.
"I'm sorry, Kier. I didn't mean to startle you" she says. "It's fine" I say, closing my eyes. My head hurts so much. "Who's Sapphire?" Arlie asks and I sigh.
"A friend"
As soon as I say that, I hear a knock on the door.
"I'll get it" Arlie says and skips all the way to the front door. Soon, she's opening the door and a certain black haired girl is walking in, her blue eyes as bright as ever.
"Sapphire" I say and the moment her name leaves my lips, she beams at me. Arlie raises a brow at me before giving Sapphire a questioning look.
****
"By the way, my brother says you're his friend. Where did you two meet?" Arlie chirps and I give her a playful glare. "We met at the bar where he works. He was really nice to me and I think we clicked instantly, even though I'm a pain in the ass sometimes" Sapphire says and Arlene chuckles.
"I think I like you even though I'm just meeting you for the first time" Arlie comments and Sapphire grins. "What can I say? I'm charming" she laughs.
"Don't feed your ego, Sapphire. It's already as huge as a mountain" I tease and she scrunches up her nose playfully.
"At least, my ego isn't as huge as Ava's"
I roll my eyes and lean back on my chair.
Arlie giggles and rises to her feet. "I'll be in my room" she says and walks out of the sitting room.
"You look worn out" Sapphire finally comments.
I shrug and she sighs.
"Ava was here, wasn't she? You had another fight because of me"
I frown and stare at her blankly.
"How did you do that? Do you have some mind reading abilities that I don't know about?" I ask and she throws me an incredulous look.
"Well, I have the ability to communicate using telepathy but I don't read minds. That would be cool, though. On my way here, I ran into Ava. She warned me to stay away from you. She doesn't like me and I don't really care. I'm not a threat to her and I'm not trying to steal you away from her. Why won't she get that into her thick skull?"
"I don't know...Ava's always had a possessive streak. She gets jealous so easily"
"Kieran, you're not a thing to be controlled or owned"
"Oh, I know that alright? If I was as ugly as an ogre, Ava would never have looked my way. But, here we are" I say and Sapphire's gaze softens.
"You're one of a kind, Kieran. Not everyone has a heart of gold like you do. You deserve better"
"Whatever you say"
"You're too modest for your own good"
I scoff at her statement and she giggles.
"Though, I would kill to see what 'badass Kieran' looks like"
"He would probably look like Raphael from teenage mutant Ninja turtles" I say and she bursts into laughter.
"Oh, Kieran!" She laughs and I find myself laughing too. Her laughter is just so contagious. I also can't deny the fact that it feels good to laugh again.
We end up cracking jokes about cartoon characters for thirty minutes until we're both shedding tears and bursting into laughter.
When we finally stop to catch our breath, Aidan walks in with his usual frown on his face. He glares at Sapphire and I, before storming into our room.
"That's your brother?"
"Yeah"
"He's a wild one"
"He sure is. But, I understand why he's like that. He's just hurt and it's my fault"
"Did you two have a fight or something?"
I lower my gaze and she places a hand on my knee.
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to"
"My mum has been doing a great job with making him feel like he's not wanted and he blames my existence for it" I rasp and she frowns.
"That's really not fair to both you and your brother"
"My hands are tied at the moment. I can't do anything about it and he continues to hate me even more everyday"
"Kieran, your eyes are black" she whispers and I stiffen.
"How wonderful"
"Did something happen last night? You're showing your demon side" she breathes and I shrug.
"I had a dream last night. I saw my alter ego, I think. He was quite a pansy. He nearly pissed his pants when I showed him what I can do" I say, but I don't feel like myself. Heck, I don't sound like myself. My voice sounds deeper, with a darker ring to it. I raise my head and notice how worried Sapphire looks.
"Come on, Saffy. Don't look at me like that" I say and she rolls her eyes.
"Your siblings are home. They can't see you like this" she mumbles and I raise a brow. "And I care because?"
"You don't want them to think you're a monster, do you?"
"But that's what I am. I really don't care" I huff and Sapphire frowns.
"What's your name?" She asks and I roll my eyes.
"Kieran, of course"
"You're his darker alter ego, aren't you?"
"What? Are we playing twenty questions, now?" I tease her and her eyes darkens.
"You have to stop this. Release Kieran. You're going to ruin everything!" She hisses.
"I told you-"
The front door swings open and mum walks in with a dreamy smile on her face. Sapphire's eyes widen with horror and she pulls me to my feet. Then, she makes me turn away from mum.
"Sapphire? Kieran?" She slurs and I roll my eyes in annoyance. I can smell the alcohol on her.
She's drunk..... again.
The bitch is really pathetic.
"Kieran, won't you look at me?"she slurs and I clench my fist.
"Uh-Mrs Blain, Kieran and I will just take a walk. See you later" Sapphire says, dragging me towards the front door. I glare at her and she scowls at me. When we make it outside the house, I yank my hand out of her grip. "You should be grateful" she spits.
"I don't remember asking for your help in the first place" I retort. She smirks and suddenly presses a kiss to my cheek. Shocked by her sudden action, my mind goes hazy. "Kieran?" She says, looking smug and I grin.
"Thanks for that, Sapphire. I have no idea what happened" I say, relieved that I am back in control.
"I'm sorry for the mean things I said. I didn't mean that" I say and she chuckles.
"It's nothing, really"
I smile at her, my heart thudding madly.
What would I have done if I had never met her?
I had nearly blown off my cover, thanks to my alter ego. I'm so screwed.