The Third Shadow

It took a long time before my mind finally came back online.

My phone buzzed.

Slowly, I opened it. It was Ashton Hawke.

"Asher, don't let someone who's drunk lie flat. If she gets sick, she could choke. You need to prop her head up..."

There were hundreds of words after that, packed tight on the screen, but I couldn't take in a single one.

Ashton had always been like this, always warm and helpful. When Natalie's stomach hurt, he brought soup over. When Natalie's car broke down on the side of the road, he was the first one to arrange a ride.

Even when Natalie and I weren't compatible in bed, he only smiled, then leaned close and told me everything he knew.

Ashton's expression was always mild, his mouth curved in that tolerant little smile.

I used to thank God for giving me a family member as good as him.

But now my teeth wouldn't stop chattering. A wave of humiliation crashed over me, the kind that came from realizing I'd been played for a fool.

When I didn't reply, my phone began to ring. Again and again, the sound echoed through every corner of the room.

I hadn't noticed before, but whenever Ashton didn't get what he wanted, he would keep pushing almost provocatively until he was satisfied.

This time, I didn't do what he wanted.

But only seconds after I rejected the call, Natalie's phone rang.

That special ringtone seemed to have magic in it. Natalie, who had been sleeping like the dead a moment ago, instantly woke up.

She answered by instinct and held the phone to her ear. She glanced at me, then turned off speakerphone.

I didn't know what Ashton said, but Natalie's exhausted face softened at once.

She laughed softly. Then they talked like no one else existed.

One of them didn't realize her husband was sitting right beside her.

The other didn't realize this was his best friend's wedding night.

Only when the clock struck midnight did Natalie end the call, though the smile still lingered on her lips.

When she finally came back to herself, she cast her gaze toward me as if granting me charity.

Her eyes fixed on me for a few seconds.

I thought she would ask why I wasn't talking, or why my eyes were swollen.

But in the next moment, reality shattered the last of my dignity.

"Why didn't you reply to him? Do you know how worried he was?"

I heard something inside me break, piece by piece.

"What?" My voice was very soft.

Impatience crossed Natalie's face, a complete contrast to the tenderness she'd had on the phone.

"Ashton was worried about you. You were sitting right here, so why didn't you reply? Is messing with people fun for you?"

She was so thoughtful, so considerate of Ashton in every possible way. But she had completely ignored me.

I stared at her in a daze. Her features were the same as ever, yet I found her terribly unfamiliar.

Maybe it was because of the blank look on my face. Maybe she had suddenly realized what she was doing.

Natalie pressed a hand over her face with some regret, then stepped forward and hugged me, her voice full of guilt.

"I'm sorry. I drank too much tonight."

I forced down the tears burning behind my eyes, gently pushed her away, and pointed at the tattoo near her chest.

"Why do you have a hawk tattooed there?"