“Maybe that would’ve been best for both of us, but fate has other plans.”
“Fate...”Romeo narrowed his eyes, studying Chad.“I’ve got a question for you.”
“I thought you had nothing to say tome.”
“Well, I do.Why keep me?Why are you not freaking out?Calling the police?”
Chad’s eyes tracked back and forth over empty space.“When I knew you were out there, but didn’t know where, that made me anxious, but now I know exactly where you are I feel calmer.”
“That makes no sense.I’m dangerous.Especially to you right now.”
“I know,” Chad shrugged.“But it doesn’t make it less true.I feel ...content now you’re here ...like this...”
Romeo flared his nostrils.“Chained up you mean.”
Chad winced.“I prefer to think of it as under control.I don’t want anyone to know I have you because they’ll take you away.”
“Why do you want to keep me?”
“Because ...I need your help,” Chad whispered.
“My help?”Romeo tipped his head back and let out a savage laugh.“Too late.”
Chad continued like Romeo hadn’t spoken.
“There’s the Chad the press and public say I am, the monster, then there’s the Chad Ally, Josh and Keeley say I am, the good man.But something is missing, a secret Chad that I think only you know.”
“My Chad.”
Chad rolled his eyes.“The pieces of me that you refer to as your Chad, and I want answers too.I also want to knowwhy.”
“You said it yourself—you had a lot going on, you were struggling.”
“That’s whattheytold me.They are upset I did what I did, but none of them are surprised.It was as if they’d been expecting it, and they act ...like I let them down, like I disappointed them.”
“You did.”
Chad flinched.“My ...my doctor told me memory is a fragile thing, but the brain is remarkable at healing itself.He warned I might not get everything back and what I do remember won’t be linear, it be will flashes, moments, smells, sounds, feelings.I can’t rememberthatday, but since I saw you over that fence, there’s been glimpses of us.”
“What kind of glimpses?”
“At first, they were terrifying.I saw your eyes ablaze.I felt your hand around my throat, I felt fear, panic, but the snapshots that followed were confusing.I dream of your lips and hands, and your name spoken by me, not in fear, but awed, overwhelmed.I catch smiles when I close my eyes, the sound of your laugh in other people’s.It’s you, and it’s terrifying because it’syou.I’m not comfortable with that, but I want to remember what we were and remember the reason orreasonswhy I chose to turn my back on us.”
“My Chad is a liar,” Romeo snapped, but it tugged at his wounded heart just saying it, “He kept things from me, and he broke his promise.”
“What promise?”
“When the time came, we would leave this world together.He promised me that, and I stupidly believed him.”
“I’m still your Chad.”
“You’re not.The second you decided to take yourself from me, you stopped being mine.”
“He’s coming back, Romeo, day by day.He is, I am, we are, however you choose to think of it, are coming back to you.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Romeo looked away.“I don’t want you—him—whateveranymore.”
“You don’t mean that.”
