Ruin: Part Two (Ruin 2)

Here, being the hospital cafeteria. It's a place where people often gather to discuss death, or at the very least, the possibility of it. It's filled with muted whispers of doctors discussing patients, and patients discussing doctors and visitors trying to convince themselves that a five minute visit with a loved one in intensive care is better than no visit at all.

"When can we talk about it?" I ask bluntly. My need to know more isn't going to vanish now that I've looked at his face. My curiosity is piqued. The broken man that I left on the floor of his apartment two nights ago is now composed, calm and completely in control of our conversation.

"I'm working a split shift." His eyes flit past his watch again. "Can you come to my place tomorrow night?"

I nod. There's no way he can sense the bitter disappointment I'm feeling. I came here because of the bait of an explanation within his text message. I now realize it was a way for him to gauge my interest.

"It might be best if you didn't mention our meeting to Noah or Alexa."

"They are my family." The words leave my lips before I realize the irony woven into them. "I’m not hiding this from them."

He sucks in a deep breath as he pulls his tall frame from the plastic chair. "Understood. I'll have a car pick you up at eight."

Chapter 2

"When did you know he was Noah's brother?" She brushes a few loose strands of her hair away from her face. "I've been meaning to ask you that."

It's a question I've seen coming for days. We haven't discussed Ben at all up to this point. We've been avoiding the subject with effortless ease, allowing the events of the other night to settle before we dove back into the brunt of it all. "I didn't know who he was when I first met him. I realized when I fell on the sidewalk grate and he was the doctor helping me."

"You met him before you fell?" Her hand leaps to her neck, pulling on the pendant she's wearing. "When did you first meet him?"

I glance down to my lap briefly. "It was when I came back to Ne

w York. We were on the same flight."

"You mean a few weeks ago? When you moved back here after Parker left you?"

The reminder of Parker's abandonment doesn’t sting anymore. I don't lurch at the mention of his name. "It was that night, yes."

"Night?" She takes a deep breath. "What do you mean night? You arrived in the morning."

It was a lie of omission. Alexa had no warning when I showed up on her doorstep that day. I hadn't corrected her when she scolded me for not calling her from the airport to come get me. I chose to let her believe that her apartment was my first, and only, stop when I touched down in New York City. "No. I arrived the night before."

"Where were you? Why didn't you come to my place?"

I want her to put the pieces of that puzzle together herself. I'm not worried about her condemning me for leaving the airport with someone I didn't know. Alexa and I have never judged one another in that way. If it was any other man, she'd probe me for details and congratulate me for taking a step towards forgetting Parker, but this is Ben. He's the one man her fiancé can't stand the sight of.

"I was with him." I pull in a deep breath. "I was with Ben that night."

"What?" Her tone is loud enough to draw glances from those seated near us in the café. "You slept with Ben that night?"

I pull my hands through my hair, separating the dark strands. "I didn't know his last name, Lex. We met on the plane and decided to hook up."

"You expect me to believe you didn't know he was Noah's brother?"

I expect her to believe that I'm being honest and open about what happened. "I didn't know."

"They look alike." She leans back in the chair, crossing her arms over her chest. "I saw the resemblance as soon as Ben opened the door the other night."

I stare at her, absorbing her words. "You saw the resemblance because you live with Noah. I'd only met Noah a handful of times before I left for Boston."

She closes her eyes and throws her head back. It's a classic sign of frustration. I've seen it enough to recognize it. "Kayla. I can't believe you didn't see Noah in him."

"Why would I see Noah in him?" I tap my fingers on the table. "No one ever told me Noah had a brother."

She blows a puff of air out between us. "He didn't want me to talk about it."

I nod, savoring a brief victory within the conversation. "I couldn't have known he was related to Noah. I had no idea."