Chapter 50: I Didn’t Mean To Bruise Your Heart

~“I think I’m gonna take some pills to fix my brain, cause I tried every other way. But some things you can’t fix yourself.”—Lauv.~

Chapter Theme Song: “Changes” by Lauv.

THIRD PERSON

“Just a quickie, Blaze.”

“Amber, no. I told you I don’t want to.” Blaze rolls his eyes, gently prying her hands from his chest.

They’re standing in the hotel hallway, the party’s music a distant hum. Blaze didn’t want to give Amber any attention, but he also didn’t want her spilling the beans about his wild sex life in front of Harmony.

Harmony is the only girl he cares about. If she started seeing him in a bad light, he didn’t know how he’d handle it.

Amber scowls, quickly latching onto him again. This time, her hand drops to the waistband of his shorts.

Blaze grimaces, grabbing her wrist. “You have no damn pride, wanting to have sex with me in a hotel hallway.”

She frowns. “Since when do you care about where we do it? You didn’t have a problem when we did it outside your house. Stop acting so different.”

Blaze grinds his teeth, trying to walk away. But she grabs his arm again, bouncing on her toes in desperation. “Blaze, come on. Just once, please?”

He clenches his jaw, frustration mounting. He’s worried about other guys hitting on Harmony while he’s away, and Amber just won’t leave him alone.

He’d seen the envious and admiring stares when they’d arrived. It wasn’t hard to see why. Harmony’s innocence shone brightly. She was a rare gem.

Annoyance etched on his face, he fights the urge to shove Amber away. Logic is the only thing stopping him. He couldn’t care less about her feelings.

“Could you just leave me the fuck alone?” he asks, his voice calm but powerful.

Amber stares at him, stunned. But before she can recover, he nudges her aside and starts to walk away. She gasps, watching him disappear around the corner.

“You’re an asshole, Blaze Xander!”

“I know,” he calls back, disappearing from sight.

***

“Harmony.”

She stops, a cold hand on her elbow. She turns to see Kite, sighing as if he’s run a marathon.

“You should join the Olympics. You walk so fast.” He chuckles, releasing her. She gives him a weak smile.

Seeing the sadness in her eyes, Kite scratches his forehead, looking guilty. “Don’t mind what they said. They talk too much sometimes.”

“It’s okay,” she assures him, and she means it.

She doesn’t want to be overly sensitive about Blaze’s past. He’d already told her about his ASPD. That explained his reckless behavior.

“Where are you heading to?”

“Um...” She bites her lip, looking around the crowded pool deck. “I don’t even know...”

Kite laughs, crossing his arms. “So you were just going to wander around?”

She giggles, rubbing her forehead. “I guess so.”

He bites his lip, then grabs her wrist. She jumps, surprised, and he chuckles. “I won’t hurt you. I want to show you something.”

“Oh...okay.”

He leads her away, and she frowns slightly. “Where are we going?” she asks.

“You’ll see.”

He leads her past the lobby and around a corner. Harmony glances back, watching the party fade from view. She feels a twinge of unease.

When she looks forward again, Kite is opening the door to a small, cabin-like hut. He gestures for her to go in first.

She hesitates, looking at him uncertainly. He smiles. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

After a moment, she sighs and steps inside.

~Beautiful~. That’s the first word that comes to mind. The room is lit by colorful bulbs, casting a disco-like glow. A doughnut-shaped pool sits in the center, a minibar nearby. Harmony smiles, impressed by the creative design.

“What is this place?” she asks Kite.

“My dad owns this section,” he explains. “It’s a private area for couples.”

At the word ‘couples,’ Harmony’s smile fades. Kite notices and chuckles. “Not like that. I mean as friends.”

She smiles again, but when they sit on the edge of the pool, she discreetly pulls her hand away. Even though she and Blaze aren’t officially together, she knows he wouldn’t like this.

“It’s nice in here,” she says, dipping her feet in the water.

“Yeah, it is.” Kite is looking at her as he speaks. Harmony catches his gaze and chuckles awkwardly. “What?”

He shrugs. “Nothing. You’re just really pretty.”

Harmony flinches as he locks eyes with her. His gaze is too intense, too probing, and she quickly averts her eyes. “Thanks...”

“It’s just a shame.” He sighs. “I hate that Blaze is the one who has your heart.”

His words make her body tense up, and she forces herself to meet his gaze again.

“It’s clear you love him,” he continues, his voice laced with bitterness. “And honestly, I’m really jealous, Harmony.”

Her throat feels dry, and she’s at a loss for words. Her mouth opens and closes, but no sound comes out. Kite has just confessed his feelings for her.

Just then, his phone buzzes from his pocket, saving her from the awkwardness. She breathes a sigh of relief as he pulls it out.

Blaze

Yo, have you seen Harmony?

Kite looks at the text for a moment, a mischievous glint in his eyes. He bites the corner of his mouth as he starts to type a reply.

“Is that April and the girls? Are they here?” Harmony asks, curiosity piqued.

“No, not yet.” He’s still focused on his phone, fingers tapping away. “Tia texted me earlier saying they might be late because they ran out of gas.”

“Really? I hope they’re okay.”

“They’ll be fine.” He grins at her before sliding his phone back into his pocket. He moves closer to her on the deck. “Now, where were we?”

Harmony feigns forgetfulness, hoping he’ll let the subject drop. “Um...I can’t remember.”

“You don’t have to dodge the issue, Harmony. I know you don’t feel the same way about me, and I understand.”

Her gaze softens, guilt washing over her. Kite is a good guy, and he deserves someone wonderful, but she’s sorry that person can’t be her. Her heart belongs to Blaze Xander, and only him.

“But I’m scared,” he admits.

“Scared of what?”

He looks at her, his eyes filled with raw emotion. “I’m scared that Blaze will hurt you.”

She just stares at him. Everyone seems to be afraid that Blaze will hurt her, but she doesn’t feel that way anymore. Not now that she understands him better.

Even seeing him walk away with that half-naked girl isn’t enough to make her give up on him.

“But if he does, I’ll be here,” Kite finishes.

She swallows hard. His intensity is overwhelming.

“Um...Kite—”

He leans in and kisses her. Her eyes widen in surprise, and she pulls away quickly, breaking the contact.

~Oh, God. What just happened?~

“Harmony...”

She blinks, avoiding his gaze as guilt gnaws at her.

“I’m sorry,” he murmurs.

She covers her face with her hands, tears welling up. “Oh God, why did you—”

“What the fuck?!”

~Oh no.~ Harmony looks up to see Blaze standing in the doorway. His face is flushed with anger, and she feels her world crumbling around her.

She gasps, and Kite gives a small smile, lowering his head and licking his lips.

Blaze’s anger is palpable as he strides over to them, grabbing Harmony by the arm and pulling her to her feet. He glares at her, his jaw clenched, and she trembles under his gaze.

“What the fuck is this, Harmony?”

“Blaze. I didn’t… I didn’t...” She can’t find the words as tears stream down her face.

Kite stands up from the deck with a sigh, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“Surprised you’re jealous, Blaze. You left her alone with a half-naked girl and you expect—”

Blaze’s fist connects with his face, cutting him off mid-sentence. Harmony is left standing to the side, wondering how Blaze managed to move her out of the way so quickly.

She covers her mouth with a shaking hand as Kite wipes the blood from his nose.

“Didn’t I tell you to stay the fuck away from her?” Blaze’s voice is eerily calm, but his hand is clenched so tightly it’s turning white.

Kite laughs dryly, shaking his head from the ground. “How can I? When she’s this sexy?”

Harmony winces, fearing what Blaze’s reaction will be. She knows him. He’s not one for mercy or compassion.

Blaze’s eyes narrow, turning into two dark voids. He turns away, grabbing an iron chair from the bar table.

Harmony’s blood runs cold as she watches him advance on Kite, who’s still on the ground, seemingly convinced that Blaze is bluffing.

“Blaze, please.” Harmony tries to grab his hand, but he pulls away. “Blaze, don’t do this!” She steps in front of him, pressing her hands against his bare chest.

“Just stop, don’t do it. Please don’t.” A sob escapes her lips, and he finally tears his gaze away from Kite to look at her.

“Are you fucking defending him?”

She shakes her head. “No, I just don’t want you to do something that could ruin your future.”

~She would say ‘something that you will regret,’ but remembering that Blaze doesn’t feel remorse, that wouldn’t be the right choice of words.~

He narrows his eyes at her, dropping the chair and grabbing her hand. “Come here.”

“Blaze—”

He pulls her out of the room with him, and she doesn’t resist. She’s in no position to, not after what he just witnessed.

The moment they step outside, he lets go of her and turns to face her. His expression is a blend of hurt and anger, and it shatters her heart.

~This isn’t my fault.~

~I didn’t mean to hurt him.~

~I would never hurt him.~

~He has to believe me, right?~

~He trusts me.~

“Blaze, it wasn’t me,” she starts. “He was the one who—”

“Have you always been this fucking deceptive?”

~That stings.~

A tear slips out, carving a fresh trail next to the ones already staining her cheeks.

“You’re into Kite, aren’t you?” he accuses.

She narrows her tear-filled eyes. “No. I told you who I like, and I meant—”

“Then go be with him, Harmony!” he shouts, making her flinch.

She didn’t want to see this side of him again. She can’t handle it. His words are like knives.

“You pretend to be this innocent girl, but you’re in there kissing another guy in a locked room! You claim to like me, but it’s all a ruse to get closer to Kite, isn’t it?”

She shakes her head, too choked up to speak.

“I’m sorry I can’t give you everything you want, Harmony! Kite’s healthy, he doesn’t have the mental issues I do, so he’s perfect. Go fucking be with him and stop messing with my head.”

He makes a move to leave, and she steps forward.

“I like you, okay? You’re the one I like, Blaze! Why can’t you see that?!”

“Because you’re not convincing!” he yells back. “You say that, but there you were, kissing someone else!”

“You walked away with her.” Her voice trembles as she speaks, and the anger in his eyes forces her to lower her gaze. It’s too painful to meet them.

“You walked away with her, and I had to wait there for you. I’m not mad at you for that, but you’re here acting like this when I clearly told you that—”

“I didn’t kiss her, did I? She came on to me and I pushed her away. But now that I think about it, I probably should have just fucked her.”

She looks up at him, and the pain his words inflict is too much for her to bear. Her heart is in pieces.

“Your words hurt, okay? Just stop it!” she screams at him.

She’s taken aback by her own outburst. She didn’t know she could yell that loud.

“Seeing you kissing him hurts too, Harmony! I can’t erase the image of you grinding on him at that party, and now I have another lovely memory to drive me insane.

“Don’t waste your breath arguing with me. Go tend to your lover boy’s wound like the angel you pretend to be!”

She can’t argue with Blaze because his words are enough to wound her for a lifetime.

She surrenders, pressing her palms against her eyes as she cries softly. His gaze softens momentarily at the sound of her sobs, before his hardened exterior returns.

“This is why I don’t do relationships, Harmony. It all fucking hurts, and my head is already messed up enough. We should just be friends and stop fucking kissing and touching each other.”

He runs a hand through his hair and walks away, leaving her to let her tears flow freely now that he’s gone.