“Did… did they catch him? Max, I mean?” My heart hammers so hard I wouldn’t be surprised if Keller could hear it.
His face darkens, his eyes turning lethal. “Yes. I found him by your car in my parking garage.”
“He-he was getting the keys to my apartment.” Keller’s brows furrow. “To get my medications for me. I had to tell him about, you know…” My face heats up. I needed my meds.”
“Fuck. He’s lucky I didn’t do more damage to his pathetic ass…” Keller closes his eyes, struggling to remain calm. “Let’s just say it’s better all around that the police have him in custody.”
“I don’t want to talk about Max.”
“Me either.” Keller sits on the edge of the bed, using one hand to brush my hair back, tucking it behind my ear. “Before you say whatever it is you’re dying to say, I need to tell you something.”
I tense up, wondering if Keller is about to volunteer information about the invitation. Then his eyes go soft and his hand gently caresses my cheek.
“Britt, I-I figured out some stuff while you were… gone.” He hisses the word gone as if it were laced with poison. “Bear with me, I’ve never done this before.” For a brief second, Keller looks uncomfortable, but it doesn’t last. His expression returns to soft and kind… and something else on his handsome face I don’t recognize. “I realized I love you, Britt. I never thought I’d find love. I definitely don’t deserve love, let alone from someone as sweet as you. But I can’t help it. I love you.”
My mouth falls open in shock. Keller loves me? This time, when the tears well up in my eyes, there’s enough moisture for them to fall.
“I love you too, Keller. Sometimes I’m strong, but when I’m not, you make the darkness go away. You make me feel safe.” I glance down at my lap. “It sounds stupid.”
“No,” he says, putting a finger under my chin to lift my face back to his. Keller leans forward and presses a chaste kiss to my lips. “It’s not stupid. Nothing about you is stupid.”
“Keller…” I take a deep breath, knowing I might be about to ruin everything, destroy the budding love we have for each other. But I have to know about the invitation and Keller deserves to know about me. No more secrets. “I freaked out when I saw your invitation.”
I hear his sharp inhale and his face goes a little pale. “Yes.”
“I have one too. I-I was there, Keller. At the school. I was the only one who…” My voice cracks and the tears flow faster. I sniff and grab a tissue from the bedside table to wipe my nose.
“I know,” Keller says.
“What?” My head jerks up.
“I know you’re the survivor. The one they never named.”
“How? How long have you known?”
Keller trails his fingers down my cheek, swiping away tears with his thumb. “I kind of suspected it after you freaked out, but I didn’t know for sure until…” He tapers off.
“I went to your parents’ house when I couldn’t find you. I spoke with your father.”
“Where is my dad?”
“He went to get food for your mother.”
I snort and roll my eyes. “My mother doesn’t want him here because it takes attention away from her.” Keller lurches back at my scathing words. “Oh, please. Tell me you didn’t notice that everything is about Rose Shelton-Reeves, even when her daughter is unconscious in a hospital bed it’s about how much sympathy she can get from the nurses, the staff, whoever happens to be around.”
Keller’s cheeks turn red and he looks away. “Yeah, I noticed. I wanted to tell her off, but I knew if I did, I’d never get in to see you.”
“She’d never have let you in no matter what you did, Keller. That’s just how she is.” I reach up and this time, I pull Keller’s chin until he’s looking at me.
“Now,” I say. “I need to tell you what happened in your condo.”
He nods, so I begin.
Keller
I don’t know if I should have stopped her and mentioned my sister died in the shooting, but once Britt begins telling her story, I don’t want to interrupt and blurt a bunch of shit out. So I remain silent.
“I was shot in the head, behind my left ear. I got lucky. It wasn’t a direct hit. It… it went through…” Her voice cracks. “another person before hitting me so the bullet was slowed down enough that the bullet didn’t go in deep.” She stops and shudders. “I didn’t remember anything from that day. None of it. Or any of the days leading up to the shooting. The doctors said the memories might come back eventually, but I was glad I couldn’t remember. I didn’t want to remember. Who would?”