“What’s wrong?” I couldn’t hide what’s going on from Lo if I tried.

“I have to go. Something came up and I have to go take care of it. I’m fine, I promise. I’ll call you later.”  I try to walk away from her, but she snags my arm and I’d have to really hurt her to get her to let go.

“No. You are you going to tell me what’s up. Something has you spooked. What’s wrong?” I know she’s only doing it because she loves me, but I don’t need this right now. I need to get home to Sylas. I need to figure out some way to tell him that his father is dead once and for all.

“Look, it’s something with my dad, okay? I can’t talk about it right now,” I pull against her and her eyes widen. I may be small, but I’m a lot stronger than I look. I like to think if myself as compact, and not short.

“I swear to God, Lo. This is not time for you to be a nosy friend. Drop. It.” I don’t really care if she’s pissed at me. There have been many other times that I’ve had instances where I had to lie to her. But I was a lot better at it.

“Come on,” she says, and I shake my head. She looks around and then tows me outside. The only way to get free would be to make a scene and I don’t want to do that.

Lo pulls me out of the bar and down into an alley. What is it with me and alleys? She finally lets go.

“Look, I know you have a secret life, Saige. I’m not an idiot. I know you have things you can tell me, but something has you upset and it has me scared. I really do worry about you. You’re my best friend and I love you.” I’ve never seen Lo this way. So serious.

“I’m not going to ask you to tell me because if you could, you would have.” That’s true. And it’s not even that I can’t tell her. My secret life isn’t mine to tell. If I told her about me, I’d have to tell her about Dad and that’s definitely not going to happen.

“I need to go, Lo. I’m not in danger, I promise. It’s not me.” She searches my eyes and I can tell she’s searching for the lies. “I’ll call you later, I promise.”

“You’d better. Let me get you a cab.” She steps out and back onto the sidewalk and raises her arm. Yet another reason Lo is a good friend to have is that she can get a cab faster than you can say “taxi”.

Before I get in, she leans down and gives me a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

“I worry about you.”

“I know,” I say, hugging her back. “I know. I love you.”

“Love you too. Be safe.” I get in the cab and wave goodbye.

The ride back to my apartment takes forever and no time at all. I want to get there and I don’t because the minute I get there, I’m going to have to tell Sylas. He’s going to know that something is up the minute I walk in.

I open the door and find him on the couch again.

“You’re back early,” he says, sitting up. He looks a little concerned, but then he sees my face.

“What is it?” The color drains from his cheeks and I know he knows without me having to say it. I put my bag down and go to him. I pray for a steady voice and the strength to do this.

“Dad called,” I say and he freezes.

“He’s dead,” he says in a robotic voice. He’s detached and I worry about him having another episode.

“Yes,” I say, confirming it. “I don’t have any other details, but he’s going to be coming back tomorrow and if you want, we can go to the house and get all the details. All I know is that it’s done.”

He’s not crying. He’s barely breathing. He’s not moving.

“Talk to me. You need to talk to me, Sylas.” I put both hands on his shoulders.

“It’s done,” he says.

“Yes. It’s done. He’s dead and you never have to think of him again. It’s over.” I want this to be happy news for him. Freeing news.

“It’s over,” he repeats.

“That’s right.”

He breathes for a little bit longer and I wait.

“Okay then,” he says and then gets to his feet. “How was drinks with Lo?”

What? That’s it?

“It was fine,” I say, warily as he goes to the kitchen and comes back with a glass of water. “Are you okay?”

He grips the glass and I’m afraid it’s going to shatter.

“Saige, if you ask me that one more time, I’m going to break something.” He glares at me and sits back down. There are stains on his sweatpants and they’re definitely the same ones he was wearing yesterday.

“Come on,” I say, holding my hand out. “Come with me.”

He looks up at me as if I’ve lost my mind.

“No.”

“Yes. Come with me Sylas,” I say, making my voice a little softer.

He looks up at me and I can see he’s on the verge of breaking again. But he puts his hand in mine and gets to his feet again.

“Let’s go.”

I should probably have let him change out of his nasty sweats, but I want to get him out of the apartment. He needs to get out of this cave he’s locked himself in. We both need to get out.

Sylas gets in the car and buckles his seatbelt without me having to ask him to do it.

“Where are we going?” he asks.

“It’s a surprise,” I say, turning the radio on. “You can pick the station if you want.” He flips around and finally lands on the classic rock station that was on when I turned on the radio. Figures. We’re both creatures of habit when it comes to music.

“Why are we at my apartment?” he asks as I pull into an empty space just down the street from his old apartment. I think of it as his old apartment, because he’s been staying with me. We never officially declared that we were moving in together, but we basically have been.

I turn the car off and then get out. I meet him on the other side of the car and take his hand.

“Let’s go for a walk.” I tug him away from the front of the building and toward the private garden down the street. I know he comes here when he needs to think. It’s like his sanctuary and it seems like the place where he’d be the most calm.

We stop in front of the gate and he realizes what we’re doing. The tiniest of smiles makes his lips twitch.

“How did you know?” he says in a voice so quiet, it’s almost carried away by the breeze.

“Because I love you,” I say, and start pulling myself up. The people who designed the fence made it easy as hell to climb. There are foothold and places to grip everywhere in the form of decorative leaves and vines. I get to the top and look down. He’s watching me.

“You coming?”

“Right behind you,” he says and I drop down to the other side. Moments later he drops and then stands up.

The sun is just setting, bathing the garden in fiery light. The leaves on the trees are lit up and sparkling as the wind moves them.

“Take your shoes off,” he says, leaning down to take off the sneakers he slipped on before we left the house. I’ve still got my heels on from going out with Lo, and I’m more than happy to slip them off. Like at the beach, we stash them near the gate and continue walking barefoot. The grass is cool and makes me shiver.

“You need to talk to someone, Sylas. You really do. You haven’t been living lately,” I say. He sighs and looks up at the sky that’s painted with so many different colors.

“I know. I don’t know what to do with my life anymore. I feel like I’m starting over and that scares me. I’m so fucking scared, Saige.” His words break my heart, but I’m so glad he’s talking to me. So glad he’s not hiding anymore. That he trusts me enough to share these things.

“You can do whatever you want, Sylas. Whatever you want and I’ll support you. If you want to sit around and paint clouds, if you want to flip burgers, if you want to restore vintage bicycles. I don’t care. The world is your oyster, to use a cliché.” He’s got an opportunity, but it’s a terrifying one.

He chuckles a little at my suggestions.

“It’s not that simple. I have the guys. I can’t abandon them, not now especially. Your father has something on all of us that he’s using to keep them working for him.” I know that and it doesn’t make me happy.