KALEN

Chapter |10| Tainted Hope

T E S S A ' S P. O. V

"Are you okay?" Hastily, I brush away my tears but it was pointless. He saw them anyway.

Kalen sits besides me, resting his warm hand on my shaking one. He squeezes it tight, the pressure grounding me back down to the present.

I wasn't the one who should be comforted right now. It was his sister lying in the hospital bed, yet part of me felt like I was slowly dying.

Kiara had always been there for me and through the most difficult time of her life, I wasn't there.

I didn't even f*****g know until I practically forced myself into the Romano house. Then Kiara called me about needing a place to stay. I offered her my house, my parents had left to go on some cruise and I had been busy getting everything ready for college in the fall.

Uh I feel sick. College should be the last thing on my mind, especially as my best friend is lying in a hospital bed.

"Are you still mad?" There's no contempt in Kalen's voice, just concern and worry. He should be worried about me, I shouldn't be a burden.

We had a huge fight when I found out he kept it all from me. That Mr Romano had kicked her out, that she left to stay with Aaron...I thought that was it for us. The love I share for the both of them is powerful but that means it conflicts too.

How can I choose between my boyfriend and my best friend? I can't. It's physically impossible.

It almost destroyed us. Yet the fact we're still here, together, proves we're stronger than I thought. Kalen wouldn't let me go, even after I begged him too. I was weak, and he lifted me up in that moment.

"I'm fine." I offer up a smile but it falls flat as more tears burst free.

"Tess, she'll be okay. It's my little sister we're talking about, nothing can touch her." Yet the fear in his voice was evident. We were both terrified.

Out of the corner of my eye, I can see the two men responsible for her pain, shifting restlessly on the corner. My jaw clenches, but I glance at the rest of the family first.

Kieron and Kai are talking quietly in the corner, Mr and Mrs Romano are almost dozed off. It's been 15 hours in the hospital and still no update.

I pull away from Kalen slowly. He follows my eye line. "Tessa no," I've wanted to comfort them since the start but he's reigned in my anger. The problem it's bound to explode

at some point, I can't hold it in forever.

"I need too, Kalen." I was the only one who knew everything about their twisted love triangle. Who witnessed Kiara suffer because of their suffocating love for her.

He sees the resilience in my eyes, and also the pain underneath it. Reluctantly, he lets me go and I storm towards them. Tristan nudges Aaron awake and both sets of eyes fix on me with their natural dominance. I don't shy away from it though, I match it instead.

"We need to talk now."

"I'm not leaving Kiara." Aaron snaps. I stand a little taller even though I'm nowhere close to matching his height.

"She has her family. I only need five minutes."

He restrains his anger, the same way I do and they both follow me outside. Aaron reaches into his jacket for a cigarette but I slap it away immediately.

"What the f**k?" He looks like hell, which is difficult for a guy who is naturally so attractive.

"Kiara wouldn't want you to smoke."

"It calms me, the only other thing that does is..." The name is unspoken but we all know it.

Tristan's eyes are filled with deep sadness. He lost the girl once, now it might happen again, only to something much darker than Aaron Black.

"When she left your house, she didn't tell me much other than she needed space. I don't need all the facts to figure you f****d up and hurt her. Again. She's 18 and she's suffered more heartbreak than most eighty year olds. She's my best friend, that trumps you two loving her because that love might actually kill her."

"I know." Aaron replies. His voice desolate and numb.

He loves her. Maybe more than anyone else. Yet, he's inexperienced with it and he holds more demons than most. I don't want Kiara to be infected by that sort of evil.

"When she wakes up, because she will, she'll make her choice. If she wants the two of you in her life, then you have to promise to put her first above everything."

In the mafia world I know power is everything, but Kiara needs to be first in their lives if they want her by their side.

"Kiara and I already spoke before everything. We're friends, just friends, but I promise Tessa, I will always protect her. Even from you Aaron." He looks back at his former friend.

Aaron nods in agreement. "I won't hurt her again Tessa, but I can't live without her. If she wants me, I'll be there."

"If not..." That was a very limited possibility. I know how much she loves him. It's hard to escape that.

"Then I'll step back. I'll leave her alone." The words are strained and forced as though it physically hurt him to say them.

I'm about to say thank you but I force it down. My best friend is still lying in a hospital bed, and as far as I believe, they're responsible.

***

My knee anxiously jostles as I stare at the closed door. Gabi and Ryder were called in ten minutes and still there's been no word.

"You need to calm down." Kalen's hand fixes itself on my knee. "You'll become sick otherwise."

"I don't care." I snap abruptly. "It's been so long, there has to be something wrong."

"The doctor left, you saw it. Don't you think he would still be here if something was wrong?"

That logic forces me back into my seat.

"I'll distract you." I focus in on the husky rasp of his deep voice. Did he mean... "Not s*x. Not here, later." His lips brush mine, so quickly, I almost think I dreamt it.

"Then how?"

"Let's start with college. Is Denver really what you want?"

"Yes." He smiles. The word left my mouth so fast I barely had any time to process.

"I guess you really are set on Denver. Good. I happen to love Denver."

"And you're going to move there? Really? I think we could handle long distance." I didn't want to tear him apart from his family, his friends, his livelihood.

"I want to live with you. You're my life now Tessa, and I can still work from there."

"We'll come back to New York after I'm finished." It was only a two year programme, and after that I wanted to transfer to New York and specialise in teaching.

"Wherever you want, love. As long as I'm with you." I'm about to kiss him again when the door flies open.

Gabi looks exhausted, and Mr Romano matches her expression, yet there's something more underneath their fatigue. "Tessa, Kiara would like to talk to you."

I don't waste anytime. I have tunnel vision heading straight for the door and it shuts straight behind me. "Lock it." Kiara's voice hastily blurts out.

My fingers nimbly turn the lock, before I spin around to see her. She's all bruised and bandaged up, yet she plasters on a fake smile, fighting to ignore the pain she's obviously in.

"What happened?" Her eyes already flood with tears and I'm besides her in an instant. I barely process anything other than one word.

Pregnant. She was pregnant.

We'd both imagined this movement before, hearing the news your best friend was going to have a baby, and being overwhelmed with ecstatic joy.

Except I was flooded with an intense sadness and grief for her. She had to make a choice, so big and important that no-one her age should ever have to make.

She stares into nothingness. Then finally she breaks away to look at me. "What do I do?"

"I can't answer that for you." She sighs knowingly, more tears flooding down her cheeks. "What I can say is this. Follow your gut, your heart, block out every other factor and ask yourself if you want to have this baby. Do you want to be a mother?"

Kiara's heart has lead her to trouble before, but it's also given her experiences, feelings, she would have felt otherwise.

"Yes." The moment she cries it out, she bursts into tears. I bundle her into my arms again, kissing the top of her head frantically.

"You're going to be the best mom, Kiara, and you have me. Forever. If you need help, if you want advice, comfort, or just a shoulder to cry on...I'll be there Kiara. I promise."

"I have to leave New York." Her words create a fission within my heart but I know this is the right thing for her. For them.

***

"I can't believe she's pregnant. My little sister I don't..." I reach the car before him, and set my purse on top of the hood.

"You can't anyone Kale. She's scared that if they find out, they won't let her leave, and she just needs time. Time to figure everything out first."

"She'll tell them eventually though, right? I mean I hate the pricks for both f*****g my sister, but they deserve to know. Even if it isn't their kid, they should know there's a possibility."

The worse thing was he was right. They do deserve to know, but my mind was concerned with moral ethics. Kiara was the only thing that mattered to me right now.

"We need to give her a few weeks at least, and it's her choice."

"Is it weird a part of me is excited to be an Uncle? Even though the whole situation is f****d up, I can't wait to meet that little baby."

I can't help but smile, picturing Kalen holding his niece or nephew. I'm so engrossed in the picture, I don't even realise that his arms are wrapped around my waist, drawing me closer into his chest.

"You would be the best Uncle...father." I murmur, brushing my lips against his. He smiles as our noses touch, fingers dancing delicately along my waist.

"Imagining having kids with me already Tess?"

"Any sane person would. It looks beautiful. We have two girls, one with my blonde hair, the other sharing your dark brown features, and then a little boy."

"Three?" His husky laughs causes me to flush.

"Is that too much?"

"No it's perfect. Any future with you is."

He hasn't pulled back yet, so I don't either. We're practically slow dancing in the middle of a hospital car park, yet it's the most authentic love I've ever felt before.

"I love that you love my family. I love that I'm enough for you."

"You're more than enough Kalen."

"Shush Tessa. I think I'm about to do something." I frown as he steps back and sinks onto one knee.

My gasp echoes throughout my body as he pulls out a crystal ring, engraved with our initials on the side. "Kale..."

"Will you make me the happiest man in the world and marry me Tess?"

It was crazy. Absolutely f*****g absorbed. I was eighteen, no job, going to college half way across the country. We didn't live together, we've only been together a few months and yet the only thing that felt right was screaming,

"Yes! Yes, yes, f**k yes..." I fling myself onto him, and he rises up with me attached to his body.

My back slams into the car whilst he devours my lips. The kiss is filled with promises and endless love, that ties us together irrevocably. The moment I pulled back he slides the ring onto my finger, and it sparkles like it made to sit there.

"This is crazy." I laugh. He shares mg emotion, kissing me again and again.

"Our parents are gonna kill us." He was right. They were, but even that dark cloud couldn't dull my happiness. I was smiling beyond just feeling, because this was everything I had ever dreamed of and more.

"Tessa!" The c***k of anger caused our bubble to burst violently. Our hands whipped back to see Aaron storming towards us, Tristan running closely behind

"Get in the car." Kalen grunts, but before I can reach for the keys, Aaron grabs his pocket knife and slashed the tire.

"Where is she?" I've never seen him do angry before, and I realise why he's the feared gang leader people are afraid to anger.

"Where's who?" Kalen replied. I cringe.

Aaron's arm suddenly wraps around my waist, dredging me into his body. I stifle a gasp as the barrel of a gun is shoved against my temple. I'm visibly stricken with fear, whilst Kalen appears the same.

"Tell me where Kiara is or I swear to f*****g god, I will blow her brains out."

"She'll hate you if you do that." The terrifying this is I don't think he cares. In this moment, Aaron Black is consumed with so much anger and rage, he's got blinkers on to rationality.

"She already f*****g hates me, so Kalen...I suggest you man the f**k up and start talking because my finger is itching to press the trigger."

"Please don't do this Aaron," The words a string of mumbles, as I'm forcing myself not to cry.

I feel his heavy breath against my ear. "I'm sorry, I really am but Kiara comes first. Just tell me where she is."

"The airport!" Kalen blurts out. I stare at him with wide eyes shaking my head. If Aaron finds out about Kiara, she'll never escape and be stuck in this cycle of torment.

I cry out as Aaron yanks my head back, shoving the gun under my chin instead. "More information."

"JFK, flight 271. She leaves in one hour." I'm sorry Kiara.

He shoves me back towards Kalen, and leaves. I don't cry until his footsteps disappear. My mind is torn and I feel my breathing become heavier and distorted.

"Tessa, Tessa breathe. Hey look at me," I focus on Kalen only to find his eyes flooded with concern and fear. "You're having a panic attack baby, just breathe."

I try and find the emotions from before. The overwhelming joy, the peace that existed before Kalen's world destroyed it. I always thought I could live with it before if I never knew.

I could live with the fear and violence and the guns and the death. To me it was all just an allusion, it wasn't real. That was until I had a gun shoved against my head. Now the danger was real and Kalen was exposed to that everyday.

How the hell was I supposed to live knowing he might never come home one day? How was I supposed to marry in fear of that?

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A/N: What do you think if the proposal??

Of Aaron and Tristan?? If you want to read more about the love triangle then read Chained Lovers, followed by Chained Princess!