Why the Straight One? - Chapter 24: Chapter 24

"I just—I needed to hear a familiar voice."
Elliot's voice shook slightly, and I sat up, immediately worried by the tone of his voice.
"What's wrong? What's happening?"
"Nothing. Well, nothing in particular. I don't want to talk about that. I just want to talk to you for a little bit. Raymond didn't answer when I called."
I glanced across the pool area where I was sitting, to the tennis court where Thomas and Raymond were playing. They had both informed me, not very subtly, that I was terrible at the sport, and I should watch or go away.
"He's playing tennis with Thomas right now, but I'm sure he'll call you back soon."
"He doesn't have to. It's fine. I should go. There isn't a real reason for this call."
"There doesn't have to be a reason." I reminded him gently, but something in me knew there was a reason. He just wasn't saying it.
I could hear the sound of movement and a door closing on his end, and waited for him to answer.
"But if there isn't, I feel like I'm waisting your time."
"Elliot, I'm sitting around at Thomas' country estate. I have literally nothing to do right now, and even if I was in the middle of a hundred different things, I'd still drop it all to talk to you."
He didn't answer right away, but I could hear him take a shaky breath.
"Damn it, Alex. I swore I wasn't going to cry when I called you."
"It's alright. You can cry to me anytime you want." He chuckled softly.
"I'll try to not make a habit of it though." I smiled, but couldn't push down the nagging feeling that something wasn't right. Something he said seemed off.
"Elliot?"
"Yes?"
"When you said that you swore you wouldn't cry, was there something else you wanted to
talk to me about?"
"How do you know me so well after only a few months? Its...it's nothing really..." His voice trailed off, but I wasn't going to let him leave it at that.
"Nothing is still something to me. I want to hear about it."
"It's just that—"
His voice cut off abruptly, and I heard muffled sounds of movement and what I think I was a door closing. Then all was silent, only the sound of my own breathing could be heard.
"Elliot?"
"I-I have to go, Alex. I'll call you when I can."
And he hung up, leaving me to wonder at the sudden change in his voice.
"Why the long face?"
Raymond plopped down on the deck chair next to me, wiping the sweat off his forehead with a towel.
"I was just on the phone with Elliot, and he hung up really fast, but before that, he was going to tell me something."
Raymond's eyebrows drew together in concern.
"Why did he hang up? Do you know?"
"It sounded like maybe someone came into the room he was on, or something."
"Probably that asshole, Jasper." He scowled angrily.
"I hope he's okay. I don't want him to be in trouble or something because he was talking to me."
Raymond looked at me, and his expression softened. Maybe he saw the tears that I was trying to blink away, or maybe he just knew that I needed some sort of reassurance. Either way, he placed his hand on my knee, and spoke gently.
"I hope he is okay too. We are all thinking about him, but please, don't put any blame on yourself. I'm sure he's fine."
And really, I wish we were both as sure as he sounded.
"But you don't know what he's done! You don't—"
I stopped suddenly, afraid that I had said to much. That I had given away a secret that wasn't mine to share, but Raymond shook his head.
"Believe me, I know plenty about that man. More than enough. I'm not an idiot. I found out years ago that Eva wasn't born the way she was from natural causes."
Up until that last sentence, I thought that perhaps he had guessed Thomas' secret after all, but now I looked at him in confusion.
"Who's Eva?"
Raymond's face clouded over, and he looked at me sharply.
"You didn't see her at the wedding?"
"I don't think so. I don't remember meeting anyone called Eva."
"Believe me, you would remember if you met her." He looked away before speaking again, eyes staring blankly at a spot just past me.
"She's Jonathan and Jordan's sister. She's the second oldest."
Never in all the time that I'd been there, or in any of the conversations had I heard of a sister.
"But why—"
"Why haven't you heard about her, or seen her sooner?"
He asked the question for me, and I nodded. He sighed, running a hand through his sweaty hair. A shadow fell across my face, and I looked up to see Thomas standing next to my chair. The sympathy in his eyes surprised me, especially when I realized it was directed at his brother.
"Because the king is embarrassed of her." Thomas answered, and Raymond looked up at him, and understanding passing between them.
"She is paralyzed in both legs. She's been that way since she was a baby. The king tried to pass it off as natural causes, but anyone who knows their family at all knows that that's bullshit."
I looked between them, from the angry set of Thomas' jaw, to the completely heartbroken look I was surprised to see in Raymond's eyes.
"W-what happened?" I was almost afraid to know, and inkling of the truth already forming in my mind.
"Jasper abused his wife, Margaret. Some of us know that for a fact. But when Eva was a baby, he he hit her as well, causing the injury. She was born perfectly healthy, so there is no other explanation."
I couldn't believe my ears. Couldn't believe that one man was capable of so many appalling acts, and that Elliot was married to him.
"If you know all this, why the hell did you let Elliot marry him?"
Raymond stood up and walked away from us, and I noticed the tears in his eyes that he tried to hide from us. Thomas watched him for a few seconds, before turning back to me.
"Because he is extremely powerful, and just insane enough to actually declare war if we don't do what he says. Our countries border each other, in fact, this very estate is in their border. We can't afford to have him as an enemy."
It all made so much sense, in a cold, inhuman way. If you put away any thought for the man involved, giving Jasper what he wanted in exchange for peace was probably the best choice.
"Naturally, Jonathan and Jordan are extremely protective of her, and that's why they wouldn't have mentioned her." Thomas changed the subject back to our earlier topic, effectively cutting off my argument.
"That makes sense. Is that why she wasn't at the wedding?"
Thomas' face darkened, and he sat down in the seat Raymond had recently vacated.
"Probably not. I'm sure the king didn't have her there on purpose. He hates her."
"That's so horrible."
Thomas nodded at my sum of the facts. There really wasn't more to say. The whole thing was horrible.
"Why..." I trailed off, unsure of how to ask the question that I wanted the answer to so badly. Thomas followed my gaze to where I was watching Raymond standing motionless by the pool edge, and he sighed.
"Raymond is in love with Eva. He has been for years."
"Oh, I see."
"I don't know if you do yet. She told him a few years ago that she would never be with him, and has refused to talk about it since."
"Does she not like him?" Thomas sighed.
"I'm pretty sure she does, but you have to understand, her life has been extremely hard. What with her father hating her, and everything he caused. I don't think she sees herself ever being with anyone, you know? And Raymond has been struggling with that for the last three years."
"I never knew."
"Of course. He's good at hiding his emotions. It's a family trait really."
"It really is. I feel a little out of place around here. I can never hide what I'm actually feeling."
He looked at me for a few moments, head tilted slightly to the side.
"True, but that's what I love about you."
I stared at him, speechless, and it took him a second to realize exactly what he had said. Instantly, he was blushing and trying to stammer out some explanation. When that failed, he hurried away, leaving me completely dumbfounded.