Quiet. Solitude. A fluctuating breeze lifted the curtains as if Mother Nature was inhaling and exhaling. The delicate gust caused the lit flames of the candle to dance as the sun faded behind the Redwoods. Keir wasn't much of a drinker, loving a good Mourvedre every now and then but the essence of bourbon melding with notes of nutmeg and smoked vanilla beans being released from the wax eased the complexing thoughts that were heavy on his mind.

Finished connecting all the border pieces of a puzzle that was supposed to be a snapshot of a New York borough as illustrated on the box next to the coffee table, he abandoned it to surrender to the words on the pages of The Devil in the White City. He had been that way for the last forty-plus minutes enjoying the company of himself and then the unexpected happened. The doorbell rang. He ignored it the first time, glancing at the TV screen that was only some program he hadn't been watching but was about finding someone missing from some small idyllic town in Europe. It was a foreign language program so the volume wasn't very high as subtitles appeared on the screen. He went back to reading, placing his head back on the pillow ensuring a crook did not form in his neck from the couch's arm.

This time when the doorbell rang his cell lit up next to the pile of puzzle pieces on the coffee table.

Hazina: Answer the door or I'll break the window.

"The hell!" Keir muttered, shooting off the couch knowing the woman was crazy enough to pick up a stone from the front yard and catapult it into a window. He swung the door open coming face to face with a beautiful brunette, her sleek bob brushed the collar of a red crop top that matched the matte red lipstick on her smirking mouth.

"You can stop now." His eyes went to a shiny silver manicured nail still pressing down the doorbell.

She relished the doorbell, "How dare you try to ignore me." Her smile grew bigger as she slipped her cell into the back pocket of the black jeans that hugged the curves of her body exquisitely. "I'm famished." She kissed his cheek not needing to lift on her tiptoes, the heeled boots give her the extra inches she needed to reach his face. "I know you cooked." She walked past him and went straight to the kitchen.

"Hello. How are you? I'm fine. Come in." Keir postulated the steps of a conversation as he closed the door and followed her into the kitchen. He watched her take a long swallow from the wine bottle. "You should've called first."

She lowered the bottle from her lips but kept her hand wrapped around the neck. "Why?"

"Because..." He looked at her like the reason was oblivious but she just peered back at him with blankness. "I could've been in the middle of something."

She chuckled loudly retrieving a fork from the side drawer. "Keir, please." She stabbed the fork into the middle of the skillet that rested on the kitchen island. "Try that on someone that doesn't know you well enough. She twisted the utensil around until she was satisfied with the amount of red creamy pasta wrapped around it then punctured two shrimps. "You don't do hookups." She said before claiming the food in her mouth.

He grinned with a nod of his head. He did in fact have hookups but that wasn't her business so he let her believe what she wanted.

"Why are you here?" He asked as she chewed.

She held up a finger, chewed once more, and then swallowed. "Do I need a reason to visit my baby brother?"

Before he could utter a word she answered her own question, "I don't." She plunged the fork into the skillet again. "This is divine. If you would've joined Mom and me at the restaurant you won't be hiding out here."

The humor drained from his face, "Thank you and I'm not hiding out. I like the—"

"Peace and serenity of nature. It's a gift we should cherish before it's destroyed." She completed his statement. "I know the spiel. But it's me so cut the bullshit. Okay."

He slid his hand across the cool granite feeling specks of granulated spices and seasonings, "This was the best choice for everyone."

"Best choice." She tutted, dropping the fork and letting it clack against the metal rim of the skillet. "They don't deserve the best nor do you deserve this." She gestured around them.

He looked around, not seeing the downside of living in a lake house that he designed in the middle of a forest. But he understood what she meant. This wasn't the life he was supposed to have; not as of two years ago.

"Did you go?" He asked, a bitterness grew on his tongue as he waited for the answer.

"No." Hazina declared happily. "But I should've so I could've stuck my foot out and made her trip and roll down the aisle."

The corner of his mouth lifted as hurt still clung to his body. He thought it would've been gone but that type of betrayal leaves scars. It festers in your soul and rears its demented head every time he thought of them or the notion of marriage.

He breathed out a deep breath and said, "I hope they're happy."

"I hope they're miserable." She shrugged without care, sliding a new fork into the belongings of the other skillet. "They don't deserve to be happy. How can you claim to love someone but sneak behind their backs for a year while planning a wedding."

"I don't need the recap." He hissed standing from the stool and going to the living room. He dropped on the couch not wanting to remember his best friend and fiance were having an affair which she tearfully disclosed to him the night of their rehearsal dinner.

Hazina joined him on the couch. "I'm sorry." She rested her head on his shoulder as he peered blankly ahead at the screen. "I just miss having you in the same county. We all do."

"Did he go?" Keir asked.

He didn't have to say a name or a title Hazina knew who he was referring to. A moment of silence grew between them and she said. "You know Dad."

"So he went." He slowly nodded.

"Malcolm is his lead architect." She tried to justify.

"And I'm his son."

"Don't make it like that." She said lifting her head and turning her body to face him. "We're all just trying to make the best out of a difficult situation. He was the only one to go...of course, Mom was with him but neither of us did."

He smiled dimly. The 'us' included her and their three brothers—Rayan, Ehsan, and Colm. The last two were twins that were three years younger than him. There was a ten-year gap between him and Hazina and a twelve-year one between him and Rayan but they all were still as close as could be. So him being so far away was a problem for all of them. But he needed to be away from the two initial cities; for his mental health.

"Zina..."

"What?"

"Can we not talk about this?" He quietly asked.

The mist in his eyes created a twist to her face. She sidled to him, put her arm around his shoulder, and pulled him close. He rested against her as she stroked his shoulder like she did anytime his heart hurt. Being one of the oldest she claimed the mantle as a sibling parent with actual parents that were busy earning a living.

"If you need to cry, cry. Papa can be wise but about that he's wrong. It doesn't make you weak." She kissed the top of his head, meeting the faint aroma of apricot and coconut. "Feel the emotions, let it out, and then you can tell me about this woman that's got you smiling again."

Keir let the tears stream down his face silently in the embrace of the one person that he knew he could be completely honest with. He mourned the person and life he thought he would while knowing he held some blame for his ex-fiance's actions. It was hard maintaining a relationship when one-half of the unit was emotionally closed off.

It took him two years to find the solution to that problem even though showing that side of himself riddled him with anxiety.

Do you think it was good that Hazina come for a surprise visit?

Why do you think Keir hasn't shared his past with Katrina?

How do you feel about his Dad and Mom going to the wedding of the two people that he feels betrayed him?

How did you like this Keir chapter?