Page 20 of Euphoria
I groan. “Ry, can you get me out of this?”
“I wish the fuck he would,” Phoenix responds by challenging his brother.
Orion snickers. “Nope, I’m good. Sorry, Bams, I have somewhere to be, plus, call for Bow, he’s supposed to have your back too.”
I let out a frustrated groan. “They’re mad at me so they don't care how my wrists feel.” Orion looks amused and so does his brother. “Guys, this isn’t funny,” I pretend to pout.
The second I say this both brothers decide it’s time to laugh. I scoot up the headboard so I could relieve the pain in my wrist. Orion and Phoenix spoke in their native tongue, Greek, while completely ignoring me. Phoenix sits on the bed and applies lotion to his body while Orion acts like all of this is normal.
In mid-conversation Phoenix stands and walks back in from where he first came from. Which I assume is the bathroom, he comes back with clothes in his hands, so not the bathroom?
I watch his every move as he places the clothes down on the white sheets. It’s crazy how everything is so white.
“Why is everything so white?” I ask.
Phoenix drops his towel at the same time I ask the question. He doesn’t care if his brother is in the room. Orion is looking down at his phone, not giving a damn about what’s going on. My eyes are stuck on the perfection that is Phoenix. He’s so damned chiseled. He is what they should place as a statue. A broken yet whole statue. Phoenix smirks throwing his towel over my head and by the time I get it off, he’s already in his red boxer-briefs. I take in the leg tattoo that has covered his whole right leg and it seems endless. I look up his body. He has a Greek tattoo that I remember and was very fond of that wrapped around his lower torso with rose vines wrapped around the words which he told me that it says Everything changes. I shut my eyes, not wanting to think about that. I shake my head, opening them back up again.
“I want to go home,” I say. Phoenix continues to get dressed like he didn’t hear a word I said. “Phoenix!” I yell his name.
“Baby deer, you are home,” he announces like it’s nothing.
“No, I’m not. I didn’t buy this place and how the hell do you live upstairs from me, anyway? Did you do this on purpose? Move in after me?”
Phoenix eyes me like I’m a bug that just irritated him. “I’ve been living here before you. We all have.” He shakes his head. “How many times must I tell you to read shit before signing it, Bambi? The whole Bishops clan owns the property.”
“But it says Hanlon Suites.”
“Yeah, it does because this is Jagger’s project but doesn’t mean we didn’t outright buy it. You’re in my forest now, little deer, and there’s no way out,” Phoenix says as he finishes buttoning his dress shirt. He looks impeccable.
“What about all my stuff in my place? I just moved in! Can’t I have a place of my own?”
Phoenix tilts his head in thought as he tucks his dress shirt into his pants. This man is a sexy yet deranged specimen. I feel bad for his wife, me.
“I’ll let you sleep in your own place,” he says.
“Thank you,” I say prematurely.
He grins. “Only if you can put your bed-frame together by yourself.” He turns to Orion. “Should I make it a bit of a challenge for her, Ry?”
Orion finally looks up with a matching grin. “Challenges are the best.”
“Ry…” I cry out. “Come on! I thought you cared about me.”
Orion smiles as he looks my way. “You know I do. This is for your own good, Bams.”
“Ugh.” I look up at the ceiling. This isn’t fair. “Where’s Bowie when I need him?” I say to myself.
Phoenix snickers. “Out being pissed at you. He needs time, Bams. Don’t force him.”
I frown. “I’m not forcing him, how can I? It’s Bowie… How can I not want him? I miss him. I know I should’ve said goodbye,” I say sadly.
Phoenix says nothing for a moment and then he shrugs. “Call him to you then, you know he’d come.”
“I’ll give him the day,” I say.
Phoenix shrugs. “Oh! Before I forget,” he takes the handcuff keys out of his pocket and puts it at the edge of his gigantic bed. “You can let yourself out. I’ll be back to check on your bed-frame progress. Oh yeah, no one is going to let you out of the building unless they get a word from me.” He blows a kiss my way as he walks out of the room with Orion.
I scream out of frustration, and I hear both crazy men laughing. “Don’t wait for me, sweetie. I’ve got business to handle. Don’t miss me too much,” Phoenix yells out.
“Nix, please, don’t do this. Just come back. Let me out of the cuffs, I won’t leave. I promise.”
I hear expensive shoes coming down to the room and Phoenix stands at the doorway glaring at me. “You don’t know what a promise is. Don’t promise me jack-shit.” His anger is so palpable, I can taste it.
He gets closer to the bed and he gives me a devilish smirk as he moves the key a little closer to me. I sigh, relieved. Then he swipes his hand, throwing the key on the floor even further away from me.
“Nix…” I want to be mad, but I can’t. I can see the hurt as he lets the mask fall away temporarily. “My Nix, I didn’t mean to hurt you,” I confess.
The anger is back, full-blown. “Fuck you,” hesays and gets up, walking out this time. I have nothing to say because when he’s hurt, I’m hurt. That’s always been my problem, I care too deeply for my men. Way too deeply.
