Peace of Infinity

by Maegan Abel

  Stepping out from the table, I moved to pull Evie to me when they arrived. I kissed her cheek and felt my body relax instantly. That’s all it took. Having her near me again was enough to settle me. I glanced over at Cara, about to give introductions but pausing as I took in the bandage across the bridge of her nose. Even with the obvious makeup, she had the start of two pretty heavy black eyes. The visual only served to piss me off further. She blinked across the table several times before turning her attention to Evie.

  “Excuse me,” she said, not looking at me as she grabbed Evie’s arm and yanked her toward the restrooms.

  “I guess she just figured out she’s been set up,” I said as I took my seat beside Dom again. When he didn’t respond, I glanced over at him. He turned to face me, his eyes wide and almost shell-shocked. It only took me a second to piece it together. It happened. It was as obvious to me seeing it from the outside as it was the first time it happened to me. I glanced in the direction the girls disappeared and back again. “Are you serious? Cara?”

  “I…” His face paled and his eyes hardened as I remembered I shared the reason for this dinner with him earlier. He knew everything I did about Cara’s current situation.

  “Oh, fuck. Dom, breathe. We’ll figure—”

  “Stop. Talking.” His body was tense and he turned to the table, breathing slowly in an attempt to keep himself under control. “I need to get some air.” He shoved up from the chair and stalked to the door. As I stood, trying to decide whether I should go after him, Evie returned.

  “She’s pissed at me, but she’ll be out in a minute. She’s applying even more makeup to try to cover what we all know is there.” I stared at her face as she spoke, but she didn’t even notice my distraction. She glanced around. “Where’s Dom?”

  “He needed a breather. Ev, we have a problem,” I said, not wanting to lie to her. I swallowed as I watched her brow furrow.

  “What kind of problem?” she asked, her eyes narrowing slightly. I was sure I looked as guilty as I felt.

  I motioned to a chair and then sat beside her, leaning in close. “You don’t normally have a sister,” I said, still trying to put the pieces together myself.

  “What?” she asked, still lost.

  “Before, in the past, you don’t normally have a sister. This time you do. Dom…” I trailed off, trying to figure out how exactly to say what I needed to without her flying off the handle. “Cara is his…”

  It didn’t take any more than that. “What!” It was almost a hiss rather than a word and her teeth clenched. “My fucking sister?”

  “We don’t get to choose who it is. None of us knew this was going to happen,” I said, trying to keep her calm. If she was mad about that, she was about to be furious. “But I need you to listen to me. I told him what was going on to get him here.”

  She froze and the betrayal was clear. Fuck. So much for this helping me win points with her. “You told him?”

  “I needed him to agree to come. Look, he’s a good guy and he won’t say anything, but…” I glanced at the door and back to her, taking just a split second to put myself in his shoes. If I found out someone, anyone, was hurting Evie, I would lose my shit. “I need to go check on him. If I were him…well, it wouldn’t be pretty.”

  “I can’t fucking believe you. Not only have you dragged my sister into this fucking nightmare of a curse, you also proved to me exactly why I don’t trust men with anything.”

  The words may as well have been bullets with the way she fired them. And her aim was impeccable.

  I stared at her, an apology on my lips, but I couldn’t make myself say it. I was sorry she felt I betrayed her, but at the same time, she was lashing out and throwing the curse shit at me again. She was pushing me away again and I tried to hold my temper, keeping my voice calm.

  “This is bullshit and you know it, Evangelie. You need to stop throwing that fucking wall up every time you’re upset.” I was surprised I could get the words out. My entire body was tight, my jaw clenched as I tried to keep myself from saying something I would regret. “I did this shit for you. Don’t blame me, don’t blame Dom, and don’t blame Infinity. In fact, Dom is about to be the biggest ally you could find to protect Cara. Trust me on that. No matter how infuriating she might be.”

  Evie’s face hardened. It was clear she had something to say, but she glanced past me.

  “Sorry about that,” Cara said, coming from behind me. I turned and seeing her face again did nothing to help my mood. I needed to get out of there.

  “No, I’m sorry. I know this upset you and you didn’t deserve that. Maybe we’ll try this again another night. You ladies enjoy your evening,” I said without a single look at Evie.

  “You didn’t…I mean…” Cara struggled with what to say and while she did, I pulled out a few bills and tossed them on the table. I leaned in to a shocked Cara and kissed her forehead before heading out the door.

  It wasn’t much, but regardless of what was happening between Evie and I, Cara being tied to Dom meant she was going to be a permanent fixture in all of this, and because of that, I wanted her happiness as much as my own.

  “What the hell?” Cara asked, drawing my attention from where I watched Gavin disappear out the door. “What just happened?”

  “They weren’t happy I lied to you to get you here,” I said distractedly, glancing at the money Gavin left on the table. I was beyond furious at him, but my stomach twisted uncomfortably with what just happened. It was more than the normal uncomfortable when he left. This was worse.

  What did I just do?

  The thought brought with it an image of Gavin that didn’t quite make sense. It was him, but something was different about him. His shoulders were hunched, his eyes glassy and hollow. His expression was…broken. There was no other word for it.

  “I hope you find your peace, Evangelie.”

  Those words made no sense, but my mind put them together with the image and then broken Gavin walked away from me.

  “I get why you did it, but I need you to stay out of it. It’s my life, okay?” Cara said, pulling me out of whatever was happening.

  I turned, feeling completely off balance as I looked around for Gavin. He was gone, that hollow feeling deep inside I always got told me as much, but at the same time, he wasn’t. How was that possible? What was going on?

  “I think we should go,” I whispered, as if speaking louder would evoke more of…whatever the hell that vision was.

  “I feel bad. Do you have Dom’s number? I think I should call him to apologize,” Cara said, and I realized we were pulling up to the house. Had she been talking the whole ride home?

  What the fuck is happening to me?

  Cara’s words pierced my thoughts and the panic at what was happening to me came out in a rush. “No. And you don’t need to apologize to him, I do. You need to stay way, way the hell away from Dom. Do you hear me?” This couldn’t happen to her. She couldn’t handle it. I loved Cara, but she wasn’t strong enough. I wasn’t sure I could handle this.

  Cara huffed and turned off the engine, spinning to face me in her seat. “What? I don’t need to stay away from him. I have a boyfriend I’m happy with. You just tried to set me up with Dom and told me what a great guy he is. I feel bad for him.”

  “I was wrong. So very wrong. You need to stay away from him.”

  “What is going on with you?” Cara asked, shaking her head as she grabbed her purse. “It’s like you’ve lost your damn mind.” With that, she shoved open her door and started up to the house.

  “I’m starting to think I have,” I whispered as I watched her for a moment before glancing around the dark street.

  What the hell was this? I was totally at a loss and all I knew was it had something to do with Gavin. I needed to take my own advice and stay the fuck away from him. A shiver ran up my spine and I slid out of the car, following Cara into the house.

  “Gavin,” I whispered, my voice hoarse, almost inaudible. He didn’t stop
walking. I ignored the rain, not even grabbing my jacket from where I’d thrown it in the chair on the porch during our fight. I didn’t think about the consequences; I just ran after him. “Gavin. Wait.” My throat burned and my tears were now hidden amongst the fresh drops of rain pelting me. He finally looked back.

  “Go inside, Evangelie.” His voice was empty and it scared me. I’d never heard it sound that way.

  “What happens now?” I asked, unable to help the tremor of fear lacing my words.

  He sighed and looked up, closing his eyes as the rain chose that moment to fall in a torrential downpour. It was almost like it was mirroring our pain. I was freezing and the water was only soaking through the top layers of my dress so far. He had to be cold. I’d been thinking it since we started the walk, when he demanded to hold my umbrella, before his uniform was completely soaked.

  “Now, I leave and you go back in the house and move on.” He started to turn away again, but it hurt. No, that wasn’t right. It wasn’t pain, it was something so much worse. It was unlike anything I’d ever felt as it ripped through me. I couldn’t breathe.

  “What happens to you?” I asked, my arms trembling. Suddenly, I couldn’t even tell whether I was cold anymore. I couldn’t feel it. All I could feel was the pain as it ate at me, teeth gnashing like some kind of hideous monster ripping me apart.

  “What does it matter?” The emptiness was still in his voice and when he looked at me, I saw it in his eyes too. I whimpered. “Go inside.”

  He turned away and took another step, but I jogged around in front of him, fear settling over me like a layer of ice, holding the pain at bay if only for a few moments. “Why won’t you fight for me? What if you change my mind?” I wanted to fight with him again. I wanted to see some sort of emotion because this emptiness was terrifying.

  “That’s not how it works. Go inside.”

  “What do you mean that’s not how it works?” I asked, sounding desperate. The monster inside left me hollow, swallowing everything I was as it slowly destroyed me.

  “I need to go,” he said, more to himself.

  “What do you mean?” I asked again, my fingers digging into the sleeves of his jacket. Everything was wrong. All of it. It was spiraling and I couldn’t make it stop.

  “I tried. I tried, Evangelie, the same way I always do. I told you once you make that choice, there’s no going back this time around.”

  He did say that. He did warn me of exactly that, but he was almost begging at the time. Now, the words were lifeless, close to how I felt. “But—”

  “Once it’s severed, it can’t be repaired. I told you that. We failed this time. I’m sorry.” He didn’t sound sorry. He didn’t sound anything at all. “I have to go.”

  “But this isn’t it? It isn’t over?” I asked as he pulled free of my grip, heading down the walk. When he didn’t respond, I dropped to my knees, my skirts nearly strangling me as they tangled around my body. A sob tore from my chest as the pain ripped me wide open.

  I woke up in a cold sweat, panting like I’d been running a marathon and, most disturbingly, crying. I didn’t know it was possible to actually cry in your sleep. That was knowledge I would’ve been happy to never have. Especially since I didn’t cry. Ever.

  Even though it was early, I was going to start my day. Anything to avoid sleeping right now.

  Or ever again.

  Nightmares weren’t exactly uncommon for me, but I’d never had one that felt so real. And after the way things went at dinner last night, I was on edge, trying to determine whether it was a nightmare or something else.

  I needed to get out of the house and clear my head, so I threw on my running gear. I left a note for Cara in case she wondered where I went, plugged my headphones into my phone, and took off, turning the music up as loud as I could to drown out any attempt at thinking. I headed down the beach for a while before taking one of the paths into town. Hawk Bay was quiet this time of day, so at least I didn’t have to worry about dealing with people.

  It wasn’t until I got closer to the boardwalk that I saw anybody at all. A car pulled into the parking lot behind the row of buildings, drawing my attention. Glancing over, I saw Dom climbing out and nearly tripped over my own feet. Of all the fucking people in Hawk Bay. Well, there weren’t that many, but still.

  I glanced around, trying to see if there was something nearby to duck behind until he left, but he lifted his head and turned my direction. Fuck. Too late. He raised a hand, giving a small wave, and as much as I wanted to keep running and ignore him, I needed to talk to him. Plus, it wasn’t really Dom I was avoiding. Not exactly, anyway.

  Popping out my earbuds, I pulled my arm forward to reach the controls on my armband and paused the music. I was breathing heavy, not having noticed I’d already been at this for over an hour. I also realized I never actually spoke to Dom last night since Cara pulled me away so quickly.

  “What are you doing out so early?” Dom asked, leaning back against the door of his car as I approached. I took him in as he spoke. He had an open face, very friendly, but more than that, his eyes held a light I hadn’t seen previously.

  “Couldn’t sleep. What about you? More construction on the store?” I questioned between huffs of air. Keep it casual, lead into what I needed to say. This was the plan.

  He shook his head. “Dad owns this place. He got sick a few months back and I came home to help him out.” It explained why he was here, but I couldn’t reconcile the old man from my memories into Dom’s dad.

  “Is he okay?” I asked, something deep inside tugging at the thought of his dad being sick. It didn’t make sense to me. Even if his dad was the old man I remembered, it wasn’t like I knew him.

  Dom smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he shrugged. “He’s fighting. It’s what he does. I have a feeling my mom won’t be able to keep him home much longer. He tends to go stir crazy.”

  There was something in the way he spoke about them, something comfortable and caring, and it made me feel like I already knew them. I forced the thoughts aside and smiled. “I’m glad to hear it. Losing your parents sucks.”

  His brows drew together as he studied me. “None of us are gone forever, though.”

  Infinity. His parents must be Infinity too. I didn’t want to think about it.

  “You just dropped everything and came back here?” I asked, trying to change the subject. The entire idea of leaving behind my life for someone else sounded foreign.

  “Isn’t that what you did for Cara?” he asked, his head tilting to the side in confusion. He had a point, but he obviously didn’t know the full truth. No one did, really. Plus, it was just a reminder that Gavin couldn’t keep his damn mouth shut. Like I needed more reasons to be annoyed.

  “Actually, that’s only part of it. I had to get away from what my life was becoming in Portland. Too many exes and too much drama.” There was something to be said for promiscuity catching up to you and I could write a book on my experiences in playing the field. I’d thought Portland was large enough, but I soon found myself in Seattle on weekends and then that became just as complicated. All of this was why I decided I could never stay anywhere that wasn’t a big city. “Hawk Bay is only temporary until I can get Cara’s stuff straightened out,” I said, narrowing my eyes at him. “And while we’re on the topic of my sister, you need to stay away from her.”

  His eyebrows shot up practically to his hairline. It would’ve been comical if he didn’t look ready to tell me off. “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me. She doesn’t need to be mixed up in this curse business,” I said, my voice firm, even when my hands trembled as the very real images and emotions from the nightmare started resurfacing.

  “It’s not a curse, Ev,” he said, and I glanced up to meet his eyes. His face had gone soft again, that look stirring something deep and making me want to ask him how he could be so sure. The way he talked, it was like he truly cared. Plus, only Cara called me Ev, except now Gavin and Dom had done it
as well. I’d always hated that shortening of my name, but coming from them, it felt right—even when Dom said it, and I barely knew the guy.

  I looked up, my mind racing through thoughts too fast for me to act on them. It took several minutes before I glanced back to Dom. I noticed I was leaning against his car, him beside me, and I was standing close to him. Closer than I’d normally stand to someone I didn’t know, but I wasn’t uncomfortable. And the look in his eyes was a familiar sort of patience.

  “How can you say that?” I asked, shaking my head as I went back to the topic at hand. “How is not being given a choice in this and ending up so tied to someone you physically can’t handle losing them not a curse?”

  “It’s not…” He shook his head. “You’re always so stubborn. It’s almost impossible to change your mind about anything.”

  “I’m not stubborn,” I said, realizing I sounded petulant. The crossing of my arms didn’t help with that. I narrowed my eyes at his smirk. “My grandma always said I have a strong personality and iron will.” I lifted my chin, much more willing to accept my grandma’s praise for being a strong, independent woman. This was a woman who had survived so much in her life, who had raised her two grandchildren and dealt with the pain from this curse like a champ. It still blew my mind that people could consider Infinity something beautiful. Surviving it and pushing through, being strong enough to handle life alone after they were ripped away, or being strong enough to keep yourself away from the danger—that was real beauty.

  His smile was indulgent and he nodded. “That sounds like something Janet would say.”

  I took a step back, caught completely off guard by the fact that he was so willing to speak casually. Gavin was more hesitant to admit the things he knew. But it was more than that. Dom knew my family. He remembered things about me, about my life.

  That crushing pain from the dream came back again in full force. Hissing in a breath, I crossed an arm over my stomach. “Cramp,” I said in response to Dom’s concerned expression. I stared for a second, wondering just how much he knew. “Can I ask you something? And you keep it just between us?”