Dark City

43.

Nathan and Tom headed back down to the car. The iron gates opened swiftly and closed behind them after they crossed. Nathan backed out of the long driveway and found the onramp for route 35. He charged up to highway speed.

"I hate to do this, but you gotta tell me what exactly happened to Alex in that house. You know she isn't going to say anything."

"She passed out drunk and woke up with Liam looking after her, but when I got her home, she discovered she had henna on her back in the shape of the sun star. I took her to the hospital to get checked out. Morning after pill. The works."

"Hey, Tom?"

"Hm."

"Did you undress her?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"How did she see the sunstar?"

"She went up to her room to change. Next thing I know, she's screaming."

"Why were you still there?"

"We were going to smoke together. All right? Jesus. You're worse than Hersh and Dorn."

"It's scary what a good liar you are."

"I'm not lying, man."

"First you lied about seeing her at all."

"I didn't want you to freak out. I know how protective you are."

"Yeah, okay. I have a back piece, did you know that? Got a dragon after basic. I never see it though. So I never think about it. How did Alex see her henna immediately after getting home?"

"Damn it, Nathan," Tom said. "Fine. You're one hell of a detective. Alex and I hooked up. It's not a big deal. It's not going to continue."

Nathan felt his anger surge in his chest. His mind screamed, but his emotions were confined to his chemical strait jacket. Damn the pills. All he could do was stare off like nothing was wrong. "Was it just a kiss or something?" he asked.

"I would have told you if it was just a kiss."

Nathan was no longer in his head, watching the road and staying in the lines. The edge of asphalt blurred before his eyes and he felt himself leaving his body.

Nathan drifted into emergency vehicle lane, and as he jerked the wheel, his tires screeched and smeared tread marks on the concrete. He swerved off road and felt rocks beneath his tires. Tom was shouting his name. Nathan eased onto the breaks and yanked up on the emergency break. The vehicle whipped from side to side like a puttering balloon. They halted to a stop and Nathan hid his eyes.

"Get out."

"Come on, man."

"Get out before I saw your head off with a tactical knife."

They were in the middle of nowhere, but Tom didn't challenge him on that. He got out on the side of the highway and took off.

The pain in Nathan's heart was unbearable. He kept remembering parts of the day that had seemed meaningless before and now meant everything, remembering Tom's ripped pirate shirt the morning after Halloween, wondering had she ripped that sleeve in a moment of passion, remembering the vase of poppies on her nightstand, lamenting that she told Tom her favorite flower. He couldn't bear the thought of sharing her with Tom. He wanted to be the only man on Earth who knew her favorite flower.

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Music: Muse "Take a Bow"

I'm reusing songs, I know, but it's hard to find the right ones sometimes. I'm open to suggestions.