“Teddy isn’t the only one who likes your company,” Cat tells me before going back beside Daisy. I look over at Teddy. He’s quiet.
“Ted? Are you okay?” I ask, taking his hand and getting rid of the space between us. He doesn’t look me in the eyes until I take his chin in my fingertips and shift it in front of me. Once I let go, his eyes dart to the floor.
“Why won’t you look at me?” I ask, trying my best to hide the urgency of my voice. He looks me in the eyes with those glassy eyes, then his bottom lip trembles again.
“I have something to tell you, and… I really didn’t want to have to do this,” he cries, tears springing from his eyes. I can almost taste the saltiness from here. I wipe his tears with my index finger.
“You can tell me, Teddy,” I say, still wiping the tears I caused. The ache in my heart is enough for me to die at any moment.
“My second name is bronze.”
I let go of him. Cotton fills my mouth as I attempt to speak, but I can’t get any words out. I stand up and head to the dining room table. I turn away from him and grip the edge of the table, my legs threatening to give way. I’m gritting my teeth before my bottom lip trembles terribly, like a volcano ready to erupt.
The most disgusting thing about human beings is that we have the power to destroy someone we love in a single sentence.
I know Teddy. I know what he fears, what he loves, I know his inner demons and his ambitions, I know what his body language means, I know what he’s thinking, I know everything about him.
So why didn’t I know this? Why didn’t I suspect this? I didn’t see this coming. All those threats were from his family. This entire time, I’ve been dating the son whose family killed my mother in cold blood.
“I…what?” a lump catches my throat. A million things are running through my mind at once, and I can’t keep up. Teddy makes his way towards me, but I shake my head and wrap my arms around myself. I need to think. My mind is a cloud I need to swipe away in order to think clearly.
“So all this time… you knew who was behind all the threats?”
“Yes, but?—”
“Hold on a minute, you knew who killed my mum, and you didn’t tell me?” Teddy looks me in the eyes. No more tears. His demeanour is serious and withdrawn, like he doesn’t believe this is happening. I feel like I’m swimming in space, my throat closing up from lack of air.
“I wasn’t even there that day. I went no contact with my family years ago. But I heard what happened. After our date, when we sat at your mother’s bench and I saw her name. I knew then who you were. But the thing is?—”
“What the fuck, Teddy?” I interrupt, molten anger filling my eyes. “What in the actual fuck is wrong with you? This entire time?” I spit, Teddy simply watches me. “You knew this entire time who killed my mother, and you knew I was looking for the truth. Yet you decided not to tell me?”
“Because I knew you’d react like this! I didn’t want to ruin the one good thing I had going for me,” he screams back.
“You are so fucking selfish!” I scream, banging my fist against the glass table behind me. The table wobbles and the vase of yellow roses rolls off the edge and smashes. Glass shards scatter on the floor.
“You wanted in my pants so badly you decided to hide the fact you’re the son of the crime family that killed my fucking Mum? Are you hearing yourself?”
“It wasn’t like that! And I’m not a part of their family!” Teddy retorts, his anger curling back inside him. “Not anymore,” he mutters.
“Is that why you have a switchblade? Yeah, I saw that by the way. Have you hurt someone with it? Are you going to hurt me?”
“What? No, I would never hurt you… I’ve never hurt anyone with it, it’s only for protection.” I can’t help but cock my head back and laugh at the hilarity of that.
“So what happened then? Did they kick you out of the club? Were you too shit at hurting innocent people?”
“That’s enough, Noah,” Cat butts in, anger painted red on her face with a hint of nervousness. She comes between us both. “Teddy hasn’t been a part of his family for years now. Think about it from his point of view. How was he supposed to tell you all this? He struggled with it so bad you have no idea,” she explains.
Suddenly, it all makes sense.
“So you knew too,” I mutter quietly. I unclasp my fist as tears spill from my eyes.
“All of you knew about this,” I say, looking around the room. They all stare at me in silence.
I can’t breathe.
I can’t breathe.
I can’t breathe.
