A Kiss At Midnight (Delilah and Caelum) novel Chapter 85

Chapter 85

“Wait..Daisy, wait,” my feet pounded against the pavement as I ran after her, my lungs burning.

She looked back at me over her shoulder, smiling, the same smile I’d spent years trying not to forget, “Hurry up, Delilah..”

“I’m trying,” she laughed, the sound bright and familiar, carrying through the air. Just as I was about to reach her, a deafening screech and blinding headlights.

“Daisy,” my hand stretched toward hers, I was so close, so close..then she was gone.

My eyes snaps open as i let out a shaky breath, staring up at the unfamiliar ceiling, while my heart continues to pound painfully against my ribs. For a second, i remained in the same position, trying to remind myself where I was.

Sleep over, Jace place, living room

My breathing began to even out slowly, I rub a hand over my face before glancing around the dimly lit living room, finding every one still fast asleep. We had stayed up till 2:30 in the morning, playing games, having moving marathon and just relaxing.

And now Kaia was curled up beneath two blankets, practically hugging a pillow, while Elias has somehow ended up sprawled halfway out the blanket fort. And Caelum slept quietly on the couch, one arm drapped over his eyes.

My gaze moved from him to the last sleeping spot, to find it empty with no sight of Jace. My brows furrowed together as I carfulg push the blanket off me, getting to my feet, making sure not to wake anyone as I stepped over the scattered pillows.

Maybe he had gone to ger water, I thought to myself as I wander into the kitchen, only for mt brows to hitch even more when I found it empty.

“Jace,” I called softly, and only silence answered.

Moving out of the kitchen, headed upstairs, my my footsteps slow against the wooden floor. “Jace?” i called again, barely above a whisper, nothing.

Stopping outside his bedroom, I knocked gently, “Jace?”

There was still no response, and after waiting another moment, i carefully pushed the door open, the moonlight spilling through the window, gave me just enough light to see the room.

The bed hadn’t been slept in, he wasn’t there

A frown settled on my face again as i turned to leave, only to stopped as something tugged at the back of my mind and a memory surfaced.

The window, the one that led out onto the roof. I stared at it for a second before making my way toward it, sliding it open as quietly as i could, the cool night air brushed against my skin.

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9:29 Mon, Jul 27

Chapter 85

Carefully, i climbed through and stepped onto the roof. “There you are.”

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Jace didn’t look at me, Instead, a lopsided smile tugged at his lips as he continued staring up at the sky, “I guess you caught me.”

He lifted the bottle of wine in his hand and took another sip before lowering it onto his chest, after a moment, he glanced my way.

“What are you doing up?”

I almost said nothing, that I couldn’t sleep, but the words never came. I watched him for another second before shrugging, “had a sick ass nightmare.”

The amusement faded from his face, when our eyes met, I caught it. Worry, real, quiet worry.

“You okay?”

I gave him a small shrug. “I will be,” walking over, I lowered myself beside him, our shoulders almost touching and without asking, I reached over, stole the bottle from his hand and took a sip.

He huffed out a quiet laugh but didn’t complain, I handed it back before nudging his shoulder lightly. “Now you.”

“Hm?”

“Why’re you still awake?”

He looked back toward the sky, a faint smile returned to his face. “Watching the stars.”

Following his gaze, the sky stretched endlessly above us, the moon hanging bright, but thick clouds hid almost every star from view.

I squinted. “I don’t know what discount stars you’re looking at, because I can’t see a single one.”

A soft chuckle escaped him. “Maybe you’re just not looking hard enough.”

Snorting “Oh, is that it?”

He nodded thoughtfully, “sometimes you’ve got to look a little deeper.”

Before I could stop myself, I let out a quiet scoff. “There’s no way to look deeper.”

His smile widened just a little. “Humor me.”

Rolling my eyes. “Fine, I’ll indulge your delusions,” for the next five minutes, neither of us spoke, and after a while, I turned my head toward him.

“How’s your mom?” he didn’t answer immediately, Instead, he lifted the bottle to his lips and took another slow sip before lowering it back onto his chest.

“Fine.”

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9:29 Mon, Jul 27

Chapter 85

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I looked at him for a second, then quietly, gently, I said, “I need the real answer, Jace.”

His jaw tightened, and for a long moment, I thought he wasn’t going to answer at all, then he let out a shaky breath. “She’s doing bad,” there was another pause, “way worse than the last time we went to see her.”

My chest tightened. “The doctors..” his voice caught before he forced himself to continue,” they told me to start preparing myself,” he stared at the moon as though refusing to look anywhere else. “They don’t think she’ll make it another month.”

The words settled heavily between us. “They told me to use whatever time I have left to say goodbye.”

I swallowed hard. “I’m so sorry, Jace,” It sounded painfully inadequate, there wasn’t some magical sentence that could make something like this hurt less, sk I simply reached over and rested my hand over his, “you don’t have to go through it alone.”

His eyes flickered down to our hands before he gave the smallest nod, after a moment, I asked quietly, “Does your dad know?”

A bitter laugh escaped him. “That bastard?” he shook his head. “He couldn’t care less what happens to his own wife,” his grip around the bottle tightened, “he’s too busy playing happy family with his mistress and their son.”

There was no anger in his voice anymore, just exhaustion. “He doesn’t deserve to be there,” his eyes never left the sky, “he doesn’t deserve to spend her last moments beside her.”

I stared at him, some parents really were fucked up. Jace’s father, my parents. It was almost funny how the people who were supposed to protect you somehow became the ones who hurt you the most.

Then, without warning, my thoughts drifted elsewhere, to Caelum, his parents. The way they fussed over him, encouraged him, loved him so openly.

It was so.. normal, so different from whatever the hell Jace and I had grown up with. The silence stretched between us again before Jace spoke.

“You ever feel like you’re cursed?” I looked at him as he let out a humorless laugh. “Everyone I love,” his voice was barely above a whisper, “they all leave.” He closed his eyes, “Or they die.”

My heart sank, and I knew then, he wasn’t only talking about his mother. He was talking about her, too, the girl he’d once loved,

I didn’t say anything for a while as the night wrapped around us, quiet except for the occasional breeze that rustled through the trees.

Then I let out a slow breath. “I guess that means I’m cursed too,” he turned his head slightly. “I’ve lost the people I cared about too,” my voice came out quieter than I expected, “some died, and the others just left.”

Neither one hurt less. “They’re just different kinds of grief,” a bitter smile tugged at my lips, “we’re two pretty fucked up people.” A soft scoff escaped him as I stared back at the moon. “As someone who’s lost someone,” I paused, Daisy’s face flashing through my mind. “someone really fucking important,” I gulped. “It doesn’t get easier, it’s just gets.. different.”

“There’ll be days where you wake up and it barely crosses your mind, abd then there’ll be days where one

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