The Cruel World

by Scarlett Haven

  “Did you guys get to furnish your own condo?” I ask.

  Cole nods. “All The Royals get to furnish their own places.”

  I frown. “We didn’t.”

  “Because you’re still in training.” He rubs at the back of his neck. “Actually, before we moved in here, we stayed in your condo. Probably for fifteen months or so while we finished our training.”

  That makes me feel a little bit better.

  This condo has its own designated dining room. There are archways that lead into the room, and there is a large, circular table in the space with a mini chandelier hanging down.

  “We never use the dining room,” Cole informs me.

  I frown. “Seriously? This is so nice.”

  He puts his hand on the small of my back. “Come on, there’s still more to see.”

  I let Cole lead me toward where I assume are the bedrooms. I am completely jealous when I find out they have three rooms, meaning each of them have their own living space. Of course, Jensen has the room with the view.

  “This is completely unfair,” I complain. “The five of us live in a two bedroom condo. And we all share the same room.”

  Though maybe that’s by choice.

  Cole looks at me, raising an eyebrow. “You have two bedrooms but the five of you live in one room?”

  I nod, chewing on my lip. “Yeah, uh, it’s a long story.”

  I’m sure the guys regret bringing my bed into their room now. I probably get on their nerves, but they’ve all been pretty cool about it.

  Cole and Rook’s rooms don’t have a view, but they’re still large and they each have their own bathroom which seems completely unfair.

  I point at the last door. “What’s in there?”

  “The spare room,” Cole answers.

  My jaw drops open. “That’s it. I’m moving in with you guys.”

  He laughs. “Pretty sure West wouldn’t let that happen.”

  Eh, he’s probably right.

  “I don’t think Jensen and I could exist in the large space anyway. We’d probably get into a huge fight and kill one another.”

  Cole shakes his head. “Nah, Jensen likes you. If you were on our team, he wouldn’t flirt with you like that. He just does it to get under West’s skin.”

  I wonder if Jensen is a good leader. He seems like he treats Rook and Cole well.

  “We should head out to the balcony before your boyfriends think I stole you,” Cole says.

  I snort. “Ian hates me. West can’t make up his mind about me. Kal is my best friend forever. And Alek is going to be single until he’s thirty. Trust me, they’re not my boyfriends.”

  He chuckles. “Good luck, Roxy. You’re going to need it.”

  I wonder what he means, but he starts walking toward the balcony before I get a chance to ask.

  I’ve seen their balcony before, but only from the other side of the wall while I was yelling at Jensen to turn down his music so I could study. Seeing it in person is so much better. It’s a large balcony with a hot tub in the corner. There is a large outdoor table where the guys are all sitting.

  “Does the fact that I’m jealous of your balcony mean that I’m a proper adult now?” I ask Cole.

  He laughs. “Nah, I’m pretty sure that just means you’re a girl.”

  Ignoring him, I step toward the table, sitting in an empty seat between Kal and Rook.

  “Where were you?” Kal asks.

  “I was getting the tour. By the way, I’m moving in with them.” I sigh, leaning back in my chair. “They have four bedrooms. They don’t have to share.”

  Kal drapes his arm across the back of my chair. “Ah, but you love having your bed so close to mine.”

  I roll my eyes, but grin.

  Truthfully, I don’t mind being in the same room as all the guys. It’s kind of nice, sometimes. But other times… it’d be nice to have my own space.

  “Any time you want to get away, feel free to use our guest room,” Rook tells me. “And our balcony.”

  I turn to him. “Ah, don’t say that. I’ll be over here all the time and you’ll get sick of me.”

  “She is staying where she is,” West says firmly. “And she won’t be visiting you.”

  I swallow hard, realizing that our joking around has made West mad.

  Then again, what doesn’t make West mad these days?

  Rook surprises me when he sits forward, looking directly at West. “You might be her team leader, but you don’t control her. Even The Royals are allowed to have lives outside of their jobs.”

  West clenches his jaw, turning from Rook to me. “Do you understand, Princess?”

  I give him one curt nod before turning to look off the balcony.

  Why do I feel like I’m walking along a tight rope? One wrong move and I’m going to topple over and fall to my death.

  After a few moments pass and the conversation has changed to something more pleasant, I dare to look over at West only to see that his jaw is clenched tightly, and his face is red with anger.

  Yep… definitely not going to survive this.

  I don’t blame you for turning me down.

  Later that afternoon, after we’ve eaten, the guys are playing video games in the living room. I stay on the balcony, just to get a moment to breathe. Everything today has just been so intense.

  West left about thirty minutes ago, claiming he had a headache. I’m just staying because I know West is going to be mad at me when I get home. He’s been mad at me since yesterday. Too bad I have no idea what I did or said to make him angry.

  I hear the patio door open behind me, but I don’t turn to look and see who has joined me. As long as it’s not Jensen, I don’t really care.

  To be fair, Jensen did apologize to me earlier. And the fact that he has two very black eyes from me punching him made the apology feel a lot better. I forgave him and we decided to be friends—you know, the very distant kind of friends who definitely don’t put their lips anywhere near one another.

  “Hey, Roxy.” Rook leans against the balcony rail beside me.

  I smile over at him. “Hey.”

  Rook is my favorite of the three guys on our rival team. I actually kind of like him, not that I’d ever admit that to anybody. He’s always been super nice, not just to me, but everybody. It’s hard to not like a guy that’s as chill as he is.

  “Do you want to sit down?” Rook nods his head toward a couple of chairs behind us.

  I shrug. “Sure.”

  We sit down in the chairs, facing toward the ocean.

  It’s so peaceful out here, listening to the waves crash onto the shore. I don’t think anything in the world is prettier than this. I could stay out here for hours and never get tired of the gentle breeze that blows in the scent of salt water.

  “I wanted to talk to you about something,” Rook begins.

  I turn to him when I hear the serious tone in his voice. “What is it?”

  His eyes baby blue eyes meet mine and the sight nearly takes my breath away. He is a good looking man. If my heart didn’t already belong to a certain cranky guy that shall not be named, I think it’d be easy to fall for a guy like Rook.

  Uh, why can’t I fall for Rook? He is the kind of guy I should fall for, not a guy who pushes me away at every chance he gets.

  “Are you happy?”

  His question stuns me for a moment. I lick my lips before responding. “Yeah. Why do you ask?”

  “I just mean with the way West treats you,” he clarifies.

  I wave a hand. “That’s just West. You get used to him. Sure, sometimes he’s cranky and overbearing, but he cares about all of us. He’s a good team leader and he usually treats me well. It’s just, for some reason when we’re over here, he tends to get a little cranky. I think Jensen brings the worst out in him.”

  Rook laughs. “Yeah, I get that. Jensen likes to push people’s buttons. It’s gotten us into a lot of trouble over the years.”

  I can imagine…

&
nbsp; I didn’t realize I had that much of a temper until Jensen tried to kiss me. He’s not the first guy I’ve punched for putting his lips on me when I didn’t want it, but I hope he’s the last.

  “Don’t worry about me. Truly. West is nice to me when nobody is around,” I assure him. It’s not exactly the truth, but it’s also not a lie. West and I are complicated. I’m not sure anybody could understand the relationship we have, even I don’t understand it.

  “Are you and West together?” Rook raises an eyebrow at me.

  I shake my head. “No. West and I aren’t like that.”

  My feelings are very one sided. The kisses we have shared keep me awake at night as I relive them in my head, but I know West doesn’t feel the same.

  Rook smiles. “Okay. That’s good.”

  I wouldn’t say it’s good, but I’m not saying that to Rook. I know how pathetic I would look if I admitted it out loud. This is my secret to keep.

  “I’m glad you came over,” Rook says, making me realize that I didn’t respond to what he said. Thankfully, he doesn’t seem to notice.

  I smile at him. “Yeah, me too. You guys are pretty cool.”

  If they weren’t our rivals, I think I could be friends with them. Maybe I still could if West ever decided to start being nice.

  He clears his throat. “Look, I, uh, I probably shouldn’t be saying this, but I have to put it out there and take a shot.”

  I raise an eyebrow. “What are you talking about?”

  “You are an incredible spy,” he begins. “I watched you this morning while you were training, and I was blown away. You go up against Alek, who is almost twice your size, and you hold your own against him. It’s beautiful to watch. I can see why you were chosen to join The Royals.”

  “Thanks.” I push a piece of hair behind my ear.

  “You also have this personality that sucks people in—it’s impossible not to like you.”

  I snort. “Somebody should tell Ian and West that.”

  He smirks. “I’m sure they know. You light up every room you’re in. They don’t even realize how lucky they are to be on a team with you.”

  My cheeks grow warm at his compliment. “Uh, thanks.”

  “You’re also stunningly beautiful.” His voice takes on a very husky tone. It’s then that I realize Rook is flirting with me. I’m not sure why I didn’t notice before, but he definitely is.

  “Oh,” I say, completely stunned by his words.

  “I like you.”

  I blink, not knowing what to say to that. Somehow ‘thanks’ doesn’t seem appropriate, so I keep my mouth shut.

  “That’s why I have to at least try, you know? Because you’re a once in a lifetime kind of girl.” He beams at me, revealing dimples. “I’m not asking for anything serious yet. I just want to take you out on a date. When we go to The Royal Games, I know where all the good restaurants are. We could hang out and maybe get to know one another.”

  My heart races fast and hard. I try to take a deep breath, but it gets caught in my throat as I look at Rook.

  I don’t get asked out on dates. I don’t have guys tell me they like me. Yet, Rook is the second guy this week to confess his feelings for me.

  I put a hand at the base of my throat. “Rook, you’re a really nice guy. And you’re insanely good looking.” My cheeks grow warm. “But, uh, I can’t date you—not even one date. I’m pretty sure West would kill me and you if we did. Besides, we’re on different teams. Our schedules are insane. We would go months without seeing one another—that’s not the kind of relationship I want.”

  He chuckles. “Those are just excuses.”

  I shrug. “Maybe, but it doesn’t change my answer. We’re on rival teams. This just wouldn’t work out.”

  “I don’t blame you for turning me down,” he says. “I understand. But it doesn’t change the way I feel. You and I would be good together. I’ll show you that I’m serious about this. It doesn’t matter that we’re on different teams—I like you enough to work for this.”

  “You don’t even know me.” How can he say he likes me?

  “I’m a Spy School agent. A good one, at that. I’m a Royal. And I’m a good judge of character. I know what I want, Roxy.” His blue eyes light up as he looks at me. “Get to know me while we’re at The Royal Games—if your answer is still no after we get to know one another, then I’ll respect that.”

  “We can be friends,” I say. “But nothing more than that.”

  He nods. “Okay. If friendship is what you can offer right now, I’ll take it.”

  I have no idea what Rook sees in me. Or Ian, for that matter. I’m a good agent, but not good enough to be a Royal. I’m only a Royal because I got really lucky and somehow managed to get the attention of West, Kal, Alek, and Ian. Certainly he’ll see that once he gets to know me.

  “You’re insecure, aren’t you?” Rook furrows his brows as he looks at me.

  “How could I not be?” I ask.

  He shakes his head back and forth. “I wish you could see what I do. If you did, you’d know you have no reason to ever feel insecure. You, Roxy Villareal, are one amazing chick.”

  “Thank you,” I say, truly meaning it.

  I still don’t get what he sees, but I’m glad that Rook and I are friends now.

  Fraternizing with the enemy.

  After my conversation with Rook, I head back to the condo, leaving Ian, Kal, and Alek still playing video games with Cole and Jensen. None of them even look up as I leave, they’re really engrossed in whatever they’re playing.

  Boys are super confusing—the five of them can’t even get along but they’re playing video games together like they’ve always been pals. I just don’t get it.

  After I shut the door behind me, I turn to walk into our condo and freeze, staring at the doorknob. I’m scared to open the door. I’m scared that West will be inside, waiting to yell at me for something I did or said. I cross my fingers, praying he’s in the gym or something because I don’t want to fight with him anymore. I’m tired of fighting.

  Pushing open the door, I hold my breath. I tiptoe into the house as quietly as I can. The door shuts with only the faintest of noises. As I turn around to walk quietly into the living room, I squeal as I run into something. More like somebody.

  “West.” I put a hand against my franticly beating heart. “You scared me.”

  But he’s not smiling. He is just looking at me with narrowed eyes.

  Of course. Why did I think coming home would be pleasant? West was probably waiting for me to come through the door so he could yell at me for doing something wrong—I wish I knew what so I could make sure I never made the mistake again.

  West crosses his arms over his chest. “Next time you decide to fraternize with the enemy, make sure that you’re not on the balcony where everybody can hear.”

  My heart stops.

  Of course, West heard Rook ask me out. With my luck, I’m surprised the whole team didn’t hear it.

  I put my hands on my hips. “If you heard him ask me out then you heard me tell him no.”

  He steps closer to me. “Did you tell him no? Because I was under the assumption that the two of you are going to be hanging out when we go to The Royal Games.”

  “As friends.” I throw my arms up. “Did you even hear us, or did you only pay attention to the parts you wanted to? You’re trying to twist it to make me look like a bad guy.”

  “You’re the one dating the enemy.”

  I poke a finger at his chest. “West freaking Newman, I am not dating anybody. Not Ian, not Alek, not Kal, not Rook, not Cole, not Jensen, not even random boys at Fight Club who try to kiss me. And even if I did decide to date somebody, how would it be your business?”

  His face turns red. “You are my business, Princess. You’re a member of this team and everything you do effects me.”

  I open my mouth to say something, but how can I argue with somebody who is being completely irrational. I grunt, walking past him.
>
  Now, more than ever, I wish this condo were bigger so I could get away from West. These two small bedrooms aren’t enough.

  “I’m not done talking to you.” West stomps after me.

  I ignore him, walking toward the balcony. I desperately need to get away from him. At the very least, if he follows me out, I can push him off the side.

  Eh, okay. Maybe I won’t murder West, but I can at least consider it in my head. It makes me feel better.

  I can’t believe how irrational West is being right now. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this angry before and I don’t know how to calm him down. My first thought is maybe I should kiss him, but then he’d probably push me off the side of the balcony.

  The door to the balcony doesn’t even shut halfway before West is stopping it with his arm.

  I ignore him and sit down on the outdoor sofa. I try to focus on the sound of the waves, the gentle breeze, the smell… of West’s cologne.

  Argh…

  He sits down beside me. “Why do you have you drive me crazy?”

  “I don’t know.” I tilt my body toward his. “Why do you have to drive me crazy?”

  He runs his fingers through his hair, letting out a long sigh. “I don’t want to fight with you. I just… I can’t help it. Sometimes you make me so mad. I know you’re not interested in dating those random guys at Fight Club that try to flirt with you. And I know you’re not interested in Rook, Jensen, or Cole. But what happens when there is somebody that captures your attention?”

  That’s what he’s worried about? That I’ll get a boyfriend?

  I lick my lips before answering. “Someday, I suppose I will get a boyfriend, probably even a husband. Don’t most people get married?”

  He shrugs, playing with the hem of his shirt. “I suppose they do.”

  I grab his hand. “I promise you that I’m not going to start dating Rook.”

  He nods. “I know.”

  “Then why get so mad at me?” I ask.

  He sighs, turning away. “Because you always seem to attract every guy that ever meets you. Rook was right with what he said—you have this light inside of you and people can’t help but be attracted to it.”