“So where are we going?” I ask Ashley after a short time in the car.
He smirks and says, “What? Dahvie was actually able to bite his tongue and not give the secret away? Might have to start giving that man more credit, if that’s the case.”
“No. Neither one would tell me. All Jayy said was I was looking for a dress with red and black lace on it,” I say, rolling my eyes.
“And you chose very well in my opinion,” he tells me, tracing the lace design as we’re stopped at a red light.
“I kind of figured that by your reaction back at the house, but I didn’t choose it. Jayy found it, and thought it was perfect,” I tell him, giggling, and looking down at the dress. Then adding, “I picked out the accessories and the shoes, but that’s it.”
“Ah, but the accessories are what makes an outfit come together or fall apart, so you did well,” he tells me, as he presses down on the gas.
I shrug, and say, “Maybe,” then we fall into a comfortable silence, until we arrive at the beach. Wait. Beach? Shouldn’t we have some sort of swim suit then?
I don’t have long to dwell on this fact, before my door opens, and Ashley helps me out of the car. We walk for a short distance, then come upon a beautifully decorated area of the beach, with a table in the center. He pulls out a chair, and motions for me to sit, then pushes it in, and gets in his own.
After a few moments pass, Ben comes out of nowhere, dressed in a suit, and I try to hide my giggling at the sight of Ben Bruce in a full suit. He pours two glasses of wine, and gently sets one in front of me, then the other in front of Ashley, and heads back to wherever he came from.
I look at the wine, then to Ashley, and arch an eyebrow. He chuckles at me, and says, “Come on. You can’t tell me you’ve never broken a few rules.”
I smirk and as innocently as I can say, “Me? Never. I was always a good girl.”
This makes both of us laugh, then we pick up our glasses, and I gingerly take a sip from mine. Mmm, it’s yummy. And it’s red, so I’ll have to make sure to be careful with my new dress, even if it’s already a dark colored dress, it can still be stained.
Anyway. They next thing I know my phone is ringing, and I fish it out to ignore the call and turn it off, but when I pull it out, it’s not a call. It’s a text from Jayy. I send Ashley an apologetic look, then check the message.
“Katie, I’m sorry, but we might not be at home when you get back. I have to take Dahvie to the hospital. He fell down the stairs and cut his head open pretty bad. Don’t cancel your date with Ashley, but be home by midnight. ~Jayy”
Dahvie’s in the hospital? Oh, no. I try to listen to Jayy’s orders, but I’m lost in my own thoughts through most of the dinner now. I can’t seem to focus, and I can tell Ashley notices. He asked me what happened, and I tell him, “Jayy told me not to cancel our date, but I can’t seem to focus. I’m sorry.”
“Hey, don’t be,” Ashley says, “Tell me what happened.”
“Jayy took Dahvie to the hospital. I guess Dahvie fell down the stairs and cut his head open,” I tell him.
Ashley takes my hand and says, “It’s alright if you want to check up on him. I’d be happy to take you, and even stay if you want me to. Just let me know.”
I nod, and whisper, “Please.”
I know what Jayy said, but I have to know if Dahvie’s really okay. He is my brother after all, so Ashley stands up and takes my hand, then we head back up the beach, and to his car. He passes me his phone, and says, “Text Andy, and tell him what happened. He’ll tell the others”
I nod, take the phone, while he backs out of the parking spot, and text Andy’s phone. A moment later, he sends back, “Alright. I’ll tell them, and meet you there.”
“He said he’ll meet us there,” I tell Ashley, as he speeds down the highway.
“Alright,” he replies, not taking his eyes off the road in front of us.
After a few moments of silence, I begin to cry, and when Ashley asked what was wrong, I say in a miserable tone, “This is all my fault. I never should have gotten close to Dahvie and Jayy. I shouldn’t get close to you or the rest of the guys either.”
Ashley then pulls off to the side of the road, and gets out of the car. A moment passes, and he opens my door, and pulls me from the car, and says, “No one blames you, Katie. It was just a freak accident. People fall down the stairs all the time.”
“No. I’m bad luck. For anyone who tries to get close to me,” I sob into his shirt.
I hear him sigh, then whisper, “Katie, you’re not bad luck. Bad things happen. We can’t always control it. We can only make the best of it when those things happen, and move on.”
“You don’t know!” I scream back at him, struggling out of his grasp, then once out of his arms shout, “My brother was kidnapped and murdered after I was born! My parents died in a car accident because I wouldn’t stop crying in the backseat of their car! Now, Dahvie’s in the hospital with his head cut open, and God only knows what else, because I let myself get too fucking close to them! This is my fault! I caused this! I’m bad luck for everyone! I shouldn’t even be allowed to live!”
After he recovers from the initial shock of what all I just told him, he tries to pull me close to him again, but I back away, shaking my head, then start running down the highway. He catches up with me in no time though, and we crash to the ground. Damn these heels!
“No! Get away from me! Please!” I scream at the top of my lungs, until my throat is hurting, and I can’t scream anymore. I then sit there and whimper, “No. Please. Please, don’t.”
When I stop fighting him, he pulls me close, and says, “Please, just listen to me, Katie. I know it’s pretty soon and all, but I . . . I love you. I’ve felt this way since I first saw you, I just didn’t know it then. Tonight, despite what happened, has been amazing. It’s at the top of my most memorable nights, in fact. Now, let’s stop this useless fighting, and get to Dahvie’s side. Alright?”
I’ve given up fighting, so I just nod, and he picks me up, and carries me to the car. Once we start moving down the highway again, I tell Ashley, “I’m sorry. I know if all you said was true, I’m about to hurt you, but I can’t do this again. I can’t go on another date with you. I can’t risk something bad happening to anyone else. I’m sorry.”
I watch as his hands tighten on the steering wheel to the point his knuckles turn white, and his mouth forms into a hard line. He sighs, then releases his tense muscles, but doesn’t look any happier. He only nods, then parks in the hospital’s parking lot, and we head in, in silence.
Once inside, I walk over to the nurse’s station and ask, “Is there someone here by the name of Dahvie Vanity?”
“Let me check,” she tells me, and starts typing. She then asked, “Who are you to him?”
“His little sister,” I tell her.
She nods then asked, “And how do you spell the name?”
“D-A-H-V-I-E,” I tell her, “Then just Vanity, like a Vanity mirror or whatever.”
She nods, then types a moment longer, and says, “Yes. He came in about an hour ago. Take the elevator to the second floor, turn left, and he’s in room 252.”
I thank her, then head to the elevator. I press the button a little harder than necessary. When it takes too long for my liking, I opt for the stairs, and race up them as fast as my heels will allow me to. Once I’m on the second floor, I race down the hallway, and nearly pass the room.
My shoes slide on the tiled floors for a moment, then I gain my footing again, and speed into the room. Inside, I find Dahvie sitting up on the bed, with a white bandage across his forehead, and when he sees me, he gives me a disapproving look.
I go to sit opposite of Jayy, but Ashley stops me, and sits in the spot I was going to occupy, then makes me sit on his lap. For my brother’s sakes, I don’t argue, but I’m not happy. Ashley’s going to stop at nothing, obviously, to stay in my life, so I’m going to have to do something so horrible he’ll never want to see me again. Well, that can be arranged.
“I told you not to cancel your date,” Jayy says, disapprovingly.
I shrug and say, “What? Is it suddenly a crime to worry about my brother’s well-being? If that’s the case, lock me up now, because I already lost one brother. I’m not going to lose another.”
He sighs, then shakes his head, but says nothing else.