by S. J. Sylvis
I pushed myself up on my hands, sitting cross-legged on the couch, and leaned forward. “How do you manage to make every conversation dirty? That’s not what friends do, ya know.”
He smiled brightly, shining those glistening white teeth. “How did I make it dirty?”
“The way that word rolls off your tongue should be illegal.”
He didn’t say anything. We just stayed in the same spot, unmoving. Our mouths so close that I could almost feel his breath along mine. Usually, staring at someone for so long would have made me feel uncomfortable, but not with Emmett. The only thing I felt was myself losing the teeny tiny grip I had on the world spinning around me.
Emmett didn’t move his body away from mine as he placed the popcorn bowl on the coffee table. I could hear his gulp. I could almost feel his heart beating fast alongside mine. We’d been playing twenty questions (which just turned into several more rounds) while Supernatural continued to run in the background for the last two hours. And although it had been fun and casual, really what friends would do, right now it seemed anything but. Maybe it was the late hour, or maybe I was reading too much into what was going on in the moment. We were both tired. We were both getting lost in hanging out versus remembering what we had just agreed on earlier.
“I should go,” I whispered, Emmett’s breath now fanning along my skin.
He blinked rapidly, his tongue darting out to wet his lower lip. I was hot all over. I didn’t even give Emmett a second to breathe another breath in my direction. I quickly swung my legs up and over the couch, flustered beyond belief, and then I heard the loud groan when I accidentally kneed him in the face. I covered my mouth with my hand.
“Oh my God! I’m so sorry!!” I didn’t know what to do with my hands. I wanted to fix what I had just done, but Emmett was holding his nose with his hand, his eyes clenched together.
I wanted to die.
I almost bolted to the door and just left all together.
Well, it was nice knowin’ ya Emmett!
I was tiptoeing backwards when I heard him laugh. He was cracking up. His hand had left his nose, and he was bent over, wheezing. I paused, confused, then he looked up at me through watery eyes.
“This is twice now that you’ve almost knocked me out, Fallon.” He laughed again. “What is it with you and bodily harm, woman?”
I started to smile. “Well, if you didn’t make me so flustered, then I wouldn’t act so stupid!”
Emmett shook his head and shot up from the couch. He wiggled his nose back and forth a couple times, which only made me feel worse. “I’m so sorry, Emmett. I didn’t mean to knee you in the face.”
He laughed and brushed me off. “It’s fine. It’s getting late anyway. Let’s get you home before you hit me again.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m so embarrassing around you.”
Emmett grinned down at me. “It’s kind of cute, though.”
I blushed as Emmett walked me to the door. I threw on my jacket and sighed. My eyes darted down to his mouth, but I quickly recovered.
“I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
Emmett raised an eyebrow at me. “Really, though? Because last time you said you’d call… you didn’t.”
I could feel my eyes softening. “I promise this time. We have a bucket list to complete!” Then I turned on my heel and booked it to my car.
The second I was inside, I blasted the cool air on my sweaty forehead. How can Emmett make me so hot and bothered just with the twinkle in his eye?
It’d only been a few days since I’d gone over to Dawson’s to watch Supernatural with him, Ivy, and Emmett, and yet, I was already ready to drive back to that small town, regardless of the weird smell, because being there was so much better than being here.
I knew my life wasn’t bad. I had maids who did my laundry, and Lupe cooked most of my meals, always pairing them with some inspirational quote or advice. My mother and father had always taken care of me—at least materialistically—and I had a very successful man who was willing to marry me because he knew I was fit for the job. But was marriage supposed to be a job, though?
Derek had called last night, and we’d talked for maybe twenty minutes. He didn’t mention the other night, after the gala, when I’d kissed him on the cheek and flew out of his car like a bat straight out of hell, but he did let me know he was leaving for Guam in the morning. He’d told me he would try to call or text when he could, but he’d be very busy for the next few weeks, trying to score a few deals for the firm. I tried to act like I cared, but deep down, I didn’t. He made sure to ask about the wedding and if we were getting things planned out, and he asked if we had set a date yet. I told him I’d let him know soon, which got back to his mother, which got back to my mother.
So, that was why I was sitting on my couch, scanning through the bridal magazines my mother so sweetly shoved in my arms after dinner. She wanted me to pick a date and a color for the wedding. She informed me that she booked the country club for several months, even knocking Blakley Fincher’s wedding off the calendar. That way, it gave Derek and me plenty of time to work our schedules out.
Poor Blakely.
I sighed as I stared at an overly tanned girl with an olive-green, floor-length bridesmaid’s dress on. I smirked, deciding that the ugly olive color was perfect for the wedding.
Why not have fun with the entire ordeal by picking a color that my mother would have a cow over?
I sighed again, turning the page. No, Fallon. This is your one and only wedding. Make it count.
The arguments in my head were becoming tiring. Enjoy the wedding… don’t enjoy the wedding. Marry Derek… don’t marry Derek. Be the daughter your parents desperately want… leave and never look back.
I raised an eyebrow, contemplating the last one. See ya, Mom! Part of me wanted to just disappear. Put it all behind me. Be who I wanted to be. Do what I wanted when I wanted.
But…
I stopped and looked around my cozy home. The home that my parents gave to me until I married someone worthy. They’d been grooming me to be the perfect daughter since before I could even hold my own bottle, and I was just going to throw it all in their faces?
I groaned and slammed my head onto the table. Blah, blah, blah. I was tired of thinking about it.
From now on, I was living in the now and that was it. No more thinking about marrying Derek. No more thinking about backing out.
I shoved the magazine out from underneath my face and pulled open my phone again.
Emmett: I have a plan for the whole “breaking the law” thing. When are you coming back to Oak Hill?
Was it too soon to say now?
Me: Whenever you want me to.
Gah. That sounded desperate.
Emmett: In that case, just pack your bags and come now. You can stay for as long as you want… with me, of course. In my bed.
I rolled my eyes.
Me: You put a twist on every conversation we have, Emmett.
Emmett: It’s tempting though… right?
I laughed, shaking my head. Then I shrieked because a loud knock sounded on my door. I paused, clicking my phone off. Another loud knock had my heart pounding.
“Coming!” I yelled, jumping out of my chair.
I swung the door open and was met with my father’s grim expression. My heartbeat slowed, just barely. “Dad? What are you doing over here so late?”
It wasn’t that late—only after nine—but usually after he had dinner at the house, he’d go into his study and work for three or four hours straight and then climb into bed, exhausted from working so much. My father was kind of an asshole, but he was a damn hard worker.
“Is something wrong? Is Mom okay?” I asked, worried.
He nodded his head, his jaw set in a firm line. He raised his well-groomed eyebrows at me, and I instantly stood back. “Sorry, you can come in.”
Whenever I was alone with my father—which wasn’t often—I instantly morphed into a five-year-old who was s
cared to death because she knew she was about to get reprimanded for something.
That was how I felt.
Like I was in trouble.
“What’s going on?” I asked, sitting back on my couch.
My father stayed standing and put his hands in his pockets.
He stood staring down at me for a long, dreadful minute before heaving out a sigh. “How are things going with the wedding planning?”
My eyes darted to the magazines on my coffee table and then back to him. “They’re fine.” Lie. “I just picked out a color for the bridesmaids.”
He pursed his lips and then nodded. “Interesting. So, the other night, when I saw some man underneath your dress, that wasn’t what I thought it was?”
I knew right then if I didn’t somehow disappear, melt into the ground, and evaporate into thin air, that I was going to die from embarrassment. I couldn’t form words, but the second my father’s face appeared in front of mine, I wanted to die. He looked… disgusted.
“Who is he?”
“Huh?”
“The man whose face was underneath your dress. Do you love him?”
My mouth gaped, but nothing came out. Oh. My. God. My entire body felt hot, like I’d descended into hell or something.
I almost wished the devil would come up right then and pull me down.
“Do you love him, Fallon? It’s a simple question. Do you love him? Are you throwing your life away, all of our hard work, for someone else? Why would you do this?” My father’s voice was laced with a harshness I’d only ever heard once in my life.
Silence entrenched the room, making me feel uneasy. A shaky breath escaped my mouth as I peered down at my fuzzy socks.
“You’re lucky that Derek didn’t see that footage, Fallon. I destroyed it the second his father showed me.”
My eyes flew up to his. “His father?!”
My father nodded. “His father owns that building, Fallon. How careless can you be? And what on earth were you thinking? What are you thinking? This is the final straw, Fallon. Your mother and I have tried our hardest to raise you kids to be the best you can be, and yet, every time I think we’ve finally got a hold of you, you turn around and go back to your childish ways!” I wanted to cover my ears, because my father’s voice held decibels I didn’t even know a human could reach. “Do you know how difficult it was to get Derek to take an interest in you?”
Tears sprung to my eyes, but at the same time, an angry shell formed around my tiny body, ready to shield off anything else he said. “Why not just tell me I’m the worst thing on Earth, Dad? You make it sound like I’m some charity case. Like you couldn’t believe Derek would even give me a chance. Maybe I should just throw everything away. I’m not worth all of this, am I?”
His voice grew loud, causing me to jump. “Stop fucking around, Fallon! You know exactly what will happen if you throw everything away. I’ll do to you just as I did to your brother.” My teeth clenched together. “Your mother and I care about your future, Fallon! We want you to have a good life! Look where you are right now! You’re living in the guesthouse, a few yards away from your parents’ house! Derek can give you a good life. A life of wealth and protection. That’s all we’ve ever wanted for you.”
“No, Daddy.” I knew the word Daddy would cause him to pause for a second. “You don’t care about me. You barely even know me. Have you ever thought that maybe I don’t want this life? And that I’m trying my hardest to make myself into someone I’m not, for you? It’s your way or the highway. And you were the one that begged me to live out here in this guesthouse, pairing it with a fancy car and money in my account. And that was simply so you could hold it over my head.” His eyes softened for a second, and I took advantage of it. “You know very well that if I left, I’d have nothing. It took me a while to figure it out, but that’s exactly why you did it. You and Mom manipulated me. You know I’d have nowhere to go if I left. I’m stuck here, and that’s exactly what you want. You want me to be the perfect Addington daughter, and I’m just not.”
He shook his head vigorously. “You want to leave? For what? To live in some shack with only enough money in your account to pay the bills? You’d rather have a life like that than be a part of this family?”
I crossed my arms. “So, I was right then. I go off on my own and that’s it? You’ll just ban me from the family? You’ll do to me like you tried to do to Samuel?”
My father’s cold eyes pinned me to my spot. I wanted to stick my tongue out at him and stomp my foot like an eight-year-old. “If you’re going to throw your life away, you can do it somewhere else. This foolishness stops now. You have Addington blood running through your veins, and if you want to act like someone else, then so be it. But it will not affect this family and our legacy. Be ready to accept the proposal, and if you don’t….” He turned and stalked the few feet over to the door, spinning around one last time with an emotionless face. “Then this is goodbye. I just hope you know what you’re getting yourself into.”
The slam of the door caused me to jump. Tears welled behind my eyes, but I was quick to brush them away.
I shoved my father’s words to the back of my head and snagged my keys.
There was only one person who could make this disappear for the night, and his name was Emmett.
Chapter Twelve
Emmett
I wiped the blood away with a cloth and placed a big smile on my face. “It’s done, bro.”
“Fuck yeah.” My client looked down. “It looks fuckin’ rad, man. Thanks.”
I lifted my cheek. “No prob.” Then, I stood up and took my gloves off, throwing them into the trashcan. I glanced at the clock and realized it had taken me three hours to tattoo that mother-fucking skull on the client’s chest. It looked amazing—if I did say so myself—but holy fuck, I didn’t realize how much time had passed.
I searched for my phone as Axe shot the shit with him, discussing tattoos and all that shit. As soon as I clicked my phone on, I felt defeated.
Fallon hadn’t texted me back, which was weird. It was too early for her to be asleep. Hell, we’d stayed up until three o’clock the other night. Surely she wasn’t asleep.
I placed my phone down and snagged the paper lying on the table. “Alright, man. I know you know the drill, but here are the instructions for aftercare.”
My client, Jett, took the paper out of my hand. “Thanks, man.”
“Axe will get you all covered up, and then I’ll be up here to cash you out when you’re good.”
“Sounds good, bro.”
I swiveled on my heel and stretched my arms along my chest. My neck popped a few times. Tattooing for that long was a pain in the ass, but it was so worth it. Creating the idea for a tattoo, sketching it, and then putting that art on someone’s body was the best high I could ever get.
I was able to watch my art come to life. Someone wanted my art on their body… forever. That part always blew my mind.
The bell on the door jingled, and as soon as I brought my head up, I was shocked. Fallon had stepped just inside the door, wearing skintight jeans and an off-the-shoulder, long-sleeved shirt that showed just the right amount of skin.
My eyes raked up her body until they rested on her face, and then I got concerned.
Her eyes were red.
And puffy.
Her nose looked red, too, like she’d been wiping it.
“Whoa, what’s wrong?” I asked, rushing over to stand in front of her. My heart felt like it had been split in two, but I ignored the odd sensation.
“I… I just needed an escape.”
Before I could stop myself, I wrapped my arms around her slender body, gripping her tight. “What’s going on?”
She shook her head against my chest, nuzzling in even further.
I shouldn’t have felt a spark inside my body from it, but I did. I can’t believe she put me in the friend zone.
“Come on,” I said, grabbing her hand to head to the back room. I looked at
Axe and gave him a side-glance. He casted his gaze from Fallon and then to me and nodded, letting me know he’d take care of cashing Jett out.
I pushed Fallon into the supply room and swung her body around, placing my hands on her shoulders.
“Okay, Fallon,” I said. She brought her clear eyes up to mine, and it almost knocked the wind out of me. She looked defeated. That little spark in her eye was gone. The playful smile that I’d seen on her face the last few times we’d been together had vanished. “You’re gonna have to tell me something, babe. All this let’s-be-friends shit is all fun and games until you come in here looking like this. I need to know something. Anything. Friends are supposed to be there for each other, and it’s hard for me to be there for you when you don’t tell me things. What’s going on? Tell me something.” I was desperate. I needed to know before I lost my shit. “Please.”
She clenched her eyes shut, and just when I thought she was going to shut down and back away, she whispered, “Okay.”
I pulled away, my hands going back to her shoulders. “Okay? You’re going to tell me? You’re going to explain what’s really going on?”
She lifted a shoulder, barely. “It’s not really fair to not tell you. Friends don’t keep secrets, right?”
“Right.” I winked at her to lighten the mood, but she still looked upset, and I didn’t like that. I could feel a wedge splitting open my ribcage, and that bothered me.
You’re getting in too deep, bro. You should let her keep her secrets.
“Okay, I’m just going to start, and if you want to judge me, then that’s fine,” she started, pulling back and walking around the small storage room. The lone light hanging down in the middle of the room barely illuminated her delicate features, but I could still see the hesitation in her eye.
I leaned against the cool, metal door, smelling the antiseptic cleaner and paper products, which did nothing to distract me from smelling her. I crossed my arms over my chest, watching her pace back and forth.