Page 32 of Flagrant Foul
“B-but…”
“It’s not up for discussion, Sev.” I hold up a hand to silence him and deliver the line I had no idea I’ve spent my entire life waiting to say aloud. “As long as you’re living undermy roof, you’ll followmy rules.”
“W-what’s happening right now?” he whispers.
I can tell he’s confused, and my rage and sleep deprivation have converged in my core and given rise to a white-hot emotion that’s surgical in its certainty, so I’m only too happy to provide him with clarity on the matter.
“You’ve pushed me as far as you can, Sev, and you’ve left me no choice. You’ve forced my hand.” When it becomes clear that I’ve failed to switch any lightbulbs on, I spell it out even more clearly. “I’m going to seduce you.”
17
Sev Delorean
“Whatdoyoumeanyou’re going to seduce me?”
There’s a clear, warbling whine of panic that causes my voice to lilt up unpleasantly. The expression on Teddy’s face does nothing to set me at ease. His hair is standing up at the back of his head, mussed as though he’s either been scratching his head or tossing and turning in bed. His cheeks are pink and his eyes spitfire blue. There’s something unfamiliar in them that lights a fuse of dread in me.
I thought I knew him well enough that I was familiar with all his moods, but I haven’t seen him like this before: so irrational that he’s crossed into an eerie state of calm. That, along with what he just said, scares the unholy crap out of me.
“Well,” he says matter-of-factly, “it’s really quite simple, handsome.”
There’s something a little off about the way he sayshandsome.Like it’s an insult more than a compliment.Like it’s a way of talking down to me rather than praising my looks. My dick doesn’t care. It’s into it.
“You’re mine. You’ve always been mine. The only problem is that you’re too dumb to know it. I’ve been patiently waiting for you to figure it out for most of my life, but unfortunately for you, you just ran out of time to work it out on your own.” He points to the door with meaning. “That little stunt with the blond got on my last nerve. It used up my last minuscule drop of patience. I literally felt it evaporate out of me. You can act surprised all you want, but know this: you brought everything that happens next upon yourself.”
There’s a deep churn in my belly. A sharp twist. A flurry of worries. It isn’t like me. I’m usually a pretty chill guy. I’m usually the one acting like Teddy is acting right now. Calm. Cool. His face is unbothered. Features relaxed. Arms crossed over his chest, loosely, not tightly.
I don’t like it.
I raise both hands in a desperate attempt to reason with him.
“Let’s all try to calm down,” I say, despite the fact that I’m the only one panicking.
“I have a better idea,” he replies without pause. “How ’bout you get some rest. Sleep it off, sweetie. You have a big day ahead of you tomorrow.”
He sayssweetie the same way as he said handsome, but worse.
I feel rough as a bear’s ass. I didn’t close my curtains all the way last night, and there’s light streaming into my room, hitting me in the face. It’s a rude awakening on top of a well-deserved hangover. Jesus. That was way too much booze.
I fucking hate alcohol.
The events of the night come in thick and fast. Foggy and a little disjointed. Best I can tell, there was some dancing. There was definitely some oversharing. I met Whatever-His-Name-Was at the third bar I went to. He was as drunk as I was and on the same wavelength as me. I kept talking about Teddy, and how he’s the best, and how he used to be all sweet and then got all angry and spiteful, which somehow makes him even hotter, and Whatever-His-Name-Was took it into his head that we should call Tee and ask him to come out.
It seemed like a great idea at the time.
Oh shit.
My phone.
The calls.
The voice notes.
We tried calling Teddy last night, and when he didn’t answer, we sent voice notes. So many voice notes.
I lean over the edge of the bed and scramble to find my phone in the heap of clothes on the floor.
My head pounds like a drum.
