Page 74 of The Last Love Story

I shake my head in reply.Not here.Callum seems to get it, humming and planting a kiss on my hair just as a flash of lightning splits the sky. Like it’s just a show, several guests let out appreciative applause; one woman gives a light shriek.

“Shall we go to the observation deck?” Mona suggests, clapping her hands.

Callum meets my gaze with a question, jerking his head, and I nod grimly.

The observation deck is a giant shelflike structure that protrudes from the side of the third deck, and I stop before I step out onto it—it’s all glass. Every inch.

“It’s safe,” Callum says, holding my hand and stepping out in front of me as if to demonstrate its structural integrity. “It’s a polymer. They made the newest space station out of it.”

I follow, looking down as I put my full weight on theclear surface. It holds, and the fear quiets in the back of my mind, even as the ocean churns below, a gunmetal gray with tips of white foam. The ruined, half-floating coast is even easier to see from here, and I’m transfixed by it enough that I don’t even clock that I’m walking farther out onto the deck.

“This is...” I start.

Callum squeezes my hand. “I know,” he says, his voice low, as we reach the far edge of the deck.

I feel like I need to see it. It’s like a beacon, calling to me.How can you look away?Hux had asked me in the server room. And now I understand it. I can’t thrust my head into the sand and pretend this isn’t happening. All around us, the rest of the guests breeze onto the deck, having done this dozens of times before.

“Are we going to get past this garbage anytime soon?” A woman’s tinny voice sounds from my left. “It’s depressing.”

I look at her, wondering if my expression is half as raw as I feel.

When she catches me staring at her, at her fake-looking red hair, at her gaudy necklace that matches her bulbous eyes, she lowers her champagne glass and turns her head. “What?”

“People lived there,” I say, my voice sounding strange. “And people are dying there. Maybe right now.”

She lets out a guffaw, like she’s half amused by me. “I know.”

Callum squeezes my hand in his a little tighter. Whatever he’s trying to tell me, I ignore it.

“Do you? Do you know that?” I press.

The woman gives me a fake, sweet smile. “Do you know who I am?” she croons.

Callum steps up. “Ms. Beighlor. The owner of MayTech,” he says for my benefit, stepping forward and holding his hand out. “I know my father has been very appreciative of your donations.”

The woman shakes Callum’s hand, locking her eyes on mine as she does it.

“Ripley and I specifically asked that we see the destruction from the last hurricane. So, if you’re put off by our route”—Callum puts a hand on his chest—“you can blame me.”

I clench my teeth, looking down at the ocean through the floor. I know Callum is being smart. I know that ripping this woman to shreds with angry words is not the smart move. She has money, which means she has power, and we can use that power. And honestly? It won’t change anything. It won’t change her mind. It won’t bring people back.

But the words I want to say sit in my throat like magma. It hurts to keep them locked up.

I force myself to offer her a smile, however close I can get, but my eyes focus on a dark figure over her shoulder. Hux, standing at the doorway of the observation deck, hishands clasped behind his back. His face is unreadable, but his eyes are fixed on me.

“Apology accepted,” Ms. Beighlor says, a saccharine grin spreading over her face as she takes in the sight of Callum. He knows what he’s doing. He knows his charm will smooth this over.

Maybe I don’t want it smoothed over.

And in that moment, it’s almost like Hux can read my mind. A smirk kicks up the side of his lips. I cough, turning to look back out over the scenery as Callum expertly extricates himself from Ms. Beighlor, somehow also managing to get her to commit to another donation before she rejoins Mona on the far side of the deck.

“I’m sorry,” Callum says to me as he leads me away, a hand at the base of my spine. “I really hate these people, but they’re a necessary evil. I promise you, every dollar she gives us, I’ll use to fix this. We can do that. And soon. Just a little bit longer. She thinks I agreed with her? Fine. I’ll take her money anyway.”

The storm is almost here. I can feel the thunder in my bones, rumbling with discontent.

Somehow, this feels strangely close to lying. And my Callum? He doesn’t lie.

The lightning cracks again—closer this time. This round of applause is punctuated with more playful screams.