Chapter 3 Tears and Tire Screams

Desmond's hand clamped on my arm like a vise, pulling me away from Caspian. The heat of Caspian's kiss still burned on my lips, a reckless, desperate warmth that momentarily chased away the icy chill of my despair. But Desmond's grip was firm, his face a mask of disapproval.

"Avery! What in God's name do you think you're doing?" His voice was tight, strained above the thumping bass of the music.

I stumbled, disoriented, the alcohol and the sudden interruption making my head spin. "I... I don't know," I mumbled, trying to pull my arm free. "Just... leave me alone, Des."

Caspian stood behind me, his expression unreadable in the flashing neon lights. His gray eyes, though, held a flicker of something intense, something that made my heart flutter despite the turmoil inside me. He didn't try to stop Desmond, just watched with a quiet intensity.

Desmond's grip tightened. "No, Avery. We're leaving. Now." He started to drag me through the throng of bodies, his movements forceful.

"No!" I dug my heels in, the sudden resistance surprising even myself. A stubbornness, born of pain and a desperate need to feel something other than the crushing weight of my reality, took hold. "Let go of me, Desmond!"

Our struggle became a clumsy dance in the crowded club, attracting the curious and judgmental gazes of other partygoers. Desmond's frustration grew, his whispered pleas turning into sharp commands.

"Avery, you're drunk. You're not thinking straight."

"And what exactly is there to think straight about, Desmond?" I retorted, my voice rising. "My husband's cheating on me with my cousin! My baby is gone! What exactly am I supposed to be thinking?"

The raw pain in my voice seemed to momentarily halt Desmond's efforts. He looked at me, his anger softening into a pained understanding. But his resolve didn't waver.

"That's exactly why we need to leave. You're vulnerable right now. This... this isn't the answer." He gestured vaguely towards the direction Caspian had disappeared.

I shook my head, tears welling in my eyes again. "Maybe it is, Desmond. Maybe feeling something for a few minutes is better than feeling nothing at all."

He sighed, a sound of pure exasperation. "Come on, Avery. Don't do this."

But I wouldn't budge. A small, defiant part of me, the part that had been crushed and ignored for so long, finally pushed back. Eventually, realizing he wasn't going to win this battle in the middle of the crowded club, Desmond relented, his shoulders slumping in defeat. He steered me, with a frustrated sigh, towards the exit.

The cool night air hit me as we stumbled out onto the street. The noise of the club faded behind us, replaced by the distant hum of the city. Desmond practically shoved me into the passenger seat of his old Honda Civic.

The silence in the car was thick with unspoken tension. Desmond started the engine, his knuckles white on the steering wheel. Finally, he exploded.

"What the hell was that back there, Avery? You just met that guy! You were practically making out with a complete stranger!" His voice was a harsh whisper, laced with anger and something else... worry?

"He wasn't a complete stranger," I mumbled, staring out the window at the blur of streetlights. "There was... a connection."

"A connection? You were drunk, Avery! You're hurting! You're not in a place to be making 'connections' with random men in a club! I brought you here just to have a few drinks and dance your sorrows away. Not to start making out with whoever the heck that was."

"You think getting drunk and dancing would have solved my troubled soul?" I shot back, the alcohol fueling my own anger and defensiveness. "At least he made me feel... something other than this emptiness." I gestured vaguely at my chest, which had been twisting so painfully for as long as I could remember.

"He made you feel used, Avery! Don't you see that? You're vulnerable, and he probably just saw an easy target. You of all people should know how deceitful men are, especially after how that idiot Hector betrayed you."

"Oh, so now you're judging me?" My voice rose, cracking with emotion. "You're supposed to be my friend, Desmond! You have been my best friend for almost ten years. So you're supposed to be there for me! Not scold me like a child!"

Tears welled in my eyes again, hot and stinging. The brief peace I had found in Caspian's arms had evaporated, leaving behind a fresh wave of shame and hurt.

"I am your friend, Avery," Desmond said, his voice softening slightly. "That's why I'm worried about you. That's why I didn't want you going off with some guy you just met. Or don't you realize how dangerous what you just did was?"

"Then maybe you should have just let me have that one damn moment!" I cried, the tears finally spilling over. "Maybe you should have let me feel something, anything, other than this crushing pain! I feel like ending it all at this point."

The rest of the drive was filled with my choked sobs and Desmond's frustrated silence. When we finally reached his house, where I was staying for the night, the air between us was thick with unspoken words and raw emotions.

He walked me to the door, his expression a mixture of concern and exasperation. "Just... get some sleep, Avery. We'll talk in the morning."

I nodded, unable to meet his gaze. Shame washed over me. He was right. I had acted recklessly. I had probably embarrassed him. But in that moment, the need to escape my pain had been so overwhelming, so all-consuming.

I went inside, the silence of Desmond's guest room amplifying the turmoil within me. I lay in the dark, the events of the night replaying in my head. Caspian's touch. His gorgeous gray eyes. The brief flicker of something... promising? And then Desmond's angry intervention.

As I finally drifted into a restless sleep, a sudden, jarring thought jolted me awake.