Consumed (32 page)

Chapter Fifteen

I don’t know what it is about today, but it sucks. It started off fine, but quickly turned to shit. I yank the pillow off my head and throw it across the room. My hair sticks to my cheeks and I brush it off agitatedly. I’ve been in bed since I came home almost three hours ago and I can’t make sense of what happened this afternoon at Seth’s freakishly beautiful house. I get that I showed up unannounced, but that’s not grounds for being a complete asshole. He sent me away like I was... nothing, like I was trash.

I stopped crying a while ago, but my eyes are still heavy. He’s made no contact yet. Nothing. Not even a fucking text apology. As that thought finishes, my phone vibrates and Seth’s name flashes across my screen. My stomach drops. I’ve been waiting for him to call me—hoping he would, but now that he has... I’m pissed it took him so long. I hit ignore and pull another pillow over my face. It vibrates again. My fingers dig into the pillow each time my phone makes a noise. A few more times and it stops. It vibrates twice quickly indicating a voicemail and I pick it up and dial my account. The monotonous robotic voice tells me the time and date of the call. I bite my nails nervously and I swear the robot is saying the numbers slowly just to mess with me. Then I hear Seth’s voice.

“I’m so fucking sorry, O. I didn’t mean to flip out... I just saw you with my mom and I...” he exhales. “I’m freaking out here... I need you.”

He hangs up and the robot asks me if I want to delete the message. I disconnect with it and drop my phone onto my bed. What am I going to do? I have no idea how to handle this situation... I’ve never had to ‘fix’ things before. With Blade he would take off and come back later like nothing happened. Is that how it works? I chew my nails until they ache, thinking and driving myself crazy. I’m still so mad... I can’t talk to him right now because I’ll say something stupid.

Half an hour later and I’m still contemplating my next step, but then my front door shakes under three soft knocks and all thoughts flee from my mind. Shit. It’s probably Seth. Okay, not probably. I’m one hundred percent sure it’s Seth.

I slide off my bed and make my way through the dark to the front door. I bite the inside of my cheek and I’m surprised I haven’t drawn blood. When I open the door Seth’s gaze drags from the floor to my face. His brows are knitted together above his sad, sorry eyes and he rakes his teeth over his bottom lip before he asks me. “Have you been crying?”

“No.” I answer immediately, but even I can see through that.

My eyes are puffy, I can feel it.

“Can I come in?”

I flinch. “You want me to show you the same courtesy that you neglected to show me today?” He doesn’t say or do anything. “No. Go home.”

I step back and push the door closed, only when I turn around it bounces right back, colliding with the wall. I face Seth again and my eyes drop to his feet. The top of his shoe is in my apartment and for some reason it irritates me. “I said go home.”

“You did, but I’m not going anywhere. Not when I know you need me.” He leans against my door frame, respecting my boundaries and not entering my house. “I know I hurt your feelings and I’m so sorry. You just caught me off guard.”

That’s it? I caught him off guard? “You sent me away like I was some kind of animal.” I hiss. “It was—”

“Disgusting. It was selfish and rude and I know I can’t take it back, but at least let me apologize and make it up to you. I’m here now... please.”

I catch my lip between my teeth. He wants to make it up to me. I’ve never had anyone want to make it up to me before. I’ve been bought things that I don’t want in an attempt, but I’ve never had anyone want to talk and apologize properly to me.

“If I let you in, you have to tell me everything.”

He nods and I ignore the hesitancy in it.

“Come in.”

He steps through the door and kicks off his shoes. I walk into the kitchen and pull a cold bottle of water from the fridge. My throat is dry and I think it’s because I’m dehydrated... or it could be because I’m about to have the first make up conversation of my life and I’m nervous.

I pull myself onto the bench as he leans against the fridge.

“So that was your mom?” I ask, unscrewing the lid to my bottle and taking a long, satisfying drink.

“In the flesh.”

I can sense that this is an uncomfortable topic for him, but I need to know what is really going on.

“She’s beautiful.”

“On the outside, maybe.”

“I guess she’s something you weren’t ready to share with me...”

Although I have no idea why.

“I never wanted you to meet her.”

I frown and he speaks quickly.

“She’s not normal.”

I scoff. “Have you met my mother?”

"Okay, so maybe normal is the wrong word to use. She is a vindictive, selfish drunk and I’m embarrassed you had to see that.”

I slide off the bench and take a cautious step toward him.

“You can come to me.” He says, his lips twitching briefly. “I’m not going to send you away.”

I run to his arms and they encircle me, pulling me tight against him. I bury my head closer into his chest and he plants two kisses on the top of my head.

“My mother wasn’t always a drunk. She used to be amazing—caring, but then my dad died and she hasn’t been the same since. It’s like I’ve become the parent. I’m forever receiving calls to pick her up from the police station or the hospital and...” He exhales. “I’m just sick of it, you know.”

I pull back to look up at his face. The thought of his mother really upsets him and I hate that I’ve made him so uncomfortable, but I need to. He needs to see that it’ll take a hell of a lot more to scare me off.

“She’s still your mother, Seth.” I mumble.

“Which is why I put up with her, but I’ve been too lenient—given too many chances. She doesn’t deserve it anymore.”

“Why not?”

“Honestly, there’s too much ground to cover. She’s the reason my little sister moved out, the reason why I haven’t been able to completely move on from my father’s death—she reminds me of it every damn day and I’m sick of dealing with her.” His arms let me go and he runs his fingers through his hair. “When you left this afternoon I completely flipped out. I felt sick and I couldn’t breathe...I jumped straight in my car to come here, but decided to go to the gym instead. I ran into your dad and he asked me if you found my address okay. Without a word I left the gym and I’ve just been driving around for hours trying to think of ways to make it up to you.”

His thumb drops to caress my cheek. “I went to so many shops and looked at so many things I thought you’d love, but halfway through I remembered that you don’t like that. You don’t need to be bought things to be happy.”

I bury my face into his black jacket and a sense of peace washes over me. I’ve finally found someone who understands me—who listens to me.

“But,” he says, running his finger along my cheek, drawing my face out of his jacket. “I did manage come up with two things to make you happy.”

I watch his face and his dark eyes, flare with pleasure like he knows for a fact it’ll make me happy. “After today—and especially what you said in the car—I realized there are too many things in this world that can drive us apart. Right now, we don’t owe each other anything. If we want to go separate ways, we don’t even have to supply the other with an explanation and I don’t like that. I want to owe you things. I want to owe you explanations... I want us to be officially together—titles and all, if you really want.”

My mouth drops open and all I give him in return is a wide-eyed stare. I’m surprised he’d do that for me. “I wasn’t expecting that...What happened to your ‘I don’t do girlfriends’ thing.”

His lips twitch. “You happened.”

Damn it. He’s handsome
and
romantic. Sometimes, I really can’t fault this guy.

“You do realize that means you’re officially off the market.” I say, poking him in the hard stomach. The warm, wide palms of his hands cup my face and my breath hitches.

“Baby, I’ve been off the market since the moments these cheeks turned the sexiest shade of pink.”

Heat flares under my skin and I avert my gaze. “And when was that?”

“When I caught you eye-fucking me.”

I shove him and he lets go of my face. “I did not.”

He laughs loudly and squeezes me against him. “You did. Admit it.”

I did stare a little too long at him, but I certainly did not ‘eye-fuck’ him.

“Anyway,” He chuckles, kissing my nose. “There’s one more thing I want to do to make you happy, but we have to get into the car.”

“The car?”

He nods. “You don’t have to bring anything. Let’s just go to the car.”

Seth’s hands rest on my shoulders and he turns my still confused body to the door. He walks behind me, nudging me closer and closer to the exit.

“I’m not dressed properly.” I say, glancing down at my short shorts and tank top. I shed the thin jacket ages ago. “My shorts are too short.”

He drops his hands from my shoulder and I jump when I feel a thick finger glide along the base of my ass cheek.

“I think they’re perfect.” He growls.

I feel his breath on my neck and I immediately moisten. I open the front door and before I know it. We’re in his car and driving away from my house.

***

I barely notice the buildings and streets we drive past. All of my attention is honed in on my thigh—on the one spot Seth keeps circling with the rough tip of his index finger. It’s painfully arousing and I have to bite back a gasp every time his circle gets glides over my inner thigh. When he removes his hand, my mind clears and I notice the turn off we just took is the exact same one I took earlier this afternoon.

“Seth...” I say, cautiously. “Where are we going?”

We’re heading in the same direction as his house, but he wouldn’t take me there. Would he?

“Is it not obvious?” He asks, raising his eyebrows at me. “We’re going to my house.”

Seth glances sideways at me and thankfully there’s not enough lighting for him to see how my fingers are nervously working the thin fabric of my tank top.

“It’s okay. I said this will make you happy and trust me, it will.”

Although I fail to see how, I nod anyway, putting all of my faith in him.

The view of the houses at daytime blew my mind because they were so big and breathtaking. Now, they’re beautiful and elegant. There’s something peaceful about the way tea lights glow and illumine the walkways. I want tea lights for my house. When we turn and drive slowly down the slight slope of a driveway, he turns off the car and sits for a little while.

“We don’t have to go in if you don’t want to.” I tell him.

Seth leaves the car and comes around to open my door. He extends his hand to me and I take it.

“We’re going in.” He smiles at me.

I try not to gape at the way he yellow lights glow beautiful along the chocolate walkway or the dark bricks of his house. It makes me crave chocolate cake and vanilla custard. Yum.

Seth’s fingers entwine with mine and I smile up at him. Seth. My boyfriend. How’d that even happen? How’d I get so lucky? He sticks his key in the front door and it opens without a creak. I stare down the long hallway. It’s empty—not the kind of empty that looks terrible and plain. It's the kind of empty that still manages to take your breath away. Seth’s fingers slip from mine. “You first.”

I don’t move. “Is your mom home? I don’t want to disturb her...”

“My mom is hardly home at night. Tonight is no different.”

His hand slides to the small of my back and he presses on me. “It’s just us. Go on.”

I step into the house and slip my sandals off by the door. Seth’s hand claims mine again and he pulls me behind him up the long hallway. A few feet ahead the hallway stops and the living room begins—dark leather couches, red and white rugs, a very large TV and strange sculptures—it's so much to take in. I’ve never seen a house so... thought out. I know the outside is beautiful, but I was expecting the inside to be, well, boyish. You know, clothes and food everywhere, a strange old shoe smell and posters of naked girls. I avoided my brother’s room at all costs for those reasons exactly.

“What, no posters of naked girls?” I tease.

He laughs without looking at me. “No, I’m not twelve.”

He drags me through the monstrous kitchen, filled with hanging pots and pans, steel bench tops with wooden accents and then down another hallway. This one isn’t bare like the first hallway. It has paintings hanging along its white walls.

“I would have never guessed you like art.” I wonder aloud.

“They’re my dads, actually.”

Oh. “Sorry.”