NERTHUS
“I was still eating,” I say, crossing my legs at my ankles as I stand before him.
Arawn is leaning against his limousine, a cigarette between his fingers. “You stopped eating days ago.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” I ask, playing dumb.
He scoffs, pushing himself off his car as he steps closer to me. “It’s been days that you have been acting strangely. You don’t eat, you cry for entire nights, and when you finally manage to fall asleep you have a nightmare which tears us both out of our sleep.”
“You don’t have to keep sharing a bed with me if I’m bothering you like this.” I lower my gaze, biting my bottom lip.
“That’s not what I was aiming to say, Nerthus,” he leans into me, his warm breath fanning my cheek. “But I’m not an idiot. There is something stressing you out and I can read you like an open book. So, what is it?”
I turn my head away, shaking myself in the hopes of getting rid of the goosebumps he made rise on my skin. “What if there is someone else?”
“Bullshit,” he snarls and my heart breaks as it gets him a second to disguise the hurt in his eyes.
“Do you really want to get dumped on a cold street in front of a stupidly overpriced restaurant?” I ask, trying to remain cool.
“Why?” he snarls, grinning mockingly. “Do you want to go somewhere warm? Get a goodbye fuck?”
“You are impossible,” I whisper, hugging my frame.
He laughs coldly, spreading his arms as he challenges me, “Hit me with it.”
“Arawn…” I shake my head, he interrupts me immediately.
Putting his hands in his pockets, he straightens up to glare down at me. “No, no. Go ahead. Let me hear what nonsense is playing in your head.”
“No need to be mean,” I sigh, avoiding his burning gaze as I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “I met someone while I was out with Jenna.”
“You know that I would have noticed that?!”
I shrug, nibbling on my lip, “Maybe we were just careful. Or lucky.”
“Lucky,” he laughs. “And?”
“And… It has nothing to do with him.”
“Of course not.”
“No,” I finally look up at him. “It’s since the hospital that I am finding out every day more that this isn’t working for me. We aren’t working. This relationship, if you can even call it that, is insane. You are too clingy and I’m getting fed up with your stupid obsession with me. If it would at least save me from getting fucking shot. But no…”
He clenches his teeth but doesn’t say anything.
“I’m not some pet you can just cuddle to death. I have a free will! But you are just too stubbornly possessive even when it comes to letting me breathe freely,” I say more and more confidently while his expression darkens.
I take a deep breath, deciding that I will shatter myself along with him as I push out, “And I don’t want to bear your children!”
“This is all bullshit, Nerthus. What happened to all the things you told me?”
My bottom lip risks blowing my cover as I can’t seem to keep it from shaking, “I don’t know… Sometimes things change…”
He pushes out a short laugh, passing a hand over his face, “This can’t be real.”
“Listen, the sex was great, and I enjoyed the luxury that came with being nice to you,” I try to justify my lies. “We had a fun time. But getting shot… And Danny… This isn’t something for me, Arawn.”
“Enjoyed the luxury…” he repeats with a dry laugh, making me nod.
He continues to glare at me with his teeth clenched and I give him a minute to say something but as he doesn’t seem to want to speak, I grab my chance to get away.
“Can I leave now?”
He nods, his lips spreading into a grin and I walk past him, only to get my wrist grabbed by him to pull me back against his frame. I gasp as he whisper with his lips pressed against my ear, “I don’t know why you are lying to me, yet. But I will get my answer soon enough, Nerthus. Don’t think you can get away by bullshitting me.”
Pulling my hand out of his hold, I run into the street to call a cab that, fortunately, halts right next to me.
I get in without looking at Arawn once, telling the driver the address of Jenna’s flat.
I only hope that she isn’t with Dario.
The cab starts rolling into traffic and I turn around, looking back only to see Arawn who has stepped into the street.
“Oh, my God,” I breathe out as I take my time to absorb his appearance as it might be the last time that I will see him.
And even if his expression is full of rage and disgust, I doubt that I will ever see anything more gorgeous.
***
“The old man said you brought the little boy such beautiful flowers,” Francis snickers, making my stomach turn.
“Just leave him alone,” I say, pulling my cap further into my face.
He ignores me, sighing stupidly, “Ah, even if I doubt that flowers are the right goodbye gift for such a young boy. Maybe some game would have been better, baby doll.”
“Maybe,” I agree lowly, not wanting to make a scene in an airport. “Which gate do we have to go to?”
Only getting a chuckle as an answer, I let my arms slump, closing my eyes. I jump as he pulls me close to his side, kissing the edge of my lips. “The old man got us something special. Don’t worry, baby doll. We will be treated like the celebrities we are.”
He has barely uttered the stupid phrase as a petite host comes to pick us up to lead us to the private jet that is waiting for us.
We board the plane, and my heart beats faster as I think that it will be more difficult for Arawn to know where I disappeared to.
For a few days, I have only gotten one or two texts from him, always stating the same.
– I’ll come and get you as soon as you are ready –
Unfortunately, my stupid brain kept making up strange movies, getting me to feel like Arawn was going to kick in the door and rescue me right away.
“Can I offer you a glass of Champagne?”
An elegantly dressed stewardess tears me out of my thoughts and I smile up at her, shaking my head. “No, thank you.”
“Come on, baby doll. Take one now while you can,” Francis grins like an idiot as he takes the glass from the stewardess.
“A bottle of water,” the kind stewardess smiles at me as she passes me a bottle, and I take it mirroring her expression.
“Thank you so much.”
Francis suddenly lets himself slump into the seat next to me. “As soon as we are there, I have a few nice little dresses to show you. You will be sold out in no time, baby.”
I scoff, taking a sip of my water as he scrolls through some porn magazine he bought himself at the airport. “If I am lucky, your buyer will leave a little bit left for me.”
He chuckles and I slap his hand away which is about to caress my cheek, amusing him only more. “Ah, I missed your feisty spirit.”
“You might get to disintegrate me, but your time will come, Francis. As soon as he finds out, you are done,” I hiss, making him grin at me.
I don’t know if he is under some influence but the scene is just too grotesque to be real. “Oh, I can’t wait. I wonder if it will hurt him if I tell him how I killed you.”
Taking a few deep breaths, I turn away from him, clasping my purse closer to me. He sits back away while humming, and I don’t know how far I can go without puking.
My heart sinks to my stomach as my phone vibrates, signaling to me that I must have gotten a text. I turn it around while holding my breath, and suddenly my entire world comes crashing down around me out of desperation and relief.
Mr. Entitled Asshole: He just woke up.
“I hope it is good news,” Francis says in a sing-song as my eyes are glued to the screen. “Good news is always best.”
I push out a deep breath, throwing my head into my neck as the second message hits my screen, and my heart squeezes painfully.
Mr. Entitled Asshole: I know that we are both going through a rough time. What about we talk it out tonight while emptying a good bottle of wine?
Idiot.