Page 69 of Imperfect Cadence
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Unexpectedly, I drifted into a fitful sleep, more out of sheer exhaustion than any true desire to rest. My dreams unfolded in fragmented sequences—beautiful moments with Gray where we were blissfully happy, only for them to dissolve into nightmarish scenes of blood, hospitals, and anguished screams.
A loud bang shattered the latest nightmare, jolting me awake. My eyelids flew open, heart pounding in anticipation of a nurse or doctor delivering news too horrifying to bear, my own waking nightmare. Pain shot through my neck and back, a consequence of spending an indeterminate amount of time contorted into an armchair.
“Come in,” I croaked, mindful to keep my voice low so as not to disturb Violet, still dozing on the sofa opposite me.
The door creaked open. Instead of a hospital employee, or Willy, a ghost from the past stared back at me.
“Uncle Rem!” Violet exclaimed, bolting past me to envelop Remy in a tight hug. So much for keeping her asleep. Muffled sobs reached my ears as Remy gently comforted her.
A surge of jealousy coursed through me. So Gray wouldn’t allow me to be part of his life, despite claiming I was his other half. Yet here was his best friend, clearly still deeply involved in his life.
“Sorry it took me so long to get here, Vi. I didn’t get your texts until I landed in New York and then had to try and get a flight straight back here. I was so worried, thinking you were dealing with all of this on your own.” Remy cast a fleeting glance in my direction, his expression darkening with anger.
Well, fuck him, I thought bitterly. I didn’t know what crawled up his ass, or why he seemed so pissed off at me, but the feeling was mutual.
“Vi, do you mind giving me a minute alone with Colton?” Remy’s request sounded more like a command.
Violet hesitated, clearly sensing the tension between us. “Uh, sure. But be nice,” she added pointedly, directing her comment at Remy. Interesting, I would have thought she would be on his side for sure
“Long time, no see. Pal,” I sneered as soon as Violet shut the door behind her, easily reverting to my old coping mechanisms.
“What the fuck are you doing here, Colton?” Remy growled, his words dripping with venom.
“Turns out my hubby didn’t even give enough of a shit about me to go through the process of changing his will and taking me off the list as his next of kin,” I shot back with equal sarcasm.
Remy rolled his eyes at me. “I’m surprised the fancy big-time musician could even be bothered to answer his own phone. God knows you’ve never done it before,” he seethed.
“That’s pretty rich, coming from you,” I fired back.
“And what’s that supposed to mean?”
“You want to talk about not picking up the damn phone? Because I remember very clearly how you shut me out when Gray dumped me. Silly me for thinking we’d actually become friends. I fucking begged you to tell me what was going on with Gray, and you didn’t even have the decency to message me back and say you couldn’t talk about it. I was fucking falling and only one of my so-called friends even bothered to check if I was okay!” I practically screamed back at him, the emotions I had been suppressing finally bubbling over.
“It was complicated,” Remy mumbled, subdued by my outburst. Good. At least someone around here could recognize when they were being a fucking hypocrite.
Remy sighed and rubbed the nape of his neck. “Look, I’m sorry. Shit was really messed up back then, and Gray was barely coping. Your calls came at the height of the chaos, and then you became an overnight sensation, and you didn’t call again. By the time I could pause to think about you, it was pretty clear we didn’t matter anymore.”
It stung so much to hear that, I actually gasped, a few tears escaping without my permission. How many times had I feared that exact thing? In the back of my mind, I’d always assumed Remy’s assurances that I was as much his friend as Gray were just comforting sentiments, but to have it confirmed was a harsh blow. How could he sit there and try to lecture me, when he just admitted I’d barely been an afterthought?
“But me being a shitty friend to you is one thing,” he continued, his anger resurging. “How can you call me out for ghosting you, when what you did to Gray was a thousand fucking times worse!”
“You better watch your mouth, pretty boy,” a menacing voice cut from the direction of the previously closed door.
Both our heads swiveled in that direction almost comically. There stood Willy, dressed in his usual eye-catching attire. His shoulder length platinum hair artfully curled, and his bright pink lipstick stood out against his porcelain complexion. You never would have guessed he’d just spent hours on a plane in the middle of the night. He wore what could only be described as a sequined romper, short enough to ensure we’d cop an eyeful of his pert ass when he turned around.
What gave me pause, however, was the stink eye he was currently leveling at Remy.
Remy turned to me with a similarly unimpressed expression. “Who the fuck is this? Did you seriously bring one of your groupies to the hospital while Gray’s in surgery?”
I was about to tear Remy a new one for his grade A assholery, but Willy beat me to it. “Oh please, babe,” he scoffed. “I’m not a fan. No offense, hon,” he shot me a smile. “People pay good money for me to keep them and their right hand company. I have better things to do than follow around famous people like a puppy. I am famous people! Well, in certain circles at least,” he added with a suggestive wink.
Remy appeared to have swallowed his own tongue, judging by the choking noises coming from him. I could pinpoint the exact moment recognition dawned on his face, considering he turned a remarkable shade of tomato. Huh. While we weren’t exactly close anymore, I wouldn’t have pegged Remy as the type of guy to subscribe to “Kitten’s” OnlyFans page. I pride myself on being open-minded, but Willy takes kinky to a whole new level.
“While this is all fascinating, do you two mind taking this conversation elsewhere? I’m really not in the mood for socializing, or foreplay, or whatever this is,” I gestured vaguely between them.
“What?” Remy’s indignation flared as he turned back to me. “No! Stop getting me off track. I’m not letting you near Gray after all the pain you’ve caused him.”
