Destroying the Wrong (14 page)

“No.”

“Are you currently in a relationship?”

“No, but there’s this guy, Dillion, who is Alissa’s brother. I really like him.”

“Do you feel awkward when he touches you? Even on the hand?”

“No, why would I?” I asked.

“Katherine, someone hurt you. It’s perfectly natural to become uncomfortable around other men. Memories can be a very powerful thing, even when you’re not aware of them.”

“Well, since I don’t have memories about what happened aside from feeling stupid and angry that people I love were hurt, that won’t be an issue,” I said. I wanted to walk out. She didn’t know what she was talking about.

“Why do you feel angry with yourself?”

“Because I walked back in that room with him. Because Dillon had to defend me and he got in trouble for it. Because my mom cried herself to sleep all because of my bad decision. Because I froze up and couldn’t fight him off.” Tears began to pool in my eyes. I hadn’t cried about it in a long time. I sat in the chair, crying for what felt like forever. My therapist handed me tissues but she continued writing on her notepad. She asked me a couple more questions but I didn’t want to answer.

“We’ll continue with this next week, Katherine,” she said before walking me to the front.

My mom put her arm around me and we walked to the car.

“Time heals everything, Kat. We’ll get through this together, okay?”

“I love you, Mom.”

~
*~

Christmas Eve tradition had always included going over to Alissa's house for dinner with her family. We all opened one present, ate until we were stuffed and then watched whatever Christmas show was on. This year, I was nervous because I hadn't seen Dillon since the party. Alissa said he wasn't mad at me at all, but I was having a hard time figuring out how to thank him for stopping Walt.

My mom had taken the last week off from work because of what happened, so Alissa's mom used it as a good excuse for the two of them to spend time together. Alissa's mom was over at our apartment almost every day and they went shopping or out to eat while Alissa stayed with me. Alissa hadn’t talked to Matt yet and I was beginning to think she was using what happened as an excuse to push him even further away. Actually, I was positive that was what she was doing. She had not been back to the gym but talked to Scott on a daily basis.

Mom and I walked up to the porch and I was in awe at how beautiful the house looked. The blue lights flashed all around and reflected off the silver stars hanging from the porch ceiling. I could smell the fire burning from inside and closed my eyes for a second before anyone answered the door, memorizing the sounds of music and the smell of the season.

The door opened and Alissa's dad was there to greet us. He helped us with the packages we carried and kissed both of us on our cheeks. No matter what had happened during the last few months, this time of year was always special and everyone was in good spirits.

Alissa came running down the stairs and launched an assault of kisses and hugs upon us. Her mom was next in greeting us. My mom always asked if she could help in the kitchen, but we all knew she couldn't cook very well, so she was in charge of drinks. Dillon came down the stairs just before we all headed into the kitchen. He looked fantastic in a cream-colored sweater and jeans. I looked down at my clothes and giggled because we were wearing the same colors.

“Hey, Dillon.” I forced a smile because seeing him got me so emotional, I was on the verge of crying.

“You look beautiful, Katherine.” He hugged me tighter than he ever had before.

I looked to my side and realized that everyone else had left the room, leaving us alone. I had no idea what to say, so I just stood there staring at him.

“Can we go out onto the porch and talk for a second?” he asked.

My stomach knotted up and all the bad things I feared hearing ran through my head. “Um, sure. Let me just put my jacket back on.” I turned around and grabbed my jacket off the coat hanger in the entryway. Dillon put on his and held the front door open, following me out. I took a deep breath, afraid he would tell me to stay away from him. That it was my fault he’d spend time in jail.

“Katherine, I'm so sorry about what happened. I hope you know that I am not a violent person, but when I saw him pinning you up against that wall, I just lost it.” He took a deep breath in and let it out slowly.

I was not expecting an apology. I looked at him confused. “Why are you apologizing to me? I should be the one apologizing to you! You saved me, Dillon. I can't even begin to express how sorry
I
am.” He stopped me from saying any more by grabbing my waist and softly pressing his lips against mine. He stepped back and I stared at him, with the lights shining all around his gorgeous face. I had imagined kissing him for so long. I lost control, my emotions ruling the moment.

Closing the gap between us, I put my hands on either side of his head and brought his lips back down to mine. I kissed him hard and held him against me, afraid this would be our last kiss. He opened his mouth, letting my tongue brush up against his. His hands ran up and down my back and I pressed against him but still didn't feel close enough. My whole body tingled, desperate to not let go.

There was a discreet cough. “Your mom needs some assistance in the kitchen, Dillon.” We both turned around and his dad's face turned beet red. He ducked his chin, smiling before going back inside.

I looked at Dillon. His lips were red and he was out of breath. “Sounds like we’d better go back inside.” Smiling, I reached my hand out for him to take.

He took my hand but stopped me and pulled me in close so we were nose to nose. “This conversation is not over, Katherine.” He didn't let me respond as he pulled me back into the house after him.

I couldn’t have responded anyway. Dillon had kissed me and I couldn't wait to do it again.

~*~

Alissa’s dad stood up, his spoon clinking against his wine glass and said, “Before we start eating, I would just like to express how proud I am of Alissa and Katherine for graduating early. They’re not walking up on stage with their class for the ceremony or having a graduation party so I decided now would be a great time to let you both know that we love you and look forward to what you’ll achieve in the next eighteen years.” He held up his glass and everyone toasted each other.

Dillon looked over at me with a huge grin on his face. I was so embarrassed. “You know, high school graduation really isn’t that big of a deal.”

My mom’s mouth dropped open. “How could you say that? Don’t listen to him, Kat. You finished high school and now you two are going to college. You both have every right to be extremely proud of yourselves.” She pointed at both of us to emphasize her point.

“She’s right,” Alissa’s mom chimed in, finishing off her glass of wine.

“Mom, really, you’re cut off. You’re such a lush,” Alissa said, laughing.

We all started eating and attempted to keep up with all the different conversations going on. Dillon kicked me softly from under the table and I felt the blush in my cheeks.

Could life get any better right now?

~*~

Dinner was perfect and we decided to take a break before eating dessert. Our moms sat by the tree giggling as they drank their eggnog with rum, Alissa's dad and Dillon went into the study to look at some website her dad couldn't stop laughing about, and I pulled Alissa up to her room, far enough away no one could hear us talking.

“Dillon kissed me,” I whispered through a haze of giggles.

“Really? Oh my gosh! What does that mean?” Alissa laughed along with me and smiled bigger than I had seen her do in weeks.

“I don't know, but I want to do it again. Like now. Oh, it was so perfect! You aren’t mad, are you? For kissing your brother?”

Alissa hit me on the arm. “Don't be stupid. You're my best friend. If anyone is kissing my brother, I would prefer it be someone I actually like.” She pulled her phone out and I saw a faint smile.

“Is that Matt gushing some Christmas love stuff?” I jumped onto her bed still smiling.

“Uh, no. I haven't talked to Matt in days. Let me tell you, it's been nice not dealing with his clingy crap on top of everything else.” She waved her hand in the air.

“If you're so unhappy why don't you just break up with him?” I asked.

“It would be rude to break up with someone at Christmas time.”

“But ignoring him isn't rude?”

“Yeah, I guess. I'll just send him a quick text and then I'll talk to him after New Year’s.” I heard her phone swish, indicating the text went through. I stood up to leave, skipping towards the door.

“Wait, I have to text Matt.”

“Who did you just text?” I turned around, my eyes narrowing on her.

“Scott. Don't look at me like that. It's Christmas and I want to spread the Christmas cheer.”

“Is that all you want to spread?” I wiggled my butt around trying to be silly while Alissa just rolled her eyes, clearly not amused.

Her phone swished again. “Okay, my good deed for the day is done. Let's go downstairs.”

I was about to turn the corner towards the stairs when I heard a phone beep. I turned around and Alissa shrugged at me. “Not me.” I knew it wasn't my phone either because I left it at home. When I hit the bottom stair, I stopped in my tracks. Matt was standing there, looking at his phone with a smile on his face.

He looked up at us and smiled even bigger. “You ladies look lovely tonight. I just came by to give Alissa her present. I didn't mean to intrude.”

“Oh don't be silly, Matt. Come in and have some pie.” Alissa's mom gave him a hug and steered him into the dining room.

I looked back at Alissa who was seething. I pushed her into the hallway and whispered, “Are you okay? Did you know he was coming by?”

“No, I'm not okay, and no, I didn't know he would just stop by uninvited.” She pushed past me.

“Maybe because he’s your boyfriend?” She glared back at me before stomping into the dining room.

Matt was sitting down with everyone at the table, talking to Alissa's mom. Alissa took a seat on the other side of the table and pushed her phone under her leg. I was about to sit down next to her, but Dillon patted the empty chair next to him. I felt myself blush as I took the seat. He took my hand under the table and gave me a small smile. I looked over at Alissa who glared at me and mouthed, “Traitor.”

I mouthed back “Sorry,” but I didn't mean it at all.

We ate pie and talked about random things. No one mentioned what happened at the gym, which I was thankful for. Matt kept looking at Alissa with a warm smile, but she would just look away. I felt bad for Matt because he was really trying.

Alissa's dad kept kissing her mom’s hand. My mom looked at them with envy and I made a mental note to try and show her a little more affection. I couldn't imagine how lonely she felt being around Alissa's parents.

My favorite part of the night was opening presents. I never had enough money to buy anything extravagant for anyone, but it was fun trying to be creative. I bought Alissa a journal for her writing and in the front, I wrote a short story about the two of us. She hugged it and said it was perfect. Alissa bought me a couple new outfits, along with some new boots, all of which were trendy and probably expensive. She wanted me to try them on immediately, but I promised later.

I wasn't sure if Dillon would think my present was lame, but when he opened the photo album decorated with Army stuff he leaned over to kiss me on the cheek. It made me happy and he seemed to like it.
I would do anything for another kiss.

“Now, it's your turn,” Dillon said, handing me a small box. I looked at what appeared to be a jewelry box in my hands, afraid to open it. I never wore jewelry, so it took me a minute to plan the perfect reaction as to not look disappointed. Inside the box was a small diamond necklace. It was so simple, but so beautiful. He took the box from my hand and slipped the necklace over my head. “Now every time you look down, you'll think of me,” he said.

“It's perfect, Dillon.” I meant it, too. I loved the way it felt around my neck and I didn’t plan to ever take it off. Alissa watched our exchange, grinning, her dad winked at me, and our moms said, “Awwww!” at the same time.

“My turn,” Matt said. I looked at Alissa who was sitting on the other side of the room. She didn't move from her seat, so Matt got up and walked over to her, handing her a large bag. “I hope you love this as much as I love you, Alissa.”

Alissa opened the bag and pulled out a blanket. She stood up and the blanket unfolded, revealing a large picture of Matt and Alissa looking very happy. “You fall asleep on the couch so often, this will keep you warm and this picture of us is my favorite.” Matt’s smile was warm.

“Thank you, Matt. That's very thoughtful,” Alissa said as she folded the blanket back up. She didn't even look at him when she thanked him.

I watched Matt’s disappointment spread across his face and couldn’t bear to watch that Christmas spirit die in front of me. “That was such a great idea, Matt. So cute!” I sounded a little too peppy, but I was trying to make him smile and ease the pain.

Everyone joined in with the compliments and continued opening presents. Alissa bought Matt some books. I got a new purse from Alissa's parents and decided to save it for a special occasion. Before I knew it, it was time to go home.