2. Man of Honour

August 2026,

Scars Bay, USA

Jayden

"She's quite persistent," Alyanna commented after Stella left. I took a breath in relief. Finally, it was just the two of us.

I turned to face her and smiled. She was back. "She is." I patted the pillow on my lap. "Now, where were we?"

Alya pursed her lips and ignored my invitation to lie down in my lap again. "She seems nice. Why do you want to break up with her again?"

I released a breath. "She's annoying."

"She was there for you when you needed it the most," she said, referring to the time after she was gone and I had begun acting out, so much so that I was impossible to be around. That was the time most of my 'friends' realized it was best to leave me on my own and gave up on me. I was better off without them anyway. I didn't need them. Or anybody else. Only Alyanna.

"For which I am thankful. But I can't do this anymore. I tried to love her but I couldn't. She doesn't measure up to you!" I was frustrated that she was taking Stella's side.

"You know this isn't healthy, right?" Alya asked, pointing towards the both of us.

"You keep me sane, Alya. I cannot live in a world you don't exist. Even if you're just a figment of my imagination."

She smiled a sad smile. "You're lonely."

"Please don't start with this," I groaned. "I don't want to talk about a future with another woman. Not when I miss you the moment I step out of this house."

"Okay, fine. Stay in denial."

"I will, actually," I informed her. "In fact, I like it this way. Just you, me, and Storm."

"That sounds awfully lonely."

"You disappear when other people come around. So if being lonely is what it takes for you to remain in my life, to always be in love with you, then I will happily be lonely. I prefer your company to other people's anyway. They're all annoying and have made a habit of telling me how to live my life."

"We are each our own devil, and we make this world our hell," she replied, quoting Wilde. "Your life is your own making. You're alive, Jay. Heaven and hell are a lifetime away. You need to move on. Maybe even fall in love again. Live again. You deserve a fresh start. A chance at life." She looked sad. I hated making her upset.

I replied with a Wilde quote too. "You don't love someone for their looks, or their clothes, or their fancy car, but because they sing a song only you can hear. And Alya, only I can hear you. If I stop listening and move on, you would leave. And I would have to be a really shitty boyfriend to make you leave me twice."

Her hand extended to touch me and I closed my eyes. A slight breeze hit my face and I smiled. She was always here with me. "I love you, Jayden."

"I love you too, Alya. You're all I need."

"Both of us know that's not true. Not only are you lonely, but you are also unhappy," she pointed out. "You used to like going to your dad's office and helping him out. You used to love cooking. You dropped out of university to start your own restaurant. But you barely go to work. You loved racing with Grayson and working on cars with Cameron. You haven't talked to the twins in years. Ajax was your best friend. Do you even know what he is doing these days? And you're ignoring Kate's calls now. You're not okay, Jay. You miss your friends. You need help. There is nothing wrong in asking for it."

I looked away.

"As you said, I am a figment of your imagination. If this wasn't true, and if you didn't think so too, I wouldn't be saying it, would I?" she asked.

I released a breath. She was right, as always. "I don't want to love anyone else but you."

"You don't need to love someone else to live your life. You just need to accept my death and be at peace with it. Stop being angry at the world and everyone in it."

"I don't even know where to start."

"First, pick up that phone." My phone was vibrating and it was Kate again.

"The two of you really need to get over your issues. A proper conversation is long overdue, Jay." Alya hated the fact that Kate and I didn't talk.

"Maybe I should start with something else. I don't want to listen to anything that woman has to say. Not after she lied to me and went behind my fucking back. Not when she's the reason for," I stopped abruptly. Stop being angry at the world and everyone in it. I didn't know how to. I had been like this for so long, I didn't know how to be... normal again.

"You know it wasn't her fault," Alya said, a small smile on her face. "She was just trying to do what she thought was the right thing."

"Oh please, don't stop on my account." I heard a voice say. I turned around and Kate was standing at the entrance of the hallway.

Katerina Eloise Van Acker was the uncrowned princess of Scars Bay. She was the daughter of Benjamin Van Acker, the richest man of Scars Bay, and one of the richest men in America and probably the whole world. She was ruthless. Powerful. Untouchable. She had been that way ever since we were kids. I hadn't seen her in three years but she still looked like the same girl I once knew. Just a more refined version.

Storm dashed towards her and jumped on her. His tail wagged furiously with excitement as he licked and kissed her. Kate let out a surprised yelp but greeted him with a smile and several pats and hugs. It went on for a couple of minutes. Storm seemed to remember her very well and he had clearly missed her.

Once he calmed down a little, she looked at me and in a blink of an eye, her ice-cold armour was up. "Go on, finish the sentence." She was still the same entitled little brat she always was. But now, I refused to take her shit. I was done putting up with her schemes. I was done with her.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

She narrowed her eyes, "finish your sentence first. Tell me that I am the reason Alya is dead."

I glared at her. "Shut up." I knew it. I didn't need every single person in my life to remind me of that very painful fact.

"Isn't that exactly what people tell you to do when they see you talking to yourself?" she said spitefully.

I refused to believe that this woman was Alya's best friend, was my best friend.

"What the hell are you doing in my apartment? How did you get in?" I really, really need to change my security code.

"I have been trying to get a hold of you for the last couple of days, and I thought it was about time you stopped ignoring me. As for your second question, your door was open. Stella was outside. Crying. What did you do?"

"None of your business." I got up and walked to the entrance. Sure enough, the door was open. Right beside it, I spotted Stella on the floor with her hands covering her face, and her shoulders shaking. She was obviously crying.

Gently and quietly, I shut the door so I wouldn't have to face her. Dealing with Stella was a headache. And dealing with a crying Stella was as bad as a migraine.

Once I successfully shut the door without Stella realizing it, I turned around and came face to face with Kate.

"You're a different breed of an asshole, aren't you?"

"Yes, I know I am unique, thank you." I walked back inside and took a seat on the couch. She released an exasperated breath. I rolled my eyes. She would have done the same thing if she was in my position.

"What are you going here?" The faster she got out of here, the faster I would see Alya and the faster we could get back to reading. I just wanted to spend time with her but it seemed like the universe was against it. As always.

Her eyes slid shut and took a deep breath before she opened them again. When her brown orbs settled on me again, the usual ice in them was missing. "Do you still see her?"

My jaw clenched.

"You were talking to her when I got here." Not a lot of things got past her.

I neither confirmed nor denied it.

"Do you think she blames me for it?" The vulnerability in her eyes reminded me why I use to be her friend. She might appear to be cold and heartless to most people, but I knew she wasn't. Underneath that tough exterior, lay a woman with a heart of gold, as Alya always said.

I sighed. "Take a seat."

For once, she didn't seem like the confident, I-am-better-than-you spoilt little girl. She seemed out of place as she took a seat on the couch.

"She does, doesn't she?"

It seemed like I wasn't the only one who hadn't moved on. The only difference was that Kate bothered to hide how miserable she was and I didn't. A lot of people had given up on me and had distanced themselves from me. Not everyone wanted to be around someone who was still in a relationship with a dead person, someone who still saw her and talked to her.

"She doesn't," I replied. "She says you were just trying to do what you thought was the right thing."

Tears quickly filled her eyes and she nodded gratefully.

"So how have you been?" I tried making small talk.

"I've been... just fine. You?"

"Same." Since when did things get so awkward between us? "How's the lawyer life?"

"I ended up not going to law school...." Now that was surprising. She wanted to become a lawyer for as long as I remembered. She sure was great at winning arguments. "I started my own firm. I invest in start-ups now."

"Sounds fun." More like boring as fuck.

"How is your restaurant doing?" she asked.

"Great." I lied. This was the most boring conversation I had ever had with her. We didn't know how to talk to each other anymore. That or I had forgotten how to talk to people who were actually alive.

"I had actually come here for a reason," she said and she showed me her hand. Her ring finger sported a huge rock. "I'm engaged, Jay."

"Wow. Congratulations! You and Ajax finally worked it out?" From what I remember, they had been going through a rough patch caused by miscommunication. The incident had affected Kate terribly too. And just like me, she didn't know how to cope with it for a very long time. While I started seeing and talking to Alya, Kate turned to alcohol. From what little I had heard, that took a toll on her relationship.

"It's not him," she replied, lowering her eyes. I had no idea who the guy even was. I really was a shitty friend. "It...it doesn't matter. I feel like..." she looked up at me, her eyes glassy, "how can I get married when the two of you will never be able to?"

"She needs your reassurance and help. Tell her it's okay, Jay. You know exactly what to say." Alya appeared on the armchair. This was the first time she had appeared in front of someone else. Maybe because it was Kate. They have always shared a special connection.

"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all," I quoted Wilde. "Alya always insisted on doing the craziest things just to create memories and have something to look back on. I'm sure she would want you to live and make lots of memories."

"That was perfect," Alya said, a proud smile on her face.

"She lived in constant nostalgia," Kate chuckled. She really did. That made me smile. "And still quoting Wilde? Really?"

"Always." Quoting Wilde was mine and Alya's thing. Actually, quoting, in general, was our thing.

"She would want you to live too, Jayden."

"My best friend knows me so well," Alya agreed and looked proud of Kate.

"I have decided to give it a shot." More like Alya convinced me.

"Do you think you can move on?"

"No. Nor do I want to," I replied truthfully. "But I have realized that I don't need to love someone else to live my life."

"True."

"I knew I would get through to you one day!" Alya looked excited at my progress. "This is just the beginning! I will be with you every step of the way, babe! I didn't get to live my life but I will make sure that you do."

I smiled. She looked so happy.

Kate followed my gaze until it fell on Alya. But she didn't see her. She looked at me again. "I came to ask for a favour. Alya and I had promised that we would be each other's maid of honour. You are the closest thing I have to her. Would you consider taking her place as the man of honour?"

Me? Man of honour?

"You should say yes. This is an opportunity to mend your friendship. It is the perfect start, Jay." Alya looked hopeful.

"Take your time. Think over it." Kate looked nervous when she got up. "Thank you for your time."

"Kate," I said and stopped her before she could leave.

She turned around to face me. For the first time, it looked like Kate was tired. She seemed tired of wearing her impenetrable armour all the time. For a second, I wondered what happened to her in the last three years. She had broken up with Ajax, the same guy she said was the only man she could tolerate for more than a few hours. That was Kate-talk for 'I love you and I'm going to marry you'. She had always known that she wanted to become a lawyer and run her own law firm. It was surprising that she didn't. Usually, nothing got in her way.

Her deep brown eyes that usually shined with ambition, determination, and haughtiness seemed... hollow.

Just like the closest thing she had to Alya was me, the closest thing I had to Alya was her.

Alya did say that Kate and she were soulmates in a friendly way. They also joked that if they were lesbians, they would be together. I was glad Alya was straight because I knew that it was probably true. And I wouldn't have been able to measure up to her; Alya never would have picked me over Kate. They truly loved each other and shared a bond most people could only envy.

Alya would have wanted me to help Kate and be there for her.

"I will do it."