Moving On..

~~Indigo~~

“Uh—I—um…” My mouth opened, closed, then opened again. Nothing came out. “This isn’t—uh—what it looks like, Teresa.”

Fantastic. I sounded guilty as hell.

Teresa’s brows lifted, expectant as she waited for me to come up with something more plausible. Braxton shifted beside me, running a hand through his hair. “She’s right,” he said finally his voice hard. “It’s not what it looks like.”

Thank God.

“I just came to check on her,” he added, his tone even. “Wanted to say goodbye. We’re leaving early tomorrow, and she’ll probably still be asleep by the time we head out. Thought it would be best to just tell her goodbye before Bianca and I leave tomorrow”

That caught my attention and I blinked. “Wait—what? You’re leaving tomorrow morning?”

He nodded once, not meeting my gaze again. “Yeah. No point staying longer. Might as well start the honeymoon early.”

I frowned, turning to look at him properly. “But you said you’d stay one more day. That was the plan.”

He shrugged. “Plans change.”

Before I could reply, Teresa sighed dramatically. “Well, that’s what newlyweds do, dear. They need their alone time. Make some beautiful grandchildren for me while you’re at it.”

My stomach churned at the thought. That was a comment that was definitely not needed. I did not need to start thinking about that… that would be just weird. Especially with the current dynamics between us.

I forced a smile, biting back a grimace but I screamed in my head, trying to lay off some steam. “Wow. Okay. Thanks for that image.” My words dripped with sarcasm.

Braxton rubbed the back of his neck, looking about as mortified as I felt but he didn't say anything about it anymore.

The atmosphere seemed pretty calm now as Braxton had saved us from having to do some explaining.

Then Teresa turned, pinning her gaze on Slade. “And you? What are you doing here, young man?”

Right. Slade was still here.

My neck whipped to look at him, watching as his eye twitched, his fist clenching by his side. The smile on his face when he had first sauntered in the room was now absent. He wasn't happy. I knew that much. It must have looked like something else from where he stood, unable to hear what Braxton and I were talking about.

He glanced between me and Braxton, jaw tight. “Forgot.”

Teresa blinked. “Forgot…?”

“Yeah,” he muttered, stepping back toward the door. “I forgot. Whatever it was, doesn’t matter now.”

He gave me a pointed look then without another word, he turned and left.

Braxton followed soon after, tossing me a look I couldn’t quite read before closing the door behind him.

Teresa sighed again, stepping inside more, taking a deep breath. “Goodness, we just finished the wedding, let's have some peace, yeah? Honestly, you three are going to give me gray hairs.”

“You already have some,” I muttered even though I knew that was not true.

She shot me a look, but let it slide. “Anyway. I came to sort the bills. You’ll send me the final figures for the event?”

“Yeah,” I said softly, still staring at the door. “I will.”

She watched me with narrowed eyes for a minute and it felt like my memories of that afternoon were written all over my face before she looked away. “I'll leave you to get some sleep, yeah?” She asked, her tone now soft.

“Hm” I hummed, forcing a smile.

With a final nod, she stepped out of the room and I stared long at the flat surface before I finally locked the door and crawled into bed, determined to address everything in the morning.

Starting with Braxton.

*********

Morning came too early.

I was up before the sun, pacing my room, my heart thudding. I just… needed to see him. To fix things before he left. To not end everything on a fight. That would be a terrible way to end our friendship. Maybe we could come to a truce or something.

Without thinking, I threw on a simple shirt to check the surroundings but when I stepped outside, the driveway was empty. The car was gone.

My chest sank at the sight and I was about to head back in then—

“Looking for someone?” A low voice sounded from the corner where I hadn't looked.

I turned. Slade sat on the porch steps, a glass in hand, eyes softly illuminated under the low morning light.

“Didn’t peg you for a sunrise drinker,” I said carefully, taking a few slow steps towards him as my heart raced when his lips wrapped around the rim of the glass again.

He didn’t look at me, just took another sip. “Didn’t peg you for an early riser.”

“Slade…” I sighed, walking closer. “Can we talk? About… what happened?”

He chuckled dryly, downing the rest of his drink. “What’s there to talk about? You made it pretty clear who you’re thinking about. Could have fooled me though. I wouldn't honestly give a fuck but right now, it's pathetic, Indie”

Indie. Not indigo. My heart chipped at the edge as he continued. “I'm trying to understand you but it's hard to”

“That’s not fair.”

“It’s not?” He finally looked at me, his eyes sharp. “You’re standing out here hoping he’d have waited to talk to you. He didn’t. They left for the airport immediately the sun rose. That should tell you something.”

I swallowed hard, not liking the way he kept making this seem like my fault. “I just wanted to make things right.”

“He didn’t,” Slade said simply. “He got what he wanted and left. No apology and no goodbye. Wouldn't be surprised if you imagined him touching you when I did”

My heart poundedㅡ Not just from fear that someone would hear but the accusatory tone in his voice.

“That’s not—”

“Don’t,” he cut in, standing now, towering over me. “You’re obsessed with him. I get it. He’s your best friend…” He drawled out the word. “Just… let yourself feel something without having to worry about it… I bet you they're screwing on that plane right now” His words were blunt and cut deep.

Wrapping a hand around myself, I opened my mouth, but the words stuck.

“What? Just because you kissed me, you think you know me?” My words cracked.

His brow raised. “I don't know, princess. Your cunt gripping my fingers like a vice tells a different story though. Those breathy little moans? Does he know what that sounds like? No? Right. Because I do know you well enough”

Silence again.

He sighed, stepping past me. “Figure it out, princess.”

“Slade.”

He stopped but didn’t turn.

“I’m leaving too.” I dropped the bombshell.

That got his attention. He looked back, brows furrowed.

“I can’t stay here,” I said quietly. “Everyone is leaving and you're going back to London or whatever too, need to go back home too soon. I’ll tell Emily, she can handle the rest. Just… tell your mom for me.”

He studied me for a beat, unreadable, then gave a small nod. “Do what you need to.”

As he turned to go inside, I exhaled, eyes burning.

Slade would leave for London soon, Teresa said he had a job to return too. Meaning I needed to find something to do before I ran crazy.

I was going back to the city to start afresh.