Page 60 of Bound By Obsession

“Two for pedicures if you’re able, and a manicure for my girlfriend.” I tug Avery closer into my side. The receptionist’s eyes snap back to my face, her cheeks twinging with pink that she’s been caught gawking. Swiftly leading us to the high-backed leather seats, she begins to prep the warm water in the foot spa with various salts. Avery’s full attention is on me, a teasing smile playing at her lips.

“Your reward is to get me a mani-pedi?”

“My reward will be seeing your fancy, new nails wrapped around my cock later,” I reply, shrugging off my jacket. The attendant testing the water jet slips, fumbling around to get the faucet back under control. Avery gives me a pointed look.

“You’ve been spending too long with Garrett.” Avery rolls her eyes. Being directed to soak our feet in the warm water, we shed our shoes and socks, and I catch the first glimpse of her reddened toes, instantly frowning.

“Fine, that was just a ploy to get you to take care of whatever is causing you to limp around. You’re not as sneaky as you think you are.” She doesn’t even try to deny that I caught her wincing multiple times, just sinks further into the seat and closes her eyes.

“That’s a lie, I’m incredibly sneaky when I want to be. But Madam Nightingale did go really hard this morning. I pissed heroff.” As the technicians wheel over two tiny stools, I reach over to take her hand.

“Tell me about it.” And she does just that.

For the best part of half an hour, Avery confesses about the offer letters, her reasons for turning them down, how her ballet teacher used it as a reason to push her to her limits and then moves onto the gossiping. I knew it was coming, even though I did my best to shut it down quickly. I’ll need to regroup with the others later to discuss it, but for now, I simply sit and let Avery work it out of her system, whilst my feet are being attacked with a harsh, porous rock.

“So yeah, that’s that,” she shrugs, seemingly deflated but also finally relaxed. “Never a dull day.”

“Not in our world,” I manage a smile. Our feet are patted dry with warm towels and fitted with disposable flip flops before Avery is led to a nail station, with me trailing to remain by her side. I don’t ask if I can sit at her side, nor do I wait for permission to lean over and pluck a nail polish bottle from the wall of hundreds. Avery immediately approves, turning the red bottle over to read the name.

“Crimson Desire,” she bobs her brows. The same technician who did her feet sits on the opposite side of the table, quietly busying herself with filing and preparing Avery’s nails. The tranquil music washes over us, carefully stealing us away from the real world. I notice there are no clocks in here, and the windows are covered with heavy blinds. Avery tilts her head for her blonde ponytail to tickle my forearm. “This might just be the best idea you’ve ever had.”

“I have my moments,” I say, trying not to look smug. Truthfully, I’m just happy I managed to swoop in when I did and whisk her away from campus before things got ugly. I didn’t expect returning to be easy but for very different reasons than her classmates turning on her.

My palm glides over her thigh whilst her hands are occupied, just as my pocket begins to vibrate. I tug my phone free and glance down at the screen flashing with a group call. I was wondering how long it would take. Declining the call, I push the device back into my pocket and ignore it when the vibrating starts up instantly. Avery hears the repetitive buzz, her eyes flicking over to me.

“Aren’t you going to get that?”

“Nope.” I shake my head, reaching over to take her hand. “I’m not ready to share you again just yet.”

“It could be important,” she twists her lips.

“It could be,” I shrug, my intentions clear. Nothing is going to take away the precious time I have left with Avery all to myself. Her eyes soften how they always do when I’ve managed to get my own way. It’s those small looks, those tiny traits I’ve memorized that fill me with bursts of love at any given moment. I hold it inside, letting it blossom and grow until I’ve done as Avery asked - to learn to love myself again first.

For now, I’m content. In this little bubble of peace, nothing else exists. No threats, no responsibilities, no rumors. Just us, creating pockets of time to reconnect and remain united. I won’t let a distance form between us again.

“Told you he wouldn’t bring her back,” I scuff up Garrett’s hair. He finishes tying his laces and straightens, hair wild and lips twisted.

“I swear no one respects me around here.” At this, we all start laughing and the locker room echoes with mockery. Packing up our sweaty gym gear, I throw an arm around Garrett’s shoulders when he looks at his phone again.

“Leave them be,” I murmur, plucking his cell free of his hands and putting it back in his sweatpants’ pocket. “We won’t clip her wings, remember?” Garrett sobers in an instant.

It was one of our sweeter occasions, after a particularly horrible nightmare of mine. Instead of burying myself inside of him to banish the ache carving out my chest, I asked Garrett to talk to me. And he did, until the sun started to rise, he whisperedpretty fantasies and made tender promises. How he’d always care for me, how he’d make sure Avery never left us behind. I made him swear then and there that he wouldn’t hold her back, no matter how hard it might be. To see her soar would outweigh the pain of losing her.

We leave the locker room and wander the stone hallways back to the main gym. Dax hangs back behind Wyatt, keeping a close eye on our quiet leader. I’m sure Wyatt didn’t have the same sense of separation anxiety that we felt, but he didn’t protest when Garrett ordered Huxley to fetch our Little Swan either.

Pulling open the heavy door, I’m instantly hit with the heat from the gym, a heavy scent of sweat in the air. Pounding footfalls slam against treadmills, occasional grunts radiating from the weight bars. Usually Wyatt would divert away, preferring to push himself to the point of exhaustion on the machines but today, he keeps up pace and exits with the rest of us. I suppose the walk back to the house will be exercise enough, given that Huxley didn’t return with the SUV.

The cold air leeches onto my freshly washed skin, droplets from the locker room shower still clinging to the back of my neck. My breath puffs around my face as I drag a woolen hat over my shaved head and ears, linking my arm back into Garrett’s. He’s tense, either from the cold or from still stewing about what Avery and Huxley are up to. It’s not hard to come up with a few ideas.

We walk as briskly as our aching legs can manage. First day back at practice after the holidays is always the hardest, which is why Wyatt thought it would be a good idea to get a head start today before Coach returns tomorrow. To pass the time, I think about the warm bath and decent sized lunch I’m going to have when I get back. Soon enough, the frat house looms ahead.

White-wash walls stand out amongst the other buildings dotted along the street, standing tall and proud to belong to the Shadowed Souls. Usually, seeing it calms me. Our oasis, where we’re in total control of what happens inside. Where things make sense and we are free to be ourselves.

But for some reason, my feet begin to slow. I have the strangest foreboding sense that something’s off. A creeping feeling crawls up my spine. The knot in my stomach pulls tighter when I see it - the front door hanging wide open, swaying on its hinges like someone just walked through it.

I freeze. My heart kicks into overdrive, hammering in my chest. “Did anyone forget to lock up this morning?” The words come out sharp, too sharp, and I don’t miss the way Wyatt’s head snaps up. His eyes narrow at the door.

“Hell no,” Dax growls from behind me. “We never leave it open like that.”

---