“Klaus?”
Dimitri’s voice snapped Klaus out of the dangerous thought of beating Jamie, wrecking his bones until he was half dead.
He watched their lips part from each other, their eyes locked as a smile crept onto their faces.
It was a fleeting kiss, a harmless one that lasted just a few seconds. But it felt like hours to him, and every nerve in his body wanted to destroy Jamie. It was hard to resist.
“Care for more drink?” Dimitri asked, and he finally snapped his eyes away from the two figures to Dimitri, who offered him his favorite alcohol.
Taking it from her, he stood to leave.
“Where are you going?” Dimitri asked, but he didn’t reply as he walked away quickly, knowing that if he stayed longer, he’d do something he would regret.
Morticia’s worried gaze followed him, but Nica and the others began to tease her, which brought her attention back to them.
Klaus wove his way through the crowd and finally spotted a good corner to drown himself. He opened the alcohol and roughly took several sips.
It burned his throat, but that was what he wanted.
The kiss kept lingering in his head. Morticia had allowed him to kiss her. Her first kiss. Of course, he knew; he had been around her countless times, so he practically knew everything about her.
Why did it feel weird? He hated himself for this. He drank more of his drink, staring at the students dancing to the tune of the music. His eyes were cold, emotionless, and dark.
“Hey, Sin,” a girl came to sit and caress her body against him.
“Fuck off. I’m not in the mood,” Klaus mumbled, but the girl persisted.
“I said fuck off!!” Klaus yelled and watched her jerk back. He stood and left for the restroom. He stood before the mirror as his breath continued to grow ragged.
Memories flashed in his brain.
‘Son, I know what you might be thinking. That I am a bad father and that I cheated on your mother. But that is nonsense; I never cheated on your mother. I simply acted like a man… and a man should have any woman he desire.’
“Fuck,” Klaus cursed, gripping the sink tightly. His breath was beginning to worsen.
It was the seizure attack that happened to him once in a blue moon.
With trembling hands, he reached for his phone and dialed Vincent’s number. He struggled to keep his breath; his eyes were beginning to get drowsy.
“Hey, my sinful motherfucker. Wassup?”
“Hey… Vin,” he struggled with his words. “It’s happening… I need your help.”
A few moments later, Vincent’s car pulled into the area. He got out of his car and dashed in to find Klaus.
Dashing into the room where Klaus was, he found Klaus trying to catch his breath while sitting on the ground.
“Shit,” he cursed and quickly helped him to his feet. It had been a long time since such a thing struck Klaus, so why was it triggered?
—
Morticia tried to focus on Jamie and Nica, whose words were brightening the air around them… but her mind wandered to where Klaus had gone.
She knew she shouldn’t think about this, especially when Jamie was now more than a friend. They had shared a kiss… and she was one hundred percent sure Jamie had feelings for her.
Her eyes landed on her brother’s familiar figure, assisting Klaus, who appeared helpless. Morticia sprang from her seat. Ignoring Jamie and Nica’s questions, she rushed toward Vincent.
“W-What happened?” she stammered.
“His trauma,” Vincent replied, and Morticia’s face fell.
She knew about Klaus’s overbearing father. The thought made her heart clench as she followed Vincent, who was helping Klaus into the car.
Klaus’s eyes were closed, his breathing uneven, beads of sweat covering his forehead. His movements were barely noticeable.
“You coming?” Vincent asked.
Morticia hesitated, glancing back at Jamie. She sighed, then climbed into the car, following Vincent.
She sat beside Klaus in the backseat while Vincent drove. Klaus’s head slowly fell onto her shoulder. She stiffened but didn’t move.
He mumbled incoherently, and Morticia held his hand, surprisingly calming him down.
They headed straight to Klaus’s home, not far from theirs. They didn’t want Ava to know about Klaus’s condition-it would worry her, and she would surely inform Klaus’s mother, which would upset him.
Vincent helped Klaus onto the couch while Morticia watched with a heavy heart.
She had seen Klaus like this once before, a long time ago.
“Will he be okay? Shouldn’t we take him to the hospital?” she asked.
“No. He doesn’t want to make a fuss.”
“Is there more to this?” she pressed, and Vincent looked up at her.
Klaus groaned lightly behind her, his face contorting with discomfort as he shifted on the couch, eyes still shut.
Morticia reached for his hand and gently caressed it. His face gradually relaxed, and he fell asleep.
“You should go home. Mom will be worried sick. I’ll stay with him,” Vincent said.
“What about Sienna? You mentioned she wasn’t feeling well.”
Vincent sighed, clearly torn. Morticia knew how much Vincent cared for Sienna.
“Go stay with her. I’ll stay here.”
“Are you sure?” His eyes were filled with concern for his friends.
She nodded. “It’s not my first time doing this. Mom won’t mind. I’ll call her and say I’m staying in my dorm tonight.”
“Really?” Relief flashed in his eyes. He kissed her forehead. “Thanks, Morty. I’ll be back early tomorrow. If you need anything, just call.”
“Okay,” Morticia said as the door shut behind Vincent. She glanced at Klaus’s peaceful face and noticed his hand still holding hers firmly.
She considered touching his face but pushed the thought away. Once he was in a deep sleep, she would remove her hand and sleep on the second couch.
Her phone rang, and Jamie’s name flashed on the screen.
“Hey, Jamie,” she answered.
“Hey. Are you alright? I saw you leave the party in a rush with your brother,” his concerned voice came through.
“It’s just a family emergency. Sorry I left without telling you.”
“No worries. I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?”
“Yes. Thanks, Jamie.” As she ended the call, her mind drifted to the kiss she shared with Jamie. A smile crept onto her face, but it faded when she looked at the sleeping Klaus.
Finally… she was going to get over him.
Maybe.
___
Nica smiled widely, recalling how she had spotted Vincent at the bonfire party, even if only for a fleeting moment.
Her fingers scrolled through his videos as she lay on her bed, her legs swinging in the air.
“Nica! Come downstairs, your father’s back!”
Nica froze, her eyes widening, her smile fading. He’s back? Her heart began to race. Damn it, why did he have to come back today, of all days?
Mrs. Hanson, her mother, called again, and Nica had no choice but to head downstairs to meet him.
His gray eyes met hers, and her pulse quickened in fear.
“Welcome, Father,” she greeted, averting her gaze.
“Hmm,” he hummed. “Where’s Jamie?”
“Back in his dorm, dear. Let me serve your meal while you freshen up. I’ll ask Nica to call you later,” Mrs. Hanson said, and Nica squeezed the hem of her dress tightly.
He nodded and went to his room. After a while, her mother asked her to call him down.
‘Maybe he’s changed. Maybe he’s not like that anymore,’ she reassured herself with a deep breath.
She knocked twice and was permitted to come in. She watched him busy putting on his shirt.
“Mother called for you,” her gaze lowered as she announced. She turned to leave but…
“Hold on, Nica.” She halted at his rough voice and slowly turned to look at him. His expression was unreadable, but she noticed the obvious smirk on his lips.
“Come closer,” Mr. Hanson ordered.
“Uhmm… y-your dinner-”
“Questioning my order? Come closer, Nica,” his voice was cold.
Nica swallowed and, ever so slowly, advanced towards him.
He crossed the distance between them and held her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. Wrong… This man hasn’t changed.
The familiar lust that normally danced in his gaze while he stared at her was still there.
“Pl-please don’t,” her eyes welled up.
“Don’t what? You’ve knowingly stayed in your dorm just to avoid coming home. It was because of me, was it not?” he whispered, slowly trailing his fingers down to her neck.
“I’ve been busy with school projects and stuff…” Her voice trembled.
“Even during the holidays? Don’t fucking lie to me, Nica,” he cut her off, grabbing her breasts.
She pulled away from him. “Stop it!” she almost yelled, not caring that her mother was downstairs.
Though she wasn’t their legitimate child, he still didn’t have the right to do inappropriate things to her.
Like a vice, he grabbed her hair and yanked it hard. She winced at the pain that shot through her scalp.
“Are you mad, Nica? Have you forgotten what I can do to you? Just a few weeks of not being home, and you’ve grown wings, huh?” He pulled her hair harder, his eyes cold as hell.