And while I didn’t give a fuck at the beginning that they’re cousins, mainly because Creighton stays out of anything related to the Elites, Nikolai found out that’s not the case lately.
It’ll be a cold day in hell before I allow that rotten family, especially Landon, to get close to my sister.
So I have to stop it before it’s too late.
Even if I have to hurt her in the process.
28
CECILY
“Who got you smiling like that?”
I have no idea how I manage not to flinch and then calmly place the phone on the table.
We’re in the kitchen that’s filled with purple and pink chairs, utensils, and curtains. Even the fridge wrapper and dishes have some of those colors, thanks to the two girly fashionistas Glyn and I share a space with.
Ava sits across from me, waffle in hand while she licks the syrup that’s managed to escape from her fingers.
She finally woke up when I announced I got us waffles. Her hair is gathered in a messy bun, and she has a white de-puffing mask on. Add that to the constant groaning and moaning about last night and it’s like I’m in the company of a whiny ghost.
I busy myself with cutting a piece of waffle to avoid meeting her gaze. “Oh, nothing. Just some meme.”
Please don’t let it show on my face that I’m giddier than usual this morning.
“Uh-huh. Didn’t know memes made you look like you’re in love.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” I pour some orange juice and slide it in her direction. “Eat up or you’ll be late to school.”
“Try again.” She lifts her leg up on the chair and hugs her knee, then brings the waffle to her mouth while she narrows her eyes at me. “Sooo I might have been drunk, but, and this is the important part, I remember things.”
Blimey.
I’d hoped she was too hammered to remember stuff—she usually doesn’t. Or maybe she only pretends she doesn’t.
Mimicking a monk’s serenity, I take a sip of my coffee. “Things like what?”
“Like how Jeremy was at the club last night.”
That’s not so bad. I can work with it. “He probably goes to all the clubs on the island. That’s not weird.”
“The fact that he talked to you is. He was close.” She holds her thumb and forefinger a hairsbreadth apart. “This close.”
“You were drunk. You probably saw it wrong.”
“Did I also see it wrong when he got into your car with his silent scary mate? Or when you were talking to him outside my room? He was right here last night! Well, not here in the kitchen, but here in the flat.”
My ears heat despite my extensive attempts to appear unaffected. That alone gives Ava the answer she’s been playing detective to find.
“OMG! You totally shagged him in the club, didn’t you?”
“Ava!”
“You did!” She all but rips the mask from her face, revealing her shocked expression. “You smelled like him, and you had these puffy lips, watery eyes, and flushed cheeks. I think I’m going into a state of shock.”
“Hey—”
She holds up a hand. “I just need a moment to process things.”
I grow stiffer in my chair, and my T-shirt starts to stick to my back with sweat the longer I wait for her.
Ava opens her mouth a few times, then shakes her head and clamps it shut before she finally asks, “Is it true?”
“Is what true?”
“Everything I heard and saw and eventually deduced?”
I nod. It’s useless to hide it from her anyway. She would’ve found out sooner or later.
“Oh my fucking God. This is huge.” She drops her leg to the floor and leans forward in her chair. “When did it start? How? Why is it Jeremy, of all people? The Jeremy Volkov. Why is the scary big guy at TKU the one you gave up your prude status for? You hated him! Most importantly, why didn’t you tell me? I thought we shared everything.”
I wince, gripping the cup of tea tighter before I set it back on the table. “It’s not that I didn’t want to tell you, it’s that we’re not really a thing, per se.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean? You guys are shagging, right?”
“Uh, yeah. But we only recently started some sort of a relationship.”
At least, I think so.
Jeremy didn’t promise me anything, but he also didn’t say no to what I asked. I know that with time, he’ll come around. I’ll try to make him come around.
Because I can’t just stand there while he takes and only gives back sex in return. It’ll eventually drain me, and I’ll have nothing left.
“The more I listen, the more surreal this becomes.” Ava grabs her phone. “Hold on. I need support. Can I tell Anni and Glyn the news and call for an urgent girl squad meeting?”
I all but fly across the table and snatch her phone away. “No.”
A crease appears between her delicate brows. “Why not?”
“I told you this thing is new, and I’m not sure if it’ll work. So I don’t want to get the others, especially Anni, involved yet.”
Hell. I don’t even know how she’ll react to this. She was super pissed about that Maya trying to steal away her brother, so maybe, she doesn’t think anyone is worthy of him.
“Fine, fine. I respect that,” Ava grumbles and stretches out in her chair. “Now, tell me, why Jeremy?”
“I don’t know either.”
“Come on, there must be something that drew you to him. I would’ve sworn you hated his guts, background, and everything in between. So how did cursing him and the whole of TKU turn into dirty fucks at the club?”
I flop down on the chair beside her with a sigh. The first time I officially met Jeremy, at the fight club, when he was exerting his controlling behavior and kicking Annika out, feels like ages ago.
“Now that you’ve reminded me, I did hate his guts. Honestly, sometimes, I still do. He’s controlling, abrasive, and doesn’t have a gentle bone in his body. Well, mostly. He can force himself to be soft sometimes, but it’s like he’s an alien who’s emulating human behavior. It doesn’t come naturally to him, but he puts in the effort, so I guess that’s a start. Oh, and he’s persistent.”
A stalker, actually.
But I won’t tell Ava unnecessary things. If she finds out the extent of how fucked up Jeremy and I are, she’ll probably try to poke his eyes out and will get herself shot dead by his guards.
Besides, it’s not that I feel threatened by his presence or whenever I sense him watching my every move.
In fact, I feel surprisingly safe.
“That seems serious.” She takes a slurp from her orange juice, looking pensive.
“It’s nothing of the sort. We’re just winging it.”
“Cecy, I love you. I really do. But you don’t even know the meaning of that word. Besides, Jeremy definitely didn’t look at you like he was winging it.”
“You were so drunk that you fell asleep. You have no idea what expression either of us wore.”
“I do too! I can’t mistake something like that. He looked at you like he…” she trails off, seeming at a loss for the right word before she snaps her fingers. “Like he can’t get enough of you and wants more, more, and everything.”
“You…must be imagining things.”
“Hell no. Trust me. I know that look all too well. That guy is so obsessed with you, he beat that bloke for daring to touch you.”