“I’m sorry.” He placed a hand on my shoulder and rubbed it gently for a second. “I didn’t mean to bring up painful memories.”
“It’s okay.” I mumbled, my words muffled.
He sat down next to me and I felt him lie flat next to me. All I had to do was turn over and then I would see his face. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know who my midnight confidante was.
“My dad cheats on my mom.” He spoke slowly and surely, his words echoing silkily in my ears. He was so close to me. I could feel the edge of his body pressed up against mine slightly. “And she knows, but she pretends that she doesn’t.”
“That’s awful,” I mumbled.
“It’s life. I just want her to leave him.”
“And she won’t?”
“No,” he sighed. “You know, he has an image to protect. He won’t let her leave.”
My body tensed at his words and I felt my heart going out of control. Something about his words resonated in my mind. He has an image to protect. He has an image to protect. I felt my breath catch. I was pretty sure I knew who was lying down next to me. My skin started burning and I was aware of every part of his body that was lightly pressed against mine. I decided to ask another question, to see if it was him. But I paused before I did. He might hate me for who I was, what I was.
“I understand. My mom had a relationship with a man in a powerful position. She thought he was going to leave his wife for her, but he didn’t. It broke her.”
I heard him take a sharp intake of breath and I had a feeling that he knew. We were both silent for a moment, unsure of what to say. I wasn’t sure if I should say his name. It was obvious to me that he didn’t want to be known. He had to know that everyone from Jonesville would recognize him if they saw him. I was surprised to hear that he knew about his dad. He had never shown that he knew, but then I guess I had never shown I knew either. Even Luke and Anna didn’t know what my mother had done.
“Lexi?” His voice was soft, questioning, and I felt my heart skip a beat. He knew then, he knew about my mom. My cheeks flamed with shame and I felt my skin burning up.
“Bryce?” I slowly rolled over and stared at him. He was facing me and on his side so that, when I rolled over, our eyes met and gazed into each other’s. We just lay there for a few minutes, staring at each other’s sad faces and I saw in him more than a handsome face. I saw a kindred spirit, a weakened spirit. I wondered why he had been crying; it couldn’t have just been because his dad was a cheat. His dad had been cheating for years.
“How are you, Lexi?” He smiled at me sweetly and reached over and wiped a teardrop from my cheek. I felt my body shivering at his touch. I couldn’t believe I was here, in this moment, with Bryce Evans, the boy I had been in love with for years. He was a man now and I felt my heart expand as he leaned in closer to me. Our faces were nose to nose and he stared into my eyes deeply.
“I guess I can see who you are now,” I joked and he smiled. “I’m doing okay, I’m guessing about the same as you.”
“I guess so.”
“I thought you’d be happy, in preparation for your party tomorrow.”
“I’m not terribly excited for a party.” He shrugged and sighed.
“Really, why not?” I questioned, surprised. Bryce was always the life of the party; at least, he had been in high school. Not that I’d ever been to many parties, but at the ones I had gone to he had reigned supreme.
“Not much to celebrate I suppose.” He grimaced and I wondered what was going on in his mind.
“Well, I’m looking forward to it.” I tried to make him feel better, but I knew it wasn’t really true. I much preferred this moment right now, lying next to him in my favorite spot, with it being just the two of us. I knew that he would barely have time for me at the party, what with Suzannah and Mary and all the other girls who wanted their hooks in him.
“I’m surprised you agreed to come.” He looked at me, searchingly. “I wasn’t sure how you felt about me, after you know...”
“The night you saved me?” I said, breathlessly, my heart in my mouth.
“I didn’t save you.” He looked away from me. “That was a bad night, huh?”
“Yes.” I closed my eyes, not wanting to think about that moment. And what happened afterwards. I knew I shouldn’t blame myself, but it was hard not to.
“I’m sorry, Lexi.” He grabbed my hands. “I’m really sorry.”
“It’s okay,” I whispered to him, softly. “It wasn’t your fault.”
“I ... I need to…” He paused and I opened my eyes and saw the pain in his face.
“It’s not your fault, Bryce.” I squeezed his hands, not believing that this moment was actually happening. A moment that I never thought would ever happen.
“That night with Eddie,” he started and I cringed. “Sorry.” His voice was soft and he looked into my eyes, pleading. “Please don’t hate him.”
“I don’t hate him.” My stomach churned thinking about that night.
“He wasn’t himself.”
“We don’t have to talk about it,” I whispered.
“Do you mind if we do?” His eyes pleaded with me and I felt my heart melt. As painful as that night had been for me, I had been able to talk to Luke and Anna about what had nearly happened. And when Eddie had died, I had felt awful, but it hadn’t hurt me. In fact, part of me was happy he had died. I knew that, this way, he would never try to hurt someone else.
“I don’t mind.”
“He was my best friend, you know.” His eyes glazed over. “We grew up together but we both kind of had too much. We thought we ruled the world.”
“You did rule the world,” I said, softly. He still could if he wanted to. He was the King of Jonesville.
“We were two guys who had been given too much. We thought we could have everything we wanted and anyone who got in our way….” His voice trailed off and I shivered. “Sorry.” His eyes focused again and he looked at me.
“It’s okay.” I bit my lip. “I don’t know what I would have done that night…”
“It was the least I could do, Lexi.”
“You saved him from raping me, Bryce. I’ll never be able to show you my gratitude. You were literally my knight in shining armor.”