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“I don’t know, but I will let you know as soon as I do. I know that you need to know what happened, but I can’t let this cause a bigger problem between the Cantil and Vulture families.”
“Finding out about my dad’s death is more important than your gang business,” he barked.
“Not if that means your death in return for the information,” she snapped back.
“Until you know, stay away from me,” he hissed. “It’s too painful to see you and know that he’s only dead because you walked into my life.”
They both fell silent, their breath ragged from pent-up anger.
"What do you think, Mykie?" Corbus' voice pulled her attention away from Renly.
Corbus was dressed in a medium-gray suit jacket and equally colored slacks. Caspar was standing a few feet behind him, fixing his jackets in a mirror attached to one of the displays. Blaine was only a step behind Corbus, and he walked with his head high as if the suit was everyday wear for him.
Mykie met Corbus halfway, a light smile on her lips—even as needles stabbed her in the heart from Renly’s words—as she looked over his lithe form. She lifted her hands on either side of his neck and fiddled with his jacket collar.
“Your collar is a little messed up,” she said quietly, aware of the small distance between them. She played with it until it laid flat on either side of his neck.
“Was the conversation going all right? You look tense,” Corbus murmured.
Mykie tsked, but she couldn’t help it when her lips lifted into a fond smile. “You didn’t have to step in, Corbus. I was handling everything fine.”
“You don’t know what he’s really been saying. If you did, and this was reversed, you’d be on edge too,” he said, his expression growing serious.
Mykie frowned. “Believe me, if it’s anything like what he just said to me, I can guess what he’s been saying.”
There was a lot of talk from everyone about what Renly really did or felt, but it very rarely came from the man himself beyond the recent bursts of anger. Why? Mykie always believed there was a grain of truth in every lie, and from there, some exaggeration in the truth. But to hear so many stories from different people, Mykie had to question who exactly was Renly Harper.
Was he the boy who she met at Pearl’s by chance? Who got her tipsy and took her home with him when she couldn’t drive? The one who spoke of sparks igniting the two of them, and the one who wanted to support her even after learning her dark secret?
Or, was Renly Harper the rich, spoiled boy who was handed everything he had now? The one who Ryker held such disdain for, and Ellenora described to be so uneducated in women? Was he as cruel and grudge-focused usually as Corbus thought he was?
Better yet, was there really a difference between the two versions?
All she knew was that she didn’t like the version she was seeing of him right now.
Corbus stood with his hands tucked in the front pockets of the slacks. His head was tilted slightly downwards, and his brown curls brushed against his forehead and the edge of his glasses.
Mykie held up her hand and reached forward. “May I?”
It was unclear whether Corbus had caught on to her intentions, or he just trusted her to not do something irritating or embarrassing.
She grabbed either side of his glasses and pulled them off slowly. “How blind are you without these?”
“I’m nearsighted,” he explained quietly, his eyes following her hands until she folded the handles and set them gently in her sweatshirt pocket. “I wear contacts when I plan to be without my glasses.”
“How close do I need to be for you to see me clearly?” she questioned.
She stepped closer until their chests were almost pressed together. Her stance wasn’t perfect, as one foot was stuck between his and the other placed on the outside of his foot. She leaned into him, and she noticed he visibly gulped.
"I could see you just fine before, but this distance is…acceptable," he said quietly in the space between them. Now that they were standing almost on top of each other, Mykie couldn't help but notice the small blue flecks in his eyes or the way his eyes flittered around without the small barrier between him and the world.
“Are you trying to start where we left off?” Corbus murmured.
“In such a public place? Do I look like that kind of girl?” Mykie asked just as quietly, sending him a wink.
“I’m quickly finding out just what kind of girl you are.”
She took a step back and let her gaze roam up and down his body once before she sent him what she thought was a saucy smile. "You should go without your glasses more often. They make you look…" she trailed off.
