The Things We Couldn't Forget

Chapter 23.

How does one even begin to explain?

I haven't been in one place at one time with multiple people who mean anything to me since I was a little kid.

And look how that turned out.

I start with a hug.

I walk to Kelsea and hug her for caring. For denying reason to get out of this place to come back and check on me. For being my one true friend in this whole world.

The thing about being a girl as lonely as me and finally having a friend...is how much I know it hurts to lose them. Rebecca had loved me once too, and look what happened to her.

"Fuck you for coming back." I look up at her and give a weak smile.

She returns it. "Fuck you for making me." I step back and she glances nervously at Dallas who is still being an interloper from the other room.

"My brother." I explain. "Dallas."

He watches her nervously. The same way she watches him.

"I don't know if you've heard..." she says, turning her attention back to me.

"Don't tell me." I shake my head and clutch my hands into fists at my sides to keep them from shaking. "Mrs. Statham's niece?"

Graciously, Kelsea looks confused. "No." She says and I let out a small sigh. "I don't know anything about her, but you two," she waves a finger between Aries and I. "Are all over the news."

Aries looks up sharply, mouth dropped open. "What do you mean?"

Kelsea sighs and comes further into the room, sitting on the arm of my father's recliner. From the other room, Dallas shifts over slightly to still be able to see us all.

"So they were holding some town hall or something, I don't know." She waves her hands around flippantly as she talks. "This town thinks it is the one from freaking Gilmore Girls, what was it called?"

"Stars Hollow." Dallas and I say together. We share a small glance, both knowing how mom loved to watch that show.

"The point, Kelsea." Aries says from the couch, trying to rein us all back in.

"Right, so they're having this meeting or whatever." She goes on. "And they're talking about precautions to take and what to look out for and lockdowns and all that other bullshit when someone shouts out about Aries." She spares him a tiny remorseful glance. "Which leads to other people shouting out stuff. And then more."

"Is there maybe a cliff notes option of this story we could get?" Dallas sighs loudly. "So we can get to the part about my sister getting dragged into this?"

Kelsea turns her eyes up but ignores him. "So then the whole thing basically turns into everyone shouting their conspiracies over each other." She looks to me. "And of course there was press there." I roll my eyes. Of course. "And they really took one story and literally ran with it." She takes a quick breath. "Basically now all of the news outlets are speculating the suspicious coincidence that Aires and you are both back in town, and were both here before."

I guffaw. "Those two things literally have nothing to do with each other!" I throw up my hands. "I just got back and he's been here! He's literally got a house and has been living here and I'm only in town to get money from the estates."

"Yeah well," she shrugs. "Be that as it may," she offers. "There is a lot of talk now about how the two of you were a thing back then and now the daughter of the original killer is back right as all of these new cases start to pile up and he's connected to one of the murders."