I was choking down a protein bar as I walked into the gym, pausing to quickly shut down the alarm system before dumping my bag in my office. I proceeded to trudge through the opening checklist until it was time to unlock the front doors. I didn’t try to force a smile as I sat behind the front desk, waiting for the usual morning climbers to trickle in. I filled the silence with my favorite songs and zoned out, waiting for Kate to arrive and take her place so that I could retreat to my office.
It was only eleven in the morning, but it felt like I’d lived three fucking lives. The hot coffee I had made an hour ago hadn’t done anything to help boost my energy levels and I was struggling to keep my eyes open staring at the computer screen.
The front door burst open. I nearly toppled out of my chair, having closed my eyes in a half-awake daze.
I bolted up out of my chair as the man stormed straight into the building, gaining the attention of one of the personal trainers who was leading a free-climbing class.
The familiar face of yet another ghost from my past left me standing with my mouth gaping open. Jae’s eyes search the room wildly before landing on my face. I watched his brown eyes bug out as he scanned my appearance with scrutiny. He let out of a huff of disbelief.
“Where is he?” he demanded. “Where’s Nox?”
My brows furrowed, my body tense as the trainer took a step towards us, with a look of concern at Jae’s raised voice.
“He’s n-not here. I don’t know what you're talking about,” I said, trying to speak calmly and quietly.
Jae stalked to the counter, slamming his index finger on the top. “His location says he’s here. So, where the fuck is he?”
My lips thinned and I put up a hand towards Sean to let him know I had things handled.
“Let’s talk outside, okay? Before my coworker calls the police on you.”
Jae looked over to find Sean eyeing him and huffed with a nod of agreement.
“I’ll be right back,” I called out to Sean.
“Everything okay?”
“Fine,” I said, forcing the shitty mood off of my face with a smile. “Be back in ten. Just heading out front.”
I followed Jae outside, beckoning him to move further from the entrance, around the side of the building where no one could eavesdrop and I knew the security camera mounted on the wall wasn’t actually recording. I stopped, crossing my arms over my chest, and squinted up at him, giving myself a moment to really look at the man he’d become.
Jae had filled out his lanky frame with more muscle, towering over me, his hair its natural black and cropped short on the sides. Like Enoch, he no longer looked like the boy I’d met in high school.
“You know, I-I didn’t believe him. I didn’t even believe that deputy’s story, but this…I can’t…Jesus Christ.” He bent at the waist, bracing himself on his knees as he took several shaky breaths. He seemed to steal himself before rising and eyeing me with a look of vengeance.
“Look,” he spat getting into my personal space. “I dunno what the fuck you’re goal here is, but you need to stay the fuck away from him. Both of us. Alright?”
Jae’s fierce expression told me he’d at least held up his promise to protect Enoch, even if he couldn’t get Enoch to move on.
He hates me. He actually hates me.
When I didn’t respond, he carried on.
“You’ve already ruined his life once, I’m begging you, please don’t ruin it again. You don’t have any idea what it was like when you died, when you…And seeing you again, fuck, he thought he need psychiatric intervention because he couldn’t comprehend how you could be alive. How you could just leave us like that and be living here without a care like we didn’t fucking matter. Like you didn’t fucking rip his heart out…”
Jae took a deep breath. “Just, please,please, if you ever cared about us, do this one thing, and stay the hell away. We don’t want anything to do with you and whatever fucked-up shit you got yourself into.”
My heart hurt watching him beg me just like Enoch had when he’d clutched my body for dear life. I had wanted to give him what he was begging me for. I wanted to be able to tell Enoch that this was all a fucked-up prank or something. I wanted to do that more than I had the courage to tell them the truth. Tell them what I’d done. Tell them I had fucked up by ever involving them in my life.
I guessed it didn’t matter, anyways. The truth wasn’t going to change anything. Not our past and not their future. Especially not how much they clearly hated me now.
“Fuck,” Jae muttered, looking behind me.
I glanced over my shoulder and my stomach bottomed out.
Enoch.
“What the hell are you doing here?” he shouted as he approached, shoving Jae backwards, out of my personal space.
