Locked In

8

AINSLEY

It’d been a week since I slept peacefully. Every morning, I drank coffee to keep myself from knocking off mid-work. My face squeezed as the coffee maker stopped and a laugh from Vin’s boyfriend, Michael, echoed from their room.

They had sex every single night, and the walls were not soundproofed. They made noises and moans without putting the girl next door into consideration. Though that was a mistake on my part because I told them to act as if I was not around. So I’d been pretty much invisible and in agony for one week.

They did not hesitate to let me in when I knocked on Vin’s door that night and explained to him what happened with the locket, water, and suddenly, the electricity. I couldn’t stay in that house alone, knowing he could come in anytime while I was asleep. What I didn’t tell Vin was that I knew who owned the locket. He simply thought I had a stalker and needed to report to the police.

My phone buzzed with a message from Blake as I took the first sip of my coffee on the counter. I’d given him my contact hesitantly because he wouldn’t stop pestering me about it before he left that morning, and I didn’t want him asking around. I’d cut off everyone from high school on purpose. Including my friends.

Blake: Hey, how are you doing? I’ve been made to pass this poll across for a get together! How awesome is that? It’s been six years and honestly, what do you think? Shall we have a get-together/fun time in New Orleans?

I didn’t think. I clicked NO, cursing when I saw the vote. YES had 97% and NO, 3%.

I groaned. I wasn’t going. Confronting Blake was dangerous, and going to that get-together was the same as throwing myself in a den of lions.

“I’m going to miss you,” I locked my phone as Michael said to Vin, his bag on his back, both of them walking into the sitting room. They stopped in the centre, and I rolled my eyes and turned, not having the stomach to see my friend kiss after I heard him all night.

“You can stay. One more day,” Vin pleaded silently. My eyes roamed the kitchen in search of something to do.

“You know I can’t—”

“I know. I know. Fine.”

They were discussing very quietly, but I could hear them. My phone buzzed in my hand.

Blake: Ninety-seven voted YES. The location will be passed around tomorrow; the party is in six days.

I began to type.

Me: I don’t think I can make it. You guys have fun without me.

Blake: Why? Do you have something important fixed?

Me: Yes. Very, very important.

Blake: The party starts at 7pm. Sure you can’t make it?

“Bye, Ainz,” Michael said behind me.

“Oh, yeah. Bye, Mike.”

Me: I’m sorry.

I dropped my phone and coffee and followed them outside. Vin and I stood at the front door, waving as Michael turned to cross the road. He walked a little further down before hailing a taxi. Vin’s gaze stayed fixed on the car until it disappeared from sight.

“You’re going to miss him,” I quipped, flashing Vin a teasing smile.

He nodded, his expression serious. “So much.”

I pouted playfully. “Aww. Let me give you a hug, big boy.”

Before I could finish my sentence, Vin pulled me into a tight embrace, squeezing the air right out of my lungs. I let out a small laugh and patted his back.

As I locked my hands behind him, my gaze drifted to the side. My stomach plummeted, and my smile dropped.

Theon stood across the road, leaning against a block, his left hand pressed hard into the surface as if it was the only thing keeping him from crossing the street. His cold eyes bore into us, his posture rigid, and his fist clenched. A chill crept down my spine, and my heart raced. For another reason.

Anger quickly replaced my shock. How dare he? My blood boiled, memories of last week flooding my mind—when he’d broken into my house like it was his right, like he could do whatever he wanted. I bet he was the one behind the water and electricity shit.

“Wait for me inside, yeah?” I told Vin.

Vin stared at me, confused but didn’t ask questions. I didn’t give him time anyway.

Not caring that I was only wearing a nightshirt with shorts that were barely visible underneath, I began to walk to the road with quick, angry strides, my eyes locked on Theon.

He seemed to relax as he saw me coming—fist unclenched and jaw loosened. His gaze dropped to my bare thighs, and his eyes narrowed as they trailed back up to meet my eyes, displease evident in his stare.

The hell?

As I crossed the road, a blur of movement caught my eye. A schoolboy on a bicycle was racing towards me at full speed, his schoolbag bouncing wildly on his back. His uniform shirt flapped in the breeze, and his face was twisted in frustration, clearly late for school.

“Out of my way!” he shouted, swerving dangerously close.

I barely had time to react, the early morning streets alive with people, all lost in their routines. The day was in full swing—shops were opening, commuters hurried by. I remained frozen in place for a second as the boy sped past, narrowly missing me.

“Sorry!” he apologised.

I shook my head and resumed my walking, maintaining that anger until I was before him. “You jerk, how dare you break into my house. Twice.”

His eyes remained unchanged, unaffected by what I said. He wasn’t remorseful. What did I expect? Drop to his knees and apologise?

“You have nothing to say? I could sue you for—”

“Go back to your place.”

I was dumbstruck for a second. “You assume you have the right to tell me what to do.”

“It’s your choice. Do it while I tell you, or you’ll regret it when I force you.”

“Are you threatening me right now?”

“Warning.”

I scoffed unbelievably, completely speechless. He had a way of surprising me with his thinking. I was certain he was incapable of thinking the way normal humans did.

“I am staying at my friend’s place. I don’t get what problem you have with that. You want to sneak into my house? Well, lucky you, because you can now. I don’t care.” I turned to walk away. His hand clamped down on my shoulder, and before I knew, I was hauled back and pushed against the wall.

Theon’s body caged mine, tall and broad to the point of intimidation, his eyes a subtle shade of hazel that flared hotter with each blink. He leaned in, and I looked up, hardening my gaze.

This was the closest we’d ever been, there’d always been at least a foot distance between us. But he was so goddamn close to my face now, my mind was beginning to black out. The longer I stared at his face—nose, eyes...lips—the faster my anger melted.

He was angry, I could see it in his eyes. Rage, an emotion that was born years ago, shone in his eyes. Everytime, my thoughts were plagued with questions of how he survived, how everything happened that night, why he suddenly hated me so much. I had a lot of questions for him. No one should be able to survive that fall.

He lifted his hand to my face, slid two fingers down my temple to tuck my hair behind. I suppressed the shiver that racked my body. “Go back to your house while I’m asking nicely.” His tone was ice-cold, a scary contrast to his gentle gesture with my hair.

“Or what?”

“Or your friend is going to pay for your disobedience.”

“Are you crazy? You can’t just keep threatening people however you like. Vin’s got nothing to do with this. Or me. He has a boyfriend.”

“You believe I care about that?”

“Why else would you want me to leave? You aren’t that difficult to detect, you know.” I tried my best to be casual with the words so he could prove me wrong, but suddenly, he seemed to be more angry at himself than at me.

“So?”

I blinked in shock. “You admit?”

Damn, I thought after what I did plus the years that flew by, his infatuation with me would have died, but he still had it in him. Did he even ‘love’ me? Was it just love?

His glare pierced my flesh and soul. “Don’t think for a second that it’ll stop me from ruining you.”

It will. His eyes...he didn’t just love me. It was obsession. He was obsessed. And he was irritated that he did. If he truly was, that meant our first encounter here wasn’t really our first. He’d been with me all these years. What...how...what had he been doing?

“Have you been watching me?” It took a lot not to stammer.

“You two should get a room or something! Kids are walking everywhere.” An old lady walked by, kept ranting on about what we were doing. We weren’t doing anything, our bodies weren’t even touching. Though it may seem to someone else like we were about to kiss.

“Have I? Looks to me like you’ve gotten it all figured out. Next time, I won’t tell you to leave his house. He will be doing the talking.”

“Stop being an asshole. Want me to spell it out for you? He’s gay. He’s my friend. And you just said you don’t give a fuck. Why should it even matter to you? It’s my fucking life. I hate that house, especially because you can sneak in anytime—”

“You’ll find out who and what I give a fuck about very soon,” he cut me off calmly. “And you’ll be surprised how high you are on that list.”

He pushed himself away, his gaze briefly brushing my legs. His jaw ticked as if refraining from saying more, then strode off to my right.

“Don’t you dare touch Vin, you hear me, asshole!”

Fuck.