Chapter 79: You’re A Liar

~“Run and hide. It’s gonna be bad tonight. ‘Cause here comes your devil side. It’s gonna ruin me.” —Foxes.~

Chapter Theme Song: “Devil Side” by Foxes.

HARMONY

“You slept with Kite, didn’t you, Harmony Skye?”

I’m frozen, staring up at Blaze. My lips part in shock, my eyes wide with despair. Tears spill from them, tracing hot trails down my cheeks. Blaze’s gaze is a mix of heartbreak and anger.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. Why didn’t I tell him sooner? I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.

Because I knew, no matter how you spin it, I’d be the one to blame.

I trusted Maddie. I drank that liquor. I’m the girl who always wants to see the good in people. When will I learn?

I try to speak, to defend myself, but the words are stuck. They won’t come out—maybe they’re as scared as I am.

My silence only confirms his suspicions. His face crumples, and my heart shatters a little more.

“You can’t even deny it,” he says softly. His eyes are glossy, filled with pain. “So, that crazy girl was right.

“You know, Harmony, I asked you here to see if what she said was true. And your silence... it says it all.”

I shake my head, desperate. “Blaze...Blaze, it’s not like that. I can explain.”

“Really?” He pulls out his phone, taps the screen a few times, then thrusts it in my face.

“What the hell is this then?” he demands.

I blink away tears, squinting at the photo on his screen.

It’s another picture like the one I received earlier, but this one is much worse. I mean, much worse.

I’m completely naked. No bra, no underwear. Kite is next to me, a blanket covering his lower body. We’re both asleep, his arms wrapped around me like before.

Everything is on display. Everything that’s currently hidden under my dress. My heart plummets.

I gasp, horrified, and cover my face with my hands. The sight of my naked body is too much. Tears soak my palms as I shake my head. “Oh God...oh no...”

~Why would they do this to me?!~

Blaze grinds his teeth. I hear him move, then the mattress dips as he gets up without a word. I prop myself up on my elbows just in time to see him pull on a white T-shirt and head for the door.

~He’s leaving me.~

“Blaze, no, please wait!” I scramble off the bed and chase after him. He doesn’t stop, even when I grab his elbow, begging him to turn around, to look at me.

“Look at me, please. It’s not what you think, Blaze... Please, just listen to me.”

He shrugs off my hand, turning to glare at me. “Don’t touch me.”

Tears well up in my eyes. He tries to sidestep me, but I wrap my arms around his waist, pressing my face against his chest.

He sighs heavily. “Let me go,” he says.

I shake my head, tightening my grip. A tear slips down my cheek.

I hope this is enough to stop him from leaving. I know I deserve this, after all the lies, but I don’t want him to go. I can’t let him go. If he leaves, it might be the end for us.

I’m not usually this desperate, but what choice do I have?

“Don’t go. Just listen to me. Please?”

He looks up at the ceiling, muttering something under his breath.

I look up at him, my eyes pleading, but he’s not looking at me. His gaze is fixed on the wall behind me. His face is tense.

Why won’t he look at me? He keeps avoiding my gaze, and it hurts. Is the sight of me that repulsive?

“Blaze, look at me, please,” I beg, but he grips my arms and pulls me away.

“Don’t touch me. I can’t even look at you right now.”

He tries to leave, but I block his path. “Blaze, it’s not what it looks like, I swear—”

“It’s not?” He finally looks at me, but his glare is so harsh it might have been better if he hadn’t. “It’s a naked picture of you and Kite in bed, Harmony. I saw...everything.”

He looks me up and down, then clenches his teeth and looks away, as if I’m standing naked in front of him.

“I saw everything, Harmony...your whole body. And so did Kite!”

“Blaze, I think I was set up,” I try to explain. “It’s not me, okay? I wouldn’t do that, you know me... You know I wouldn’t sleep with Kite. Just please believe me, listen to me, please?”

He swallows, rubbing his forehead. His jaw clenches as he finally nods. “Fine, Harmony, talk. I’ll listen. Tell me what happened.”

But now that he’s given me the chance to explain, I realize the painful truth: I can’t remember anything. And that’s not going to help me now. I’m screwed.

“I...I woke up in a bed, and Kite was in the same room...but I can’t remember anything. The night before, I had a drink, but I think—”

“Hold on.” He raises a hand to stop me. His eyes are closed, like he’s trying to make sense of it all. “You had a drink the night before? So you were drunk—what the hell?”

“It was just one drink, okay? Just one.”

“The last time you were at his house party, you were dancing all over him. Who knows what you could have done this time. And why were you even drinking? I thought you didn’t like that stuff?”

“I don’t get it. You had a drink and then woke up in a room with Kite, and you want me to believe you? That’s a tough sell, Harmony.”

“Maddie. It was Maddie, okay? She gave me a drink, and I think she drugged me or something. I can’t hold my liquor, but there’s no way I could have passed out that fast from such a small amount.”

“And why were you drinking with Maddie?” He narrows his eyes. “Wait...was this the night you said you were at your mom’s?”

I take a deep breath. “Yeah, but I wasn’t at my mom’s...Maddie came over and—”

“This is fucking ridiculous.” Blaze tries to leave again, but I slide between him and the door. The look he gives me makes me want to disappear.

“Don’t go...please.”

“Harmony, you’re a liar. You told me you were at your mom’s, but you were actually drinking with the girl I told you to stay away from. You’re so damn irresponsible and naive!”

His words hurt, but I deserve them.

“I know...I know I am.”

“And you kept all of this from me! You left me in the dark like I’m some kind of fool. What made you think I wouldn’t find out eventually?

“You’re acting like you have something to hide. Your actions are shady as hell!”

“I know it was wrong...I know I shouldn’t have kept it from you, but I was scared you would hate me...”

“Hate you? If you had just told me the truth from the start, we could have avoided all this drama.

“The fact that you hid this from me makes you look guilty. It shows me how easily you can lie to my face.”

“I’m sorry.” I start to cry. “I’m so sorry...I didn’t know what to do.”

“I can’t trust you after this. How can I when you might just lie to me again? You’re a fake, a liar, and you’re fucking deceitful.”

~That hurts.~

My throat tightens. His words are like daggers, but the sadness in his eyes is what really kills me.

“I need time.” He reaches for the doorknob, but I grab his hand.

“Blaze, don’t go...”

“Harmony, if I don’t leave right now, I might do something I’ll regret. So please, let go of me.”

“I know what I did was wrong. And I’m so sorry, Blaze. I’m so sorry.”

“You know what hurts the most? It’s not that you were in bed with Kite. It’s that you lied to me and you weren’t planning on telling me.

“Maybe if you had, I could have believed you. But now I see that you’re just a liar, Harmony.”

His words cut me to the core. I’ll never forget them.

“I need space to think. If I keep talking, I’m going to say something I’ll regret,” he says softly.

He opens the door and leaves, slamming it behind him.

I stare at the closed door in disbelief. This can’t be happening. Not to me. It was so hard to get to this point with him, and the last thing I wanted was to push him away.

When the reality of the situation finally sinks in, I collapse to the floor and bury my face in my hands, crying uncontrollably. ~I feel like I’ve lost his trust in me.~