「 twenty-one ✧ i will eviscerate you 」
I woke to an empty bed beside me.
Stretching, I sat up and felt the bed beside me. Still warm. Looking around, there was no trace of Emilia in the hotel room.
Perhaps she had gone out with the others?
But another quick sweep of the room proved that all of her stuff was still here. She must have gotten dressed quickly, grabbed her phone, and headed downstairs.
But for what? Breakfast?
I threw on a shirt, grabbed my phone and hotel key, and slid out of the room. We had a break day from the competition today, but Emilia usually waited for me to go to breakfast with her.
Or she didn't have breakfast at all.
The thought of her skipping meals sent my stomach rolling inside of me and rose an emotion akin to anger. Recently, I'd been doing all I could to give her food and make sure she was eating regularly.
I told myself that it wasn't because I cared about her. That the reason I wanted her to eat and never skip a meal was because of my brother and everything he had gone through. I didn't want to watch her fall down the same hole that he had.
When I got to the lobby, my heart practically stopped beating in my chest. Emilia was standing near the door, arguing with someone tall in a black jacket.
I didn't recognize the person, but with the way Emilia was standing with her hands crossed over her chest protectively and the way she stepped back whenever he stepped closer, I had a feeling that this guest was unwelcome.
It wasn't my business, but I walked near them, disguising myself by pretending to read one of the magazines the hotel offered while eavesdropping on their conversation.
"This is overboard," I heard Emilia say. "You tracked my phone, Theo. What were you thinking?"
Theo. Her ex. That little piece of shit tracked her?
"I know you want me back," the fuckface said. I didn't even bother pretending to read the magazine anymore; my scowl was aimed directly in Theo's direction. "C'mon, baby. You'll never be able to move on from me, and you know it."
And when he put his hands on her, I fucking lost it.
I walked over, the picture of calm when inside I was anything but. Emilia looked startled to see me, but I sent a wink in her direction and draped a hand over her shoulders.
"Who's this, Emilia?" I focused my glare onto Theo, who shifted under my gaze.
He was well built, I'll admit. Broad shoulders, strong arms. His blonde hair was short, almost buzzed. Freckles dotted his nose, beneath dark, pathetic eyes.
"I don't think I've mentioned him, but this is Theodore, my ex." Emilia fell right into the role, placing a hand on my chest. I didn't miss the way that her psychotic ex tracked the movement.
"And why is he here?" I asked, turning my tone colder.
She tilted her head, hair cascading down one shoulder. "He tracked my phone."
My jaw ticked. "I think that calls for a restraining order, don't you think, darling?"
"Who are you to speak?" the dickwad spat. But he knew I towered over him by at least 5 inches, and I could nearly taste his fear.
I smiled, but it was practically just a baring of teeth. I offered my hand for him to shake. "Her boyfriend," I lied.
Theodore had the audacity to look surprised, flicking his gaze between Emilia and I and to where she clung onto me. "You two are together?"
"Is there a problem?" Emilia blinked innocently at him.
Her ex crossed his arms over his chest then moved to walk out of the hotel. But not before muttering, "Filthy slut."
I saw fucking red.
My fist was flying before I could even fully process it. The punch landed with a sickening crunch, right in his nose.
I grinned as I saw the blood trickling down his face.
I'd expected him to retaliate, so I wasn't surprised when his fist connected with my cheekbone, sending my head to the right.
"What the fuck, man?" Theodore grunted, holding his nose protectively.
I narrowed my eyes at him, throwing another punch to his eye. He stumbled backward, gripping his entire face.
People were gathered around us now, but I didn't give a fuck. All I saw was him. All I knew was that he was going to fucking pay for what he said.
I walked over to him, gripping his jacket collar and lifting him against the wall. He hung limply; there wasn't any fight left in him even though I'd only punched him twice. Pathetic wimp.
"Don't speak to her like that," I said, my tone dangerously soft. "Don't you ever call her that name again. Do you hear me?"
Hatred burned in his eyes, but he nodded.
"And if you even try track her phone or contact her again..." I leaned closer. "I will break every bone in your body until you're screaming for mercy. I will eviscerate you."
When fear finally crept into his gaze, I dropped him to the floor, turned, and grabbed Emilia's arm. "Let's go," I told her, walking her back to the elevator.
She was quiet the whole ride up and even when we got into our room.
"Are you alright?" I asked her.
"I..." she began, then slumped as she sat onto our bed. She finally met my eyes. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"For standing up for me. For punching him." She smiled weakly up at me. "He deserved it."
"He absolutely did deserve it. And don't thank me. Anyone would've done the same." I slid off my shoes and joined her on the bed. "So, tell me about him."
She sighed, laying down onto her pillow. I did the same as she began speaking. "He was my first and only boyfriend. We grew up together in the same orphanage and we started dating in junior year of high school. Our relationship was perfect up until I went to Harvard, and he went to a state school here in California."
"Is that why he popped by for a visit? Because he knew you were here and he lived close by?" My jaw clenched at the thought.
Emilia nodded from beside me. "Long distance from across the entire country was pretty hard. He started getting distant and a little toxic. He never flew over to me, so I always had to fly over to him with the little money I made. I worked an extra job just to pay for the flights.
"Then, one day, I decided to fly over and surprise him. When I got there..." She shook her head. "He was in bed with another girl."
"That motherfucker," I muttered.
Emilia nodded her head in agreement. "I thought I loved him. But now, I realize it was just because I had no one else."
Her admission struck something deep inside of me. "Were you sad? After you found out?"
She shrugged. "For a day or two, I was upset. Until I realized that I had better things to do with my time than be sad over a boy who didn't give a shit about me. For example, outscoring you on every test was a better use of my time." She shot me a grin.
I chuckled. "So, why didn't you block him?"
She let out a slow breath. "He was my best friend before we started dating. We both had tragic things happen to our family that landed us in the orphanage. I guess a subconscious part of me wanted that friendship back." She looked at me then, a smirk on her lips. "But he's blocked now. His contact and the location app we used to share is deleted. To be honest, I forgot I still had that app and that he could still track me."
"I'm glad," I said. "You know, you always have Aurora or Lacey to talk to. And, if you're really desperate, you can talk to me, I guess," I joked.
"God forbid I ever speak about my problems to Augustus Casen," she answered sarcastically. "But thank you."
Before I could ask her anything else, both of our phones lit up. I glanced at the notification from Lacey in our groupchat.
psychotic nerds
Lacey: Are you guys up for some fun tonight?
Callum: Always. Does it involve tequila?
Rohan: Define "fun".
Lacey: Yes, Callum. And Rohan, you'll find out. We're meeting in the hotel lobby at 8pm.
Aurora: This isn't illegal, is it?
Lacey: ...Hopefully not.
✦✧✦✧
The day rolled by quickly. Emilia and I pretty much spent the whole day in the room, studying and reading. For both lunch and dinner, we went out to eat together. I didn't say it to her, but I was proud that she was eating consistently now.
Before we knew it, 8:00pm came and we were stuffing on our shoes to go meet Lacey and the others downstairs.
"What do you think she planned for us?" I asked Emilia on our ride down the elevator.
"Who knows? Knowing Lacey, she probably planned a bank robbery."
I chuckled, because that was accurate. I wouldn't put it past Lacey to do something akin to planning a bank heist.
We arrived in the lobby and met with the others, who were already there.
"So, where are we going?" Rohan asked as she led us out the hotel exit.
"I found out there's a small lake nearby. No running water, but they keep it fresh, so it's clean." Lacey raised her brows, then beamed in excitement. "We're going skinny dipping."
"Oh god," I muttered.
"Cheer up, Augie," Callum said. "We don't have to all go swimming. There's a bonfire pit right next to the lake, so we can sit there as well."
I glanced over at Emilia. I didn't have any problems swimming, but I knew that she might.
However, she didn't look phased. In fact, she almost looked... excited.
The lake wasn't too far of a walk away. Luckily, Lacey had packed towels for all of us and Callum brought enough ingredients to start a fire and make s'mores.
I helped Callum start a fire while everyone brought around some logs to sit on.
"Is this private property?" I asked Lacey once the fire had started.
"Not that I know of," she replied.
Once we were all settled and Lacey had passed out our respective towels, she started taking her shoes off. "Who's ready to go skinny dipping?"
I stifled my groan as everyone started undressing and heading toward the wooden dock overlooking the lake.
"Are you going?" I asked Emilia, who still remained by my side.
She smirked, standing and sliding off her shoes. "Of course. C'mon."
"Are you sure you want to go?" I followed her to the dock where the others were already starting to jump into the lake.
"I'll be fine. Lakes don't scare me," she responded.
I tried not to stare as she took off her clothes, leaving her in scraps of undergarments that I could barely make out in the darkness. But some traitorous part of me wanted to see her like this in the light. Wanted to explore every inch of her skin with my tongue.
I shook my head, clearing my thoughts. Creep. I slid off my T-shirt in a fluid motion, then offered it to her.
"Do you want to wear this? It's kind of cold in the lake." But the unspoken meaning was there: do you want to wear this to cover your scars?
She accepted it with a smile. "Thank you."
I didn't miss the way her gaze skimmed over my body before she sat on the dock and slid into the lake. I followed and we swam to join the others.
Something about this moment was almost... peaceful. Watching Emilia smile and laugh did something to my stomach. Playing a part in her happiness despite everything she had gone through felt like a reward.
It was then, as I watched her laugh and look over at me, the night sky glittering in the reflection of her eyes, that I realized I might not hate Emilia at all.
hi everyone!
i'm late, but happy new year! 2024 is our year, i can feel it ;)
after this chapter, i'll hopefully get back to regular updates on Mondays! i restart school next tuesday but i'll try my hardest to keep updates consistent.
thank you all for reading and i'll see you all in chapter 22!