He was doing it again, driving her crazy with his words. Everything he did seemed to have that effect on her. But no-she couldn’t fall for this, not after she had promised Jamie.
Forcing her attention to the messy room, she began to clean up.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“What does it look like I’m doing?” she shot back.
He stared at her for a moment before joining in, rearranging the clutter and putting misplaced items back in their places. She tried to turn on his lamp, but it was broken.
“Leave it. I’ll buy another tomorrow,” he said, and she nodded in agreement.
After several minutes, they finished tidying up. He looked up at her.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome,” she replied, her gaze falling on his bleeding knuckles. “Where’s your first aid kit? You’re bleeding.”
Klaus glanced down at his wound. “No, I’m fine.”
“Where is it?” she pressed again, and when he didn’t respond, she recalled where it was stored and headed to the drawer in the corner, pulling out the box.
“Sit,” she ordered.
Klaus rolled his eyes but complied. She crouched before him, gently taking his hand and starting to clean his wound.
“She’s hiding something else from me,” he mumbled. “I can’t believe they divorced without my knowledge.”
Morticia applied the antiseptic to his wound; he didn’t flinch, as if he were accustomed to pain. This shattered her heart.
“She doesn’t want to hurt you,” she whispered.
“Well, I’m hurt. It would have been better if I hadn’t found out myself. Now she’s keeping something else from me. She’s always like that, hiding her pain behind her smile. I hate it. I could see through her no matter what.”
“She just wants to let go. You should too,” Morticia finished dressing the wound and looked up at him.
“I can’t,” he whispered. “I’ve tried, but I can’t.”
Her heart raced as she stared at him. All she wanted to do was pull him into a hug, but she feared what that might lead to. She had always lost control around him. Besides, she had promised Jamie, though she wished she hadn’t.
Her phone buzzed, pulling her from her thoughts. It was a message from Jamie.
~Is everything alright? Your mom is freaking out a little. Are you guys okay?~
She replied quickly. ~Yeah, I’m on my way.~
“I have to go now, and please don’t break any more stuff. I’ll ask Vincent to check up on you,” she said.
“You don’t have to. I’m fine,” he mumbled, reaching for a drink.
“No drinking. Go to bed,” she ordered.
“Alright, don’t bite me,” Klaus said, and they both chuckled.
“Goodnight,” she whispered.
“Goodnight,” he replied, and she left the apartment. Letting out a heavy breath, it felt as though she had been holding her breath the entire time.
Back at her place, she found Ava and Jamie waiting for her.
“How is he? Josephine said he left her place thirty minutes ago,” Ava asked, while Jamie looked curiously at Morticia.
“He destroyed his stuff, but I helped clean it up. He’s fine now,” she smiled, and Ava sighed in relief, though she wondered if Josephine had told Klaus the full story.
“I have to go,” Jamie said, standing to leave.
“It’s late outside. Are you sure?” Ava questioned.
“Yeah, my home isn’t far, and the road isn’t dangerous at night. Thank you so much for dinner,” he replied, walking past Morticia, who followed him out.
“Jamie,” Morticia called before he stepped into his car. “Drive safely.”
“Thanks, Morty,” he smiled and drove away.
Morticia stepped back inside and found Ava lost in thought.
“What else are you guys keeping from Klaus?”
Ava looked up at her. “We should go to bed. Goodnight, sweetie,” she whispered and went up to her room.
*I want to ruin you for anyone else…*
*Would you like to explore it, Bunnie?… Because I really want to…*
Morticia sighed as those words echoed in her mind. She went up to her room, pulled out her diary, and began writing about her experiences.
Then a decision dawned on her: She was going to continue hurting him, even when she didn’t want to. She preferred to be the one getting hurt rather than doing it to someone else.
“I have to let go,” she whispered to herself.
***
“So you didn’t grow up with Jamie?” Vincent asked as he watched Nica serve a customer.
“Yeah, he spent most of his years with his grandma overseas. I got to know him better when he returned last year.”
“Oh, okay,” Vincent mumbled.
“Why are you interested in him anyway?”
“He’s my sister’s boyfriend. It feels weird,” Vincent replied, taking a sip of his drink.
“He’s a good person.”
“Hm.”
“I heard your dance show is coming up. How are you preparing for it?” she asked, a small smile on her face.
“I’ll be spending three days at the company hotel soon to prepare well…,” Vincent sighed with a smile. “I feel a bit nervous. It’s a freaking big show.”
“You can do it. You always do,” Nica chuckled. “Any updates from Simon?”
Vincent’s expression turned serious. “Nothing, but I heard Demi is still recovering. How the hell did she survive after losing so much blood?”
Nica shook her head and rolled her eyes.
Vincent glanced at his watch. “Shit, it’s almost time to meet my girl. I gotta go,” he flashed her a smile.
“Alright,” Nica nodded, watching him leave.
She took a deep breath, trying to suppress her emotions.
Gosh, she was so into him.
***
Morticia and Rhea stepped out of the library after studying. Their discussion had centered around Klaus. Vincent hadn’t gotten the news yet-he would have rushed over.
“That’s really heartbreaking. I’m sure they’ll announce it soon, and that would really hurt him,” Rhea said. “Do you think he’ll be okay?”
“I don’t know. I’m really worried about him too. I guess I’ll check up on him tonight. His security guard mentioned he hasn’t left his home since morning,” Morticia said, longing to see Klaus and talk to him.
Maybe she should have informed Vincent, but Klaus didn’t want it. Perhaps he didn’t want to distract Vincent from his upcoming show.
“Morty!” Jamie called from a distance, and they both halted.
“He’s trying hard, isn’t he?” Rhea observed, but her smile faded when she saw Morticia’s serious expression.
“I’m breaking up with him,” Morticia said, her voice barely above a whisper filled with guilt.
“Wait, really?”
“I can’t keep lying to myself. I can’t keep going around in circles like this. I feel like the worst person, and I can’t continue deceiving myself.”
Rhea sighed and nodded. “Whatever you do, I’m with you.”
“Thanks,” Morticia smiled and left.