Chapter 8 To The Rescue

• Oaklynn
• After our sort of dinner date, I hadn’t heard from my pretend fiancé. Though I still went to check on his mom, and there was still no significant change.
• Zorii had moved in with her brother temporarily, and we hung out on a regular. We became fast friends and found that we could confide in each other. So, one Saturday afternoon, when we were sitting in the park, I came clean and told her everything Kylo-Tristan related. I’d just finished telling her about my proposal and she was surprised and slightly upset about her brother’s proposition.
• “I apologize on his behalf. I don’t know what’s gotten into him lately,” she said with a frown. “It must be this thing with mom, it’s really eating him up,” she sighed, digging her fingers into her temple. “The other night I heard him crying in his room, and Lo isn’t a crier. Well, at least not in front of me,” she divulged.
• “True,” I agreed with a concerned frown. “I’ve never seen him cry.”
• “That’s because you make him happy,” she replied with a half-smile.
• “I don’t have that pleasure anymore.”
• “He still cares, you know?” she replied. “When you broke up, he had Justin Timberlake’s Never Again on repeat and even learned how to play it on his grand piano and acoustic guitar.”
• “I didn’t mean to hurt him. I hope you believe that.”
• “I know. I do.”
• “I’d rather not get into that with him now, though. He has enough to deal with as it is.”
• “Guess it’s been hard on both of us...” Her eyes glazed over, and she glanced around. “Our mom is our rock. I don’t know what we’d do without her.”
• “You just need to remain positive,” I encouraged. “Just keep hoping and believing
• “I’m more open with my feelings, but my brother is the exact opposite. He keeps things inside and lets them fester.”
• “It can’t be easy for him.” I found myself quickly rising to his defense. “He must feel like he needs to be strong for all of you.”
• “I know. You’re right. He’s always been like that, though,” she gave a shaky smile. “So, what are you going to do about his proposal?”
• “Told him I’d be more than happy to be his fake blushing bride,” I clasped my hands between my knees and fluttered my lashes with exaggeration.
• Zo went quiet for a moment. “I know I’m not supposed to tell you this, but...I will because I’m worried about him,” she bit her bottom lip, hesitating again, caught between not telling me or betraying her brother's confidence.
• “What is it?”
• “Kylo has taken to drinking himself into oblivion-like every other night. He thinks I haven’t noticed.”
• Biting my tongue, I held back my comment, my fingers kneading the nape of my neck. “Maybe he’s just trying to find an escape or a way to numb the pain.” Glancing up, I looked into the distance, to the rolling hills visible beyond the horizon.
• “Do you think you can drop by later and maybe talk to him?” And there it is. I was hoping she wouldn’t go there.
• “I don’t know if he’ll appreciate my interference...” I said, shooting her an uncertain look.
• “Please, Lynn?!” She grabbed my hand, squeezing it. “You’re my only hope... and his too.”
• My smartphone beeped with an incoming text message. “I’m sorry, Zo, I have to go. Hailey seems to have misplaced her keys.” It wasn’t an excuse-or maybe it was.
• “Go ahead,” she shifted back and managed a small smile. “I think I’ll stay here a little longer.”
• “Call me if you need me, okay?”
• “I will.” Giving a tight squeeze, I hurried home.
• Later, much later, Zorii actually called me. Kylo was in a bad state, and she didn’t know what to do. I don’t know if it was a ploy to get me there or if it was a genuine concern. Either way, I knew I had to go and check on him.
• I still had the passcodes, so I let myself into his penthouse. When I stepped out of the elevator, I found Cash and Zorii sitting in the living room. Her nose and eyes were red-rimmed, and she was clearly relieved when I walked in.
• “Thanks for coming, Lynn. I know it’s lat,e but you said to call if I needed you, and I-”
• “It’s okay. I’m glad you called.”
• “He doesn’t want anyone in his room or near him,” Cash frowned. “I hope you’ll have better luck.”
• “Where is he?”
• “In his bedroom,” Zo pointed in a direction I was very familiar with.
• The door was unlocked, and I didn’t bother knocking. I entered his darkened lair quietly, tripping on empty bottles as I made my way to the huddled figure on the huge bed, curled into a fetal position.
• Clothes were strewn all over the room, and the smell and mess told me that it hadn’t been cleaned in days. The stench of alcohol hung in the air, and I stepped over to open the windows to get some fresh night air circulating in the room. The blinds that hung from the floor-to-ceiling windows were drawn apart, allowing the night sky to shed its light.
• My gaze drifted around, finally falling back over to him, and my heart clenched as I heard the tormented sobs that tore from his mouth and shook his body. Blinking back tears, I took a couple of steps toward him, and he jerked up. He stared at me for a while, as if trying to decide if I was real or just a night vision conjured up by his imagination.
• A sob caught in my throat when our eyes met. I had never seen him like this, and after today, I hoped I never would. His face was pale and withdrawn, ashen with grief. The inner torment was all too visible; tears falling like rain from his troubled eyes.
• “Oaktree?” he croaked; his voice thick with sorrow.
• “Hey...”
• He was disheveled, his chest bare. He looked tortured, defeated, and broken. All I wanted to do was gather him in my arms and kiss all the pain away-erase that tormented look from his gorgeous face.
• “You’re here? It’s not a dream? You’re really here?”
• “Yes...I’m here.”
• Without waiting for a second thought, I shed off my jacket and tossed it to the side, and took off my shoes before crawling onto the bed.
• “I’m sorry,” he said, his voice weighed with sadness. “I didn’t want you to see me like this.”
• “It’s okay.” I covered us with his light comforter and lay beside him, clinging to him, hoping he could feel what I wanted to tell him without using words. He buried his head in my chest, his arms tightened around, and his fingers dug into my back.
• “I-I can’t lose her...” he choked out. “She’s-all- I got...I can’t’…”
• “I know, baby. I know…” My eyes pooled with tears, and I silently grieved with him. “You can let it all out. Don’t hold onto the pain and the fear. Let it go.” Cradling his head against my chest, I stroked his hair with my other hand. “It’s okay to be weak sometimes, it shows that you’re human. You can’t always be strong,” I coaxed soothingly, combing my fingers through his tousled hair. “It’s okay. You can let go... It’s just us. I’m here for you. I got you, baby. I’m right here.”
• And let it out he did.
• He didn’t hold back. It’s like the floodgates opened up. He must have cried a river-and so did I. I know I was supposed to be comforting him, but tears and Kylo were my ultimate weakness. I couldn’t help it.
• Kylo wasn’t prone to random outbursts. He wasn’t the kind of guy who openly displayed his weaknesses. It tore at my heart to see him in this state. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do but be there for him.
• My T-shirt was soaked to the skin, and I didn’t care. All I cared about was the broken man weeping uncontrollably in my arms. He was hurting badly, and carrying the weight of the world had finally taken its toll. He broke. He crashed. The pressure had become too much for him to bear.
• Exhausted from crying, we finally drifted into a fitful but much-needed sleep.