Misfortune

Chapter 35

"Go?" he takes a step closer.

I step back more in the tub while bringing the curtains with me, in attempt to cover my body.

"What? so, you don't love me anymore, is that it? Just like that, you're abandoning me like my mother!?"

"I-I didn't say that J-James. I j-j-just want to be alone," I stutter uncontrollably.

He scoffs as a smile grows on his face," You think you can just shut me out? I'm with you when you eat, sleep, breathe, walk, talk, drink. You can't just shut me out because of a small matter like this."

He yanks the curtains from my hands, causing them to fall. I slip and fall onto the floor of the tub as my eyes widen even more. He crouches down Infront of me, water drenching his shirt and hair.

"You and I are in this together. You had your chance to leave me, but you stayed so now you have to deal with your choices," he grabs me by the neck pulling me closer to him. His hold was tight, too tight, I could barely breathe.

"You brought me into your life, now try to get me out of it. I fucking dare you!" he shouts angrily. The hand on my throat tightens making me wheeze. I try pulling his hands off me but struggle.

Seeing this he pushes me back, finally releasing his hold as he stands over me. I cough trying to catch my breath. My eyes fill with tears as my body shakes.

"Fuck this," he says before stepping out the tub, leaving me sitting there like an idiot.

He slams the door shut causing a small portrait on the wall to fall. I bring my legs to my chest still sitting on the tub floor as the warm water pours over me. My breathing hitches from my sniffles. I hug my knees, burying my head in them.

Around thirty or fifteen minutes later, I finally make the painful decision to leave the bathroom. I changed in there as well to avoid awkward tension between us.

I take in a few deep breaths while wiping away any leftover tears. But before I could even walk in the room, the door opens from the other side.

James doesn't even look me in the eye as he pushes me to the side so he could get pass. My shoulder hits the wall. He doesn't spare anytime making sure that I'm alright.

I suck in a breath as I make my way in the room, slowly closing the door behind me.

Feeling drained mentally and physically, I flop right down on our soft bed, letting the warmth of it wrap around my body. The sheets smell like him, his scent left all over it.

Slowly, my eyes start to shut.

Everything around me fades away as my vision blurs.

I blink a few more times, each blink growing heavier and heavier.

Soon as my eyes finally shut, they jolt back open in alert as Angus barges in.

He has a few bags in his hands, placing them down as he walks over to the bed and sits on the edge.

I sit up with a small smile forming on my face," Hey—,"

"—Are you okay?" He cuts me off. His brow creases worryingly.

Confused I answer," yeah?"

The back of his hand raises to my forehead," James told me you had caught a fever and wasn't feeling too well."

"And yet you still came and bothered him," a deep voice sounds through the room. We look over to the door to see James leaning on the doorframe with his hands in his pockets. He looks to me, but I advert my gaze quickly.

"Well, I had to make sure that what you said was true and that he wasn't actually dead in here," Angus sharply replies as he stands up.

I tug some covers over my body to hide the bareness of my legs. James watches me but doesn't say anything. I fiddle with my fingers, biting my bottom lip. Angus glances at James then at me, then back at James.

While grabbing his bags he awkwardly says," Uh, I'm sensing tension here. I'm going to head back downstairs and get started on dinner."

"You cook?" James mocks him as a smirk grows on his face.

"I cook for my family all the time, not that it's any of your business," he gives me a wink as he leaves the room brushing past James.

Now that it's just me and James in here now, the room goes silent. I want to say something but bite my tongue in hesitation.

"You can go back to sleep, I won't bother you," he says tonelessly as he makes his way over to the bed.

I only nod while shifting in the covers.

He climbs into the bed making it sink down some. I face the opposite direction from him while he faces me.

I want to try going back to sleep but I feel extremely uncomfortable. The bed shifts as he scoots closer to me, his large hand gently rubs my shoulder making me shiver.

As much as I love him and his touch. I'm starting to question all of that. All the words he's told me up to now, saying that he loves me and doesn't want to see me get hurt. All the moments we shared together and all the ways he made me feel safe. I'm starting to question whether or not it was real. I want to love him, but he always does something that unsettles me.

With a shaky breath I nudge his hand off me by throwing my shoulder out a bit. I knew how much this would hurt him, but I don't care. You can't just say you want to protect someone from other people's harm then go and harm them yourself, that isn't love.

It's manipulation of trust.