The truth in our songs

Chapter 65

Blake-Achlys Huxley

It was hard. Everything was hard. After what Dillon and I'd discovered three days ago nothing felt the same. I felt like I'd been blinded my entire life.

Dillon and I stood in the living room of my mansion and both stared out the window where Maia and Nicolas walked through the fields together, arm in arm. Healing together.

Chloe's parents home, thinking their daughter found a lover and ran away with him. The letter I'd written to them with Dillon, telling strangers that their daughter was fine and that she graduated earlier than planned and fell in love with a drummer. We learned her scrift until I wrote just like her. We'd sat in Dillon's guestroom and while he spoke I wrote.

Dear Mom, dear Dad,

I'm sorry. I know both of you are often travelling for business and I know both of you have trust in me of managing here just fine. I am. I really am. I am not apologizing for the fact that I might disappoint you two because I'm sure you'll understand.

I fell in love.

Yes, love. Mom, I fell in love the way you fell with dad. Just that it wasn't a stranger I bumped into while hurrying to my University classes and who turned out to be my dorm neighbour.

I fell in love with a drummer. You know him, dad- I already introduced you two months ago. I just realized that there is never enough time in life. I don't want to wait a few more weeks, months or even years. I want to live now. And I want to experience the world and what it has to offer.

I will be fine. I promise. But i don't want to wait. I'll write you two letters and I'll send postcards wherever I am. You'll be hearing from me. I promise.

I love you and I always will!

Love, Chloe

I just listened to everything Dillon told me about them and wrote a letter out of the information I figured. When the letter was written, the ink dried and nothing left to say- we sat in silence on the floor of the room and watched the sun going down.

,, You met her dad? ,, I asked Dillon after moments of silence passed between us. He just nodded.

,, He is very kind. He loves her with all his life. And he told me he trusted me the evening I ca,me over for dinner and when i left at night. ,, Dillon said while his eyes didn't meet mine ,, I trust you with her hand in yours and her eyes on you. She really likes you. I want her to be happy, you make her happy. ,, he quoted and slowly his eyes wandered over to me, beside him. ,, I make her happy. He trusted me with her. He trusted me- Blake. I let her die. ,, his eyes were indifferent but I saw the pain behind that facet.

,, Dillon- ,, I gripped his shoulder ,, She is not your fault. She's mine. Because she trusted me and I let her down, I let you all down and the blame is upon me. And I will never forgive myself for not saving her, for not being able to keep my promise toward her, toward you. I promised you I would keep an eye on her- and you trusted me. ,, I looked at him urgently and it tore on me to see mybest friend break like that, in such a hurtful way.

,, It was Anna ,, Dillon said numbly and looked outside the window opposite his bed against which we leaned again. ,, It was her who shot. Her who pulled the trigger. ,, his gaze dropped to his lap ,, And we didn't see it coming. ,,

,, She tricked us all ,, I said to him.

,, No ,, Dillon shook his head and looked me back in the eye ,, What she did was ingenious and artful. It was no trick. She knew what she was doing, she had planned this too well. ,, he suddenly chuckled humorlously ,, It is a shame, isn't it? That we didn't even assume anything. She was suspicious the entire time and we brushed it off. ,,