Kacie
Whatever I was expecting to hear come out of Jake’s mouth that wasn’t it. I was waiting to hear that I was dying or that I had contracted some illness that would cause my body to slowly deteriorate over time. Even the worst thoughts cases came to mind. The negative voice that whispered all of the worse case scenarios. I wouldn’t have been surprised if they told me that they were going to leave me. I could see them both leaving me for each other and running off into the sunset together. But this? Out of all of the crazy possibilities, pregnancy wasn’t even a possibility.
It felt like just moments ago I was fighting for my life. I had been fighting against time to get back to them. I knew that had been a dream but it doesn’t change the fact that it felt so real. My fight or fight has been activated and I’ve chosen to fight. It’s not that easy to take it down or stop. Instead of feeling like I’m with my partners, I feel like I’m in the middle of a battle. A battle I can’t lose or turn away from.
The two of them are still looking at me and I realize they’re waiting for me to say something. As much as I had wanted to get to them, now that I’m here, I’ve been transported back to the time we argued. All the emotions, anguish, and pain I had been feeling have returned. What can I say at this point? What can I say to that? The first think that comes to mind is that this is a joke and at any moment one of them is going to crack and start laughing. I stare back at them as expectantly as they stare at me.
“Kacie?” Viktor asked.
He squeezes my hand and I know he’s trying to see if I’m okay. He’s checking in on me. He wants me to tell him I’m fine. He wants me to tell him that I forgive him for whatever it was I was mad about. He wants me to tell him that I forgive Jake and that I’ll say sorry for my words. He wants me to tell him I’ll make up with Jake now and fix everything. As if it were all my fault.
“This is a joke, right?” I couldn’t help but laugh. When I composed myself I looked at the two of them. They both stared back at me with a look that told me they thought I were insane. “What do you hope to gain from this? Do you hope that I’ll ignore everything that has happened? Do you think I’ll forgive the two of you for going behind my back? Do you-”
“We didn’t go behind your back, Kacie,” Jake says. Effectively cutting me off. I didn’t think it possible but my anger rises and threatens to blow. I feel warm and my gift calls to me. It promises to burn everything to the ground if I would just let my anger run rampant. I fight the urge and shake the thought, the need from my mind, body, and soul.
“Don’t, Jake, just don’t. Don’t you dare. Don’t try with me. The two of you did go behind my back. Just because you don’t see it as betrayal doesn’t mean it isn’t!” I said.
“Aren’t the three of us together?” Viktor cut in. “If the three of us are together, how can we go behind your back? Is it betrayal or are you being unreasonable?”
“Yes, the three of us are together, but you can go behind my back. It is betrayal because you made a promise and the two of you broke it and went behind my back. I asked you not to and you did it anyway. You had sex without me! It wasn’t the fact that you had sex that upsets me. It’s the fact that just a few days ago I asked the two of you to tell me if you were going to be intimate without me. I asked for you to at least let me know so I would be included. I wanted to be included and I expressed myself with the two of you. But you didn’t listen! The two of you are sitting here, standing by what you did, when you pushed me out as if I were nothing more than an outsider! You hurt me! THE TWO OF YOU betrayed me. Regardless of my feelings, the two of you betrayed me, fucked, and kept me in the dark! That is how you betrayed me, Jake!”
“I-we-” Jake’s eyes have widened and he’s staring at me in shock. It turns into realization and sorrow. I can see the apology in his eyes as he remembers what we’d agreed on.
“There are so many things that have gone wrong in the last few days. I hate how it’s nothing to the two of you just because you don’t consider it an issue,” I cry. “For one,” I croak as I looked at Viktor, “you walked out on me.” Viktor visibly slumps in his seat as he hangs his head. “You left me and what? What is this?” I point between Viktor and Jake. “Are you both here just because I’m what? Pregnant?” I shake my head. “You don’t see,” I choke and pull my hand from Viktor’s grip to swipe at the tears that streak down my face, “you think that because of this,” I flick my hand down my belly, “because the two of you are here now, that you can just walk back in here, sit by my side, and hold my hand?!” I yell.
“I-we-” Jake’s eyes have widened and he’s staring at me in shock. It turns to realization and sorrow as he realizes I’m not going to back down. The apology swims in his eyes as his fears creep into his features.
“Kacie, please,” Jake urges. “Please calm down.. it… it isn’t good for the baby.”