Page 130 of Darling Venom
Mom, Dad, Leah, and Kellan.
I waited a few minutes after Jonah retreated to enter my apartment. The door creaked open. I poked my head inside. All the lights were off, but Leah usually stayed up at this hour.
Then I noticed her.
In the dark. A glass of wine cradled in her hand. Filled to the brim.
I flicked on the lamp beside the couch. “If our utility bill seems low this month, I know why. You are single-handedly saving the environment. One bulb at a time.”
“Phil’s engaged.”
It came out low. Detached. Like she was informing me it’d rain tomorrow.
I winced. “To Natalie?”
She didn’t answer.
I watched her sip the wine, continuing even when I thought she’d stop. Once she emptied it, she set the glass on the carpet at her feet, staring straight ahead.
Streaks of black stretched down her cheeks. Dry.
The tears must have stopped a while ago.
Oh, Leah.
How long have you been sitting here?
“Do you think they were together while we were together?”
Honestly, I wouldn’t put it past Phil. But that had nothing to do with Leah’s worth and everything to do with Phil being worthless.
“Does it matter?” I sat on the opposite end of the couch. My hand itched to touch her. Comfort her. Give her a sister to rely on. “He’s a jackass, and you deserve way better than him.”
“Do I?”
My heart broke. Shattered right there on the cheap carpet for both of us to see. Only, she wasn’t looking. She never did.
Leah couldn’t see past her own despair. If only I could shake her and beg her to open her eyes. But the last time I’d done that, the last time I’d offered a list of everything I loved about her, she’d only become more self-conscious.
So, I settled for: “I’m not even gonna dignify that with a response.”
“Which is a response itself,” she pointed out. “Don’t worry. I don’t blame you. For not wanting to reply to that, at least.”
But she blamed me for the fire. For ruining her life.
If I knew what to do to make this better, I would do it in a heartbeat.
No matter how much it hurt.
No matter how much I suffered.
She finally turned to face me, gifting me a glimpse of how many tears she’d shed tonight. A lot. Enough to leave her eyes swollen and her cheeks dotted with mascara clumps.
“Did you tell Jonah to ask me out?”
“He wanted to ask you out on his own.” I reached for her hand. She pulled it back so fast, her nails scratched my skin. I forced myself not to wince. “He asked you out that first time—”
“I’m not talking about the first time. I’m talking about today.”
