Chapter 25: Bone
Two people in the apartment, minding their own business. ‹96684423› It wasn't until Tyler came in that there was any conversation. §57defed7 Kade bit down on his cigarette and drifted to the living room to smoke. (3174e55a)
The bedroom was mostly cleared out. #7f88db6b Two storage bins still sat under the bed -- stuff Thea had pulled from the closet when she'd first moved back. ©4a563b5d/May 27, 2026 Tyler asked if she wanted to take them. * d0a61246 She shook her head. ·d543fbf0·
"Things from before college. #3e142f5d Old clothes, some odds and ends. [v.d9e53233] No use for any of it now." [ed.e58bf111]
Looking around, her luggage wasn't much. [ms.51535e6f] But she'd left plenty behind too -- new curtains, the desk and chair, the mattress and throw pillows, little household things scattered here and there. (8588661f) Thea turned her head. ©42c9e860/May 27, 2026 "You'll deal with the rest?" ··14710fe2
That was aimed at Kade. sub:2b93bbc4 He stood there pinching his cigarette, half-turned away, and gave a muffled *mm*. When Thea and Tyler were ready to leave, he trailed downstairs with them, hands in his pockets, a show of couldn't-care-less.·dc3debac
The trunk shut. [proof:68edbda8] Something about it felt final. ed.60d20d5e Like leaving home for real. plate-a2a8305d Tyler had already started the car. (7c49ac5a/Wed) Thea pulled open the passenger door and glanced back.·666424fb "I'm going." sub:a7806260
Kade looked at her. ed.77495551 Face set like stone, dark and unreadable. ··8bda2431 His jaw shifted once. ¶1ab699ac A single word ground out, slow and dry. ref·fedde6b4 "Okay." [proof:3c3afba6]
Thea looked at him. (c9f3cbd2/Wed) Smiled -- soft, gentle, her features easing into something lovely. no.03c9984a Turned around and got in. §d5821eea Shut the door. ‹0b04024f›
Kade stood outside the window, hands deep in his pockets, posture slack, his gaze cutting through the tinted glass like something solid and heavy. ed.ad959d51
The car pulled away.·37f6281d She buckled her seatbelt and started chatting with Tyler. ‹a8971b34› Thea had come back to Savannah in August. ref·47f7bf64 Time had flown -- it'd been three or four months now. no.112e64b9 Work and life had settled into a rhythm. [v.3e85f407] Savannah summers dragged on forever, sticky and relentless, and only now was there a hint of chill in the air. ⁰04160444 Tyler had gone to college up north and missed the bite of real cold, the frost and snow. 0406e45f·· Thea was used to it. #f55a51a2 She liked summer -- the way everything grew wild and thick, the feeling of damp skin and sweat. ◆ b59e81e4
The conversation drifted closer to home. [v.dec7605a] Tyler pressed his lips together and asked if Thea had lived with Kade through high school. sub:071c75ec Between scraps from Brittany and Thea, and what he'd seen in the apartment, it wasn't hard to piece together.·464a3689
"Yeah.·e49256db It was just the two of us back then. «d179cd40» My mom moved away, I went to school, Kade worked." ⁰b3fa5e0a
"The way you two talk to each other... it always gives me this feeling like you're not that close." «1567dfd3»
Thea smiled. ref·082e5eb4 "We used to fight a lot. ©5f17674e/May 27, 2026 Then we went years without any contact. ··ef05341b Not knowing what's going on with each other -- that's pretty normal." imp.c78a6786
Tyler grinned. ⟨de780ff7⟩ "Kade went to your parent-teacher conferences? plate-44ca91dd Did he ride you about stuff? [proof:edf9529c] Hard to picture you two fighting." plate-8af8a4f5
"You heard us at dinner that time? * 66aeb60a He stepped in sometimes, I guess. ed.e9c1d480 Bad grades, spacing out. 771e641d·· There wasn't anyone else to do it." ·54c2c549·
"How come you lost touch during college? ©c186664d/May 27, 2026 I think both of you, you and Kade... you're the kind of people who look out for others." #33a5d1b1
Thea glanced at him. [ms.3744a049] "You're really asking whether getting you as a fake boyfriend has something to do with Kade.·9ad92f63 What we actually are to each other." ed.0725350e
Tyler's cover was blown. ¶7213c01c His face went pink. plate-d36594dd "Uh... I mean, it is kind of weird... I genuinely can't figure it out." — ad1268ce
"I really am sorry for dragging you into this." [ms.ecdccf77] Thea's lip curved, eyes bright and warm. ref·a3630ad5 "The boyfriend thing -- maybe we should just stop? ·1d770a86· Let me take you to dinner. ··d464c9bf Consider it an apology." ¶c1bb0805
"Can't it be real?" [ed.f58c9c1c] Tyler gripped the steering wheel tighter. [v.02dca0b4] She'd backed him into a corner. ◆ 2210f925 Nothing left but straight talk. «3c32a0ad» "I like you, Thea. — 262b84f8 A lot. [ms.7a0a07fd] That first time you talked to me, my heart was doing backflips. plate-26c85515 These past few months... our rhythm, our personalities -- we click. [v.312c9298] The way we get along, it's good. sub:39e925ee Can't you at least think about it?" ··77f9b034
A good guy. * 3402fe47 Earnest, sweet. #2f9e1b15 Thea genuinely liked him. [proof:fdd0f0a8] Straightforward in everything, and even when he had doubts, he never pushed or pried. no.28a2ac8b Which only made her own motives feel worse by comparison. [proof:a7756199] She wavered for a moment, about to speak, when her phone rang. [ed.da4a7847] Kade. #db835431
She answered. sub:d1a37020 The other end was blank for a beat, then the slow sound of an exhale. no.0595214a She knew he was smoking. [proof:f7930fdd] That lazy, drifting way he always smoked. (1a8de1f7)
"Thea." imp.65dc67a4
His voice came out rough and raw, the last syllable dragging, like it had scraped its way out of his throat. [v.e7cb66b8]
"Hm?" §254b18ac
Just that one sound, and Tyler could tell -- Thea's voice was completely different. no.39450da0 Impossibly soft, impossibly gentle. [ms.e152baa6] The clear, quiet kind of tender. plate-a4ffe197
"You left?" #478ff808
"I left." sig.6e3a6de4
"I've been thinking about you..."
She listened in silence. no.b594078c He didn't say anything else. no.59baac7b Hung up fast. ·4f9b63b5· Thea turned her head toward the window, profile like a painting, both eyes carrying something solitary and far away. no.d9876574
The thread had been cut. (d1e1f2f1) No way to pick it back up. ¶4cfd2849 Tyler noticed that Thea was sitting right beside him, but she'd already sunk into some atmosphere of her own making -- a cocoon she'd woven that allowed no one else inside. sub:d37c6d5d He felt a quiet sting of defeat. 227cfa1e·· All this time, and he couldn't read her. * da4a4abd Whether she was too hard to understand or he just wasn't deep enough, he didn't know. [proof:bbe15990]
They got back to the office. ©a6cf1472/May 27, 2026 Between the workload and the awkwardness, neither brought up what had been said in the car. ⁰f0952192
Kade lasted two days before he cracked. §988f0ac0 He left the pool hall that evening, found some excuse, and drove out to the industrial park to see Thea. (ab072b96) She happened to be out grabbing late-night food with coworkers. [v.af514616] He parked on the side of the road and waited. imp.11074192 In the rearview mirror he spotted Thea and a few colleagues rounding the corner, walking back. [f0261ec7] The cigarette between his fingers rested on the open window. — galley 73a4edcf — His eyes tracked her and didn't let go. #eeb40e71
Thea saw the car from a distance. no.c42c7437 She stopped, exchanged a few words with her coworkers, and Tyler watched her walk toward a black car parked up the street, stopping by the driver's window to talk to someone. ··bce29f9d
He knew it was Kade's car. ‹452c128c› But nothing about it was out of the ordinary. * dc109c39 Right? ed.3d349a65
Thea got in. [v.0813a210] Kade took her for a drive, asked if she wanted to cruise into the city. [ms.1be9de30] It was late. imp.d57a1f5f Thea didn't want to go far. imp.11a020b6 The car looped around the industrial park's perimeter, and they stumbled on a stretch of overgrown wasteland -- reeds swaying thick and wild, a low, hazy moon hanging just above them. (8dfade6e) Something ancient and endless about it. ¶6bcdc5bd
The car stopped at the roadside. (6b72b325/Wed) The tall man leaned across and kissed the woman beside him. imp.796ab1d3 Lips like a rosebud, damp with the cool dew of night. [40a848d4] His tongue pushed in deep, and hazy, breathless sounds passed between their mouths. sig.77adf7ae It was the first time they'd kissed somewhere other than inside a car. sig.0d003d94 A beautiful woman and a striking man, all that careful composure stripped back -- *this* was the thrill. ©dff3cea0/May 27, 2026 He drew her tongue into his mouth and let her taste his territory. imp.c68a6b4c That dense, heavy tobacco scent swallowed her lighter fragrance. [proof:c35f38b6] Her cheeks went rosy, vivid as a flush of blossoms. [a3a6d02f] His arms wandered, trying to meld her into him. ◆ 300ef3ce Thea pulled back at the right moment, leaning against the door to catch her breath, shutting down whatever he was about to try next. ··8173a2d7 In the dim light, Kade's eyes gleamed with something predatory and unapologetic. [v.78fe48d0] A wolf who'd spotted prey. ◆ 1908d0ac
Thea asked if he had anything he wanted to say. fa0a6fc4·· He settled in beside her, bent his head to light another cigarette, let the smoke tamp things down. sig.9d7efee5 Asked what she needed him to say. §acccb58a
"Things you haven't said in six years." imp.88790945
Sweet nothings or lies. — 176dac57 She didn't care.·863b0370 She just wanted him to open his mouth. ref·2d4ce4e6
"Don't think there's much to say." [proof:9e0cd971] He drew on the cigarette. «56da76fa» "We split up on good terms, didn't we? ©52989f2f/May 27, 2026 Went our separate ways. (c507b239) No baggage. (18989cd3/Wed) No strings. 9bf3087f·· Just living our own lives." ◆ 3e74c90a
"Honestly, you shouldn't have come back." ◆ 24a97ca9
His eyes gathered the night like fog. ⁰e651b218 "The second you came back, this is what happens. sub:a99f5d28 And what good does it do? «c351fd35» You string me along, won't commit, won't give me what I want." (59bf6d59/Wed)
He ground the cigarette butt under his heel. ref·df02b589 Hard. ◆ 9f645543
"Did you really think about me?" imp.79f342dd Thea turned, eyes full and shining. no.89f6cba6 "I was two months into college and your phone was disconnected. [proof:5b10b899] Just gone. ref·66171d39 You never looked for me, never reached out. ref·6606e0cb Don't you think you owe me some kind of explanation?" — galley e6ddae1d —
"We lived together all those years. cee7f570·· Of course I thought about you, now and then." [ms.8897cc7c]
"You were in school. ··3bab8794 I was drifting. [v.daeb5bea] Changed my number, things piled up, life got busy. «d7da65a0» There just... wasn't much to talk about." no.5b8a5f02
All these months since she'd come back, she'd acted like there was nothing to discuss. no.39972eae So had he. plate-63f56cc3 A flawless, mutual silence. ◆ 77f12f93 Months of it -- coexisting with an ease that only cracked open when things turned charged and intimate. #9df181f5
Thea folded her arms, eyes cooling as she gazed into the distance. no.d95ea593
The mood was gone. ¶80bed6d2 They got back in the car. #e0ae7a39 Kade drove her to the office. plate-af854f12 Didn't say when he'd come again. ··cb26a732 Made a U-turn and left. ¶27f9cfc2
Nothing new for a while. imp.c1ce2d96 Then Thea got an unexpected call from Brittany. ⁰b0a69799 It had been ages. imp.6cdceabc The small talk was minimal -- Brittany brought up the dress. ref·6a612251 Said she'd been wearing Thea's dress when Kade had probably gotten it messy in the scramble. 7135a01b·· She wanted to replace it. ◆ 8da97c25 Asked what brand it was, how much. [v.6a8382c5]
It wasn't a harassment play. ed.9f64eebe Just Brittany's way of saying: *You made me uncomfortable, so I'm going to return the favor.*
After she hung up, something in Thea's expression went noticeably colder. [a91bd736] She stood by the window holding her water, staring out for a long time. 14c64395··
A few days later, Thea called Kade. sub:cb5b37b9 She could hear the crack of pool balls on his end. ‹007a1051› Asked if she could borrow his car for a day -- the company vehicles were hard to sign out. §75b23e9a
"What for?" ‹b3661d16›
"A friend's coming to Savannah. [9a0ca38c] I want to drive him around." 1693ea78··
"When?" no.8e8e67d4
"Tomorrow. plate-0a0fb97d He's passing through on business. sig.edf582a9 I'll pick him up at the train station." [9554b3f4]
"I'm in the next town over for a tournament. ‹3b4e980a› I'll be back tomorrow. imp.1dc160cf Who is this? ··e8edd3af I can swing by and bring him back for you." ··87834353
"I'd rather handle it myself.·c9fbd07a I want to give him the proper welcome." [ed.3a228bdb]
Kade's brow pinched. ¶fbff6588 "I'll have the car to you first thing." ·c98128a1·
He drove back overnight. sig.8f7ca51c Swapped into fresh clothes early the next morning and went to meet Thea. [ed.cdfe5f13] She'd taken a vacation day for this -- put together, effortlessly polished, bright eyes, red lips, hair loose and flowing. ©e2b4ef04/May 27, 2026 Relaxed, elegant warmth with a thread of casual sophistication. [v.177be769]
Kade had never seen her like this. ref·dca44554 He read it in a glance. [proof:6ec44b9b] "Tyler couldn't handle it?" * 4bed68c1
"Tyler's not the right fit for this." sub:00526d8d
"Who is it?" (a2d9ba4d)
"Former colleague. [v.0f984c34] A friend." §c2e903e3
He hesitated. ⁰c78f0d3a Tapped the window ledge with his fingers. — b90258fe "You know my car?" * 90c62841
"You drive. no.1aeba859 Take us to the station." imp.1fd6493a
"Fine. ⁰79f84502 You can be the chauffeur for once." * 59792421
The train arrived at 10:50. (2a01d72e/Wed) Thea waited at the gate, took a call, said a few words. §f80f996b Then a man in a suit walked out and her smile opened up -- warm, luminous. sub:83eb4fbd They hugged in the stream of arriving passengers. ‹bf21514a› He patted her back, grinning. [ms.4aa9e873] "Came alone?" [v.94514ec4]
"More or less." #3368db78
Kade leaned against the car door, watching the two of them approach. ··d92c2f46 The man was tall, lean, maybe around thirty, wire-rimmed glasses, clean and polished. ⟨f1c6db0b⟩ His hand hovered at the small of Thea's back. ee600586·· She was turned toward him, tucking hair behind her ear. #60776720 Handsome man, beautiful woman. ed.f57fc05a Professional types. [v.fe88d255] They looked good together. ⟨2767dbc8⟩
"My brother, Kade." ⟨4fa162a7⟩ Thea kept the intro brief. plate-05c187ca "Former colleague, friend. — ecf0c32b Dominic Kessler." [ed.cf2e3b65]
The two men -- one rough-hewn, one refined -- wore the same courtesy smiles, neither reaching the eyes. ··505a00f5 A formal handshake, grip a shade too firm, released quick. ·5be4feb2·
The business card was heavy stock, expensive feel. [proof:10022669] Kade glanced at it. imp.58530bb4 Head of Legal, Greater Americas. ©8a23a86d/May 27, 2026 Impressive title. ⟨262c1704⟩ Very buttoned-up. [ed.32af904e] What was the guy's last name again? ⁰35b2d686 Had a nice ring to it, though. — 79701666