Massie and I were drunk.

Ryan, Jay, and Jason were wasted.

Kim and Kai hadn’t come out.

“Melllll!” Ryan slurred.

I lifted my legs off the water and walked over to my brother. He was sprawled on the tiled ground by the pool with Jason and Jay, all topless in swimming shorts. A variety of tan, freckled, and dark skin laid in front of me.

I crouched down to their level. “What do you want?” I smirked at the sight of their chests. Well, except my brother’s.

“Jason claims he has more prominent abs than me!” Jay said in disbelief. “Can you believe that?”

I feigned shook and gasped. “Jason, is that true?”

The redhead smirked and slapped his rock-hard chest proudly. “Come feel them yourself.”

Normally, I’d have said no. However, in that drunk moment under the colourful lights around the pool and my boyfriend’s absence, I complied. Maybe I hoped Kai would walk on us and feel jealous as he made me feel. I crawled closer to the guy and crouched down to his chest level. I let my finger slide over his pale, freckled skin. I felt the rise and fall of his chest and the echoes of his hammering heart. His skin was warm, unlike my icy finger.

“My turn!” Jay pushed his friend away and took my hand to place it on his chest.

I did the same movements on his dark skin, except Jay was ticklish and giggled under my touch. Ryan was last.

“Results?” Ryan inquired.

I swallowed. They were equally attractive, and in all honesty, I didn’t care about their abs anyways. Nonetheless, maybe I could side a little with someone for giving me a valuable piece of info. “Jason’s,” I answered.

Jay and Ryan wanted to throw a tantrum, but I had got up and left before I could hear it. If Kai were there, I’d definitely make him win, but he wasn’t. Even then, I couldn’t stop thinking about him. I fished my phone out and sent him a quick text.

‘I wish you dropped your ego and were with us tonight. You hurt me. I’m sure Massie is upset with you too.’

The excessive movement caused my head to swirl; I had to rest. The chilly breeze hit my exposed arms and froze in place the silent tear that was about to leave my eyes. I sighed in gratitude. I hugged myself, rubbed my skin, and soon grabbed a blanket on some chair to shield my body.

I spotted the birthday girl by the pool. “Massie,” I called.

She stopped playing with the pool water with her hand. She looked childish. “Hmm?”

I sat beside her and put my legs in the water again, forgetting I was getting cold. “Happy birthday again,” I slurred with a childlike smile.

She giggled. “Thank you! I enjoyed my time with you guys very much.”

I smiled at her, playing with the water as well. The image of the pool brought back memories.

“In the pool… Would you believe I did that to Kim?” I asked after a bit of silence. The thought had never left my head, and I knew it wasn’t going to until I heard at least one of them agree to believe me.

Massie took a moment to herself to process what I meant. She laughed drunkenly. “C’mon, Mel, we all know you didn’t.”

I blinked. “Then why didn’t you guys say anything in my defence?”

She tapped her finger on her chin, pondering. “Because Kim loves attention, and if you confronted her, she’d say it was a joke. It’s best to ignore her.”

I swallowed. “I’d have appreciated it if at least one person stood for me.” I pushed my feet harder in the water. “Not even Kai did.”

She held my shoulder. “Forget it, Mel. We know Kim for longer than you do. She just wanted to make you uncomfortable, so we opted to pretend like it didn’t happen.”

I nodded. “Massie… How could someone like you be friends with her? How is she so different from all of you?”

Massie smiled humourlessly. “God, how can you say that after what I did to you?”

“You changed,” I simply excused her. “You’ve been a great friend to me, Massie. I’m thankful.”

She looked at me with dewy eyes. “Thank you so much… I think our friendship is what changed me for the better, Melanie. Unbelievably, I was once as annoying and unbearable as Kimberlee. You can say the coma missed her on some maturity, and she is still nineteen.” She laughed, although we both knew a coma wasn’t to laugh about. She added, “Our friendship made me realise human bonds were beyond materialism. Getting closer to you, sympathising with your mother’s death, helping you find out Ryan is your brother… I felt so humane.”

I held her hand on the edge of the pool and side hugged her, mumbling words of gratitude. Our feet played with the water absentmindedly.

“Is Kim… Is she a sex freak?” I cut through the silence.

Massie laughed. “Who told you that?”

“Someone.”

She shrugged. “Well, Melanie, if I dated a guy as good-looking as Kai, I’d undeniably be a sex freak.”

Her answer annoyed me, but I blamed it on the alcohol. I wasn’t about to add Massie to my overthinking list. I didn’t know how serious she was either. I was suddenly self-conscious of all the girls ogling my boyfriend, including one inside with him alone in a dark villa. Great. I left my boyfriend inside with a potential sex freak.

A part of me expected him to drop his ego any second and show up to celebrate Massie with all of us, but he didn’t. I kept thinking of it until alcohol stole our consciousness, and all we wanted was to enjoy our time together.

But Kim… Kim…

“Massie, I need to go.” I got up and almost slipped back in the pool but didn’t care. I had an urgent mission.

I walked inside the spacious, dark villa. All the lights were off. Only God knew what could’ve happened inside while we ate and drank. A wave of nausea hit me. I lit up the living room. I was met with Kim’s chocolate eyes while she drank something that steamed, tucked in a cosy blanket. I could see a lot of her skin exposed in a crop top and shorts. If she was cold, why would she reveal so much skin?

“Hey, kiddo.”

I ignored her. She only wanted to provoke me. It was only a little over a year between us. Moreover, as Massie said, she obviously missed maturity.

“I prepared Kai a warm drink to help him sleep. Don’t bother him, or you’ll get hurt.” She took a sip. “Oops, perhaps you’re already hurt. I’ve warned you.”

My fists clenched, and I glared. “How dare you speak to me like that?”

She chuckled. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“Kai is my boyfriend! Stop slutting around him!”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. Why would he want a Nissan when he could get a Porsche? You were just his plaything until I was back, Melanie.” She looked me up and down, meaning to belittle me. “You have a nice figure. He must’ve enjoyed toying with you for a little.”

Tears brimmed my eyes, but I sucked them back. I was thankful for the dim lighting. “You know that’s not right. You’re just a cheater who can’t accept breakups.”

She looked unfazed even when her legs shifted in discomfort. “Sure. Keep consoling yourself with some lies Jason fooled you with.” She looked around the spacious living room. “Ah, I’m thankful the accident didn’t wipe the memories of this place away. Sex was amazing in it.”

I gaped at her boldness and took in a sharp breath. Kim was shameless, and so I needed to treat her back the same. “Shut up, you fúcking loser. If you think he still wants you, why’s he still with me? I am the girl he comes out to the world with. I am the girl he calls his girlfriend. I am the girl he went against his parents for. You’re just no one to him now, but you can’t accept that fact in your little walnut brain.”

Kim put the cup down and stood up. “You… bítch!”

I pointed my index her way. “I have more self-respect for myself than to speak to scum like you.”

I stomped off the room and went upstairs, ignoring her barks. She was a desperate loon who I wasn’t going to waste my time on. By that limit, I was sure I was going to throw up. My legs carried me to the toilet immediately. I fumbled with the doorknob loudly, got in and kneeled behind the seat to empty my stomach.

It was painful to feel my guts wanting to throw themselves out of my body, but not more painful than the ache in my heart. A hand wrapped around my loosening hair from behind, and another soothed my back. I felt myself tremble at his familiar touch.

“Mellie, baby. I’m sorry.”

I craned my neck little enough to catch his darkening face. “Don’t baby me. It’s too late, Kai.” I got up from my position and out of his grasp. I freshened up quickly on the sink. “You let your ego hurt me willingly. You stayed inside with her alone to stir up my jealousy.” I clapped, looking at him through the mirror above the sink. “Congratulations. You’ve successfully made me doubt myself and our relationship.”

I exited the toilet, hugging my shivering sides.

He held my hands and stopped me in the hallway. “Mellie, listen, please. I’m sorry. I’m ready to make up for this any way you want. I’ll talk to her. I was an arsehole. I’m so sorry!”

“Let go,” I whispered through held tears. “I don’t wanna see you. Not until I know what to do with you.”

Pain struck his face. Rejection would always surprise an aristocrat’s son. Kai let go and went on his knees. I urged him to get up, starting to cry uncontrollably, but he didn’t listen. He thought I could forgive him in one sitting.

“I love you, and I can prove it. I will not move till you let me know how to fix it. Please.”

Love me? Did he for real? At that limit, I wasn’t sure.

“Kai, get up; this isn’t the way.”

He didn’t budge.

“I need time. Let me be,” I said and backed away slowly from his figure.

I entered my room. Once I closed the door behind me, my tear ducts proceeded with their job. I cried without suppressing myself. I didn’t hold back a tear or a sound.

It was too late. His indifference had scarred me. He let her hurt me when he could’ve stopped her. He acted like such a coward, feared people’s opinions to hurt his ego, so he chose to hurt me. Kim’s matter wasn’t even related, but he twisted the situation against me and used it to pressure me.

The doorknob twisted open without my permission. I disliked the behaviour, but once I saw my brother’s tender eyes, I softened. His skin was pale and obviously dehydrated and cold, and his eyes were bloodshot. He must’ve had just thrown up the alcohol too. I walked up to his embrace.

“Kai informed me,” he said. “I’m sorry, Melanie. Your brother has got you.”

. . .

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