ALL YOUR LIES

✨ Lie nr. 19

I nervously hit send, and I have every reason to be nervous. He slides forward in his seat to reach his pocket, adjusting himself as he looks at his phone. I'm anxious and focused on every little movement he makes, even the little sigh he expels. It was barely there, but enough to blow my confidence away. His fingers slides over his screen but instead of going to my message he opens Spotify and pulls a pair of headphones from his neck to now cover his ears. Disappointment makes my eyes burn and my brows frown when he then casually puts his phone away.

Great, now awkwardness turns into heartbreak and the weekend hasn't even started yet.

I'm biting back the fact that he just crushed my heart. So much so I hold my breath until Rhett notices something's off about me.

"Hey, you okay back there?" He glances at me through his rearview mirror, his brows furrowed with concern.

I look up, both Brooks and Rhett staring at me now, Rémy not even aware of anything other than himself and the music blaring into his ears.

"Uhm, yeah." I shake, a fake smile draws across my face like smudged paint. "Can you maybe turn on the radio for a little bit? I forgot my headphones." I chew on the inside of my cheek while I glance at Rémy stoically staring out of the window.

"Sure. What kind of music do you like?" I can't help but notice Rhett's considerate smile mirror back at me.

A shrug waltzes over my shoulder while I try my best to forget about everything that happened these past weeks, especially any memory with that blue and brown eyed cliché. Good and bad, he clearly wiped out all of them, so maybe I should do that too. "Anything..."

I tried so hard to forget, until the car was parked in front of a huge mountain side mansion. At first, I thought it was a hotel or an apartment complex but was I wrong when I noticed there was one, just one, mailbox. My parents are rich rich. Rhett's parents are wealthy rich, like generational wealth.

You get the gist.

They're loaded.

I'm trying to soak all of it up while Rhett gives us a tour of this place. Seven rooms, each their own bathroom. The huge kitchen and sitting area with sky-high ceilings had me in awe, until he showed us the private spa area where the smell of peppermint and expensive essentials oils filled my nose. "This is my favorite place." Rhett tells us when we follow him in, and I start to look around. "Once we're done skiing, we can relax in the sauna." He nudges his elbow into my arm with a panty dropping smirk, but I'm captured by the depts of an indoor pool.

Instantly my fingers start to tingle as I'm staring at the water and it's staring back at me. My chest feels tight, crippled by paralysing fear.

"She clearly doesn't like the heat." Brooks jokes as he playfully punches Rhett in the shoulder. "Maybe suggest an ice bath." I hear it, the thought of it makes me go stiff, my eyes still fixated on the water as an unsettling feeling makes my stomach turn. Nobody will save you; the surface devilishly whispers at me and I feel the blood drain from my face.

I realize I'm fully dissociating from reality, numb. So much that I can't follow the boys as they continue their tour. I'm gone from this world until something feels warm around my hand. Rémy's fingers tangle with mine as his body forms the perfect wall between me and my biggest enemy.

He whispers softly, "Come on." And then pulls me away from the private spa with long and steady strides. As much as my fear froze me, his touch melted right through me and by the time he closes the door behind us on our way out I feel somewhat alive again. Just all for it to instantly eb away with a raging flashfire as soon as he lets go of my hand. I'm looking at his back, tears stinging the corner of my eye while I try to finish the rest of this house tour without breaking down, without him never reaching out a second time.