Page 13 of Bound By Obsession

“Cookie dough for my friend here,” Huxley nudges his head my way. “Mint choc chip for me.” He gives me a small grin and I look away. When our cones are ready, we take them to a small table near the window. It’s pitch black outside, our own reflection looking back at us beneath a large neon sign. I take a lick of my ice cream, savoring the creamy flavor. Cookie dough is my favorite.

Huxley stares down at his own ice cream, swallowing thickly and breathing shallowly. I watch him closely, that familiar tension starting to creep back in. Without Avery here to force feed him, he seems to be struggling. I reach over and take the hand which is gripping the table’s edge.

“Thanks for this. I needed a break.”

“I figured,” Huxley replies, his eyes flicking up with a mixture of concern and affection. Slowly, he licks the side of his scoop as if it pains him.

“It’s a good thing Garrett isn’t here. He’d have taken that out of your hand and shown you how to eat it.” Huxley attempts a smile but his sigh is telling. Eventually, once the ice cream has begun to drip onto the table, he turns and drops it into a trash can. I don’t comment, watching his reflection. It seems less direct that way, allowing the silence to settle and Huxley to find the words in his own time.

“I’ve never experienced anything like this before. I know I need to keep up my strength, to be ready for the next time Avery needs me. But I have absolutely no appetite. It’s as if I know I’m going to fail her anyway, so self-sabotage is the only way. It gives me an out, to blame it on not being nourished enough ratherthan admitting that,” he sucks in a breath and looks at a spot on the floor, “that I’m just not good enough.”

My fingers twitch around his hand. The shock in Hux’s own face tells me he hadn’t come to that conclusion before it tumbled out of his mouth. Withdrawing from my hand, he roughs up his blond hair, a way to hide behind his good looks even though no one else is paying attention to us.

“You think I’m being an idiot,” Hux tenses his jaw. I jerk back, affronted. As if I would be in any position to judge anyone.

“I think we’re used to playing our roles. They’re so ingrained in us, we’re all struggling to break out. Who am I if I’m not Garrett’s shadow? If I’m not the pet who follows him around, begging for scraps of his attention? It’s an adjustment for everyone. You’re so used to being the one we turn to for protection, but you’re not the only one looking out for Avery. All of us are.”

“Maybe that’s the problem,” Huxley’s features harden. “She’s getting what she needs elsewhere.” It dawns on me that I wasn’t invited out merely for a break. Hux needed someone to talk to, and he chose me.

“The only competition happening here is in your head. But I know that’s easier said than heard. Take your time. She isn’t going anywhere.”

Huxley doesn’t look convinced. I finish my cone, wiping my mouth with a napkin. Changing perspective takes time. A few months ago, I thought if I lost Garrett’s attention, I would lose the foundations of who I am. The other Shadowed Souls would always be there, but Garrett is the one who’s coached me through each nightmare, who’s cradled my head while I’ve cried and who’s talked me down when I thought anger was the answer. Healing is a process, and I’m finding I’m stronger than I thought I was.

“Give yourself some grace, Hux. You’ve been through something traumatic,” I gesture towards his collarbone where a circular scar hides beneath his hoodie. “When we go back to Waversea, why don’t we get you booked in with the therapist?”

“And until then?” he asks, his voice hardened. Sure, that’s over two weeks away but as it stands, we don’t know where we’ll be day to day. Huxley’s mansion and Hughes manor are off limits for obvious reasons, and the only other one of us with a childhood home to return to is me, which is a hard no on all fronts. Not while my mom still lives there.

Around us, customers arrive and leave, low chatter filling the parlor. Huxley’s gaze has drifted south, his face fallen as if he might never smile again. I sit a little straighter, the faint chill from the open door keeping me awake.

“You’ve spent years holding us together. Take some time off, let me take the mantle for a while.” I lean back in the chair, looking over my own reflection once more. Did I just offer to keep Avery safe, keep Huxley on track, keep looking for Wyatt and keep Garrett in check? Yeah, I believe I did.

“You’re changing.” Huxley’s comment isn’t an accusation, but a dawning awareness. I give him a slanted smile, feeling my dimple pop. Yeah, I’m changing and amongst the chaos, it feels good. Beneath the table, Huxley’s shoe knocks against mine. It’s the only sign he’s heard me, his gaze distant whilst staring at the napkin dispenser between us.

“Um, excuse me?” a guy says. I twist to see his pinstripe uniform, recognizing him from behind the counter. “This was just handed in. Apparently you dropped it on the sidewalk?” He hands me a small card, seeming just as confused as I am. Glancing at it, my eyes narrow.

“Sorry, where did this come from?” The guy, no more than twenty two with a face full of acne, twists his lips.

“Some dude just brought it in. Said the two in the window had dropped it and I should make sure you got it back. I don’t know,” he shrugs and slinks away. I’m left with my arm outstretched, sensing Huxley’s curiosity beating against my back. Keeping myself turned, I bring the card closer and quickly read the words scribbled on the back of a manilla business card from the hotel we’re staying at.

‘Surprised you’d leave her alone.’

“What is it?” Hux has leaned closer, eager to see over my shoulder. I tuck the card into my palm and turn back, trying to calm the upkick of my pulse. It’s a bluff. Avery isn’t alone. Garrett and Dax are with her. But the message is clear. Someone who knows us is nearby, watching our every move. Just when a sense of normality had settled.

“Hux,” I state with a surprisingly level tone. “Calmly stand up and follow me.” He does just that, his chest bumping my back as we exit the parlor. I try to be vigilant against the darkness of night, but in the street, there are too many places to hide. Too many headlights and signs blinking in my face, the world slipping by in a slur of images I can’t process fast enough. Halfway down the street, I come to my senses and ask Hux for his phone. I left mine back in the room.

“Come on Dax,” I mutter into the receiver, willing him to pick up. The tone rings out and I curse, trying Garrett next. The same happens and I tell myself that’s good news. They’re all still wrapped around Avery, blissfully unaware of the tremors taking over my limbs. Approaching the hotel, a puff of smoke appears just as I turn the corner. I slam straight into Dax, his cigarette dropping to burn a hole into my hoodie sleeve.

“What the hell are you doing here?!” I shout too loudly as true panic sets in. Dax’s eyes widen, his head tucking guiltily.

“I just stepped out for a smoke,” his voice trails after me as I stride across the foyer and jam my finger on the elevator button.Within three seconds, I change my mind and start vaulting up the stairs. “I was right outside. What’s happening?”

Dax chases after me. I hear Huxley in tow, grumbling that it can’t be good. The business card is crumpled in my hand, the edges digging into my palm as I push myself up the stairs, two at a time. My heart is pounding, each beat echoing in my ears louder than the sound of our footsteps. Dax’s questions are a distant buzz, my mind focused solely on reaching Avery and Garrett.

“Explain what’s going on!” Dax demands, his voice strained with growing alarm. Huxley’s heavy breaths follow close behind, urging me to keep moving. Breaching the second floor hallway, I pause long enough to give Dax the business card.

“We’re still being watched,” I manage between breaths. Dax turns the card over in his hand, Huxley getting his first real look. Both of their faces pale. Pushing passed me, Dax rushes down the hallway whilst trepidation slows me down. Dax fumbles with the keycard, his hands trembling until the light blinks green. I wait for his face to light up with relief, for him to look back with an eye roll and curse me out for giving him a false scare. When he doesn’t, I shove my way into the room.

The room is dark, save for the soft glow of the city lights filtering through the curtains. Garrett is sprawled out on the bed, Avery nestled against his side, still deep in sleep. Oh thank fuck.

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