Page 74 of Giving In

I hear another door slam and their voices fading away. Then another one and I assume they’ve left the house.

I move slightly, trying to slowly get away from Jake but he stirs and tightens his hold on me.

“Don’t mind them, happens every weekend. Go back to sleep,” he says in a sleepy voice.

I try to fight the headache but there’s no point. I don’t know the time and I could definitely use more sleep.

I relax as much as I can. Jake’s scent and his warm skin against mine keep forcing my muscles into relaxation. Eventually, I fade back into the darkness.

When I wake up again, I’m alone in bed. My headache is gone but I’m so thirsty I could drink an ocean.I slowly get out of bed only wearing one of Jake’s giant t-shirts. No bra. No panties. Did he take them off? Did he...do anything else?

My body shudders at the thought but this one definitely isn’t a good one. There’s a line not to cross. Would he cross it? What is off-limits to him?

I don’t know where Jake is. I know Rose left earlier with Rachel so I’m assuming it’s fine to go to the kitchen. I look for my clothes but can’t find any and the thirst pushes me to just go like this. No one but Jake is here anyway.

I pad down the hall and as I’m about to push the half-closed door open, I hear different voices coming from the living area. No one has noticed me yet and I just stand here, observing the strange scene.

Jake and Luke are facing my way, standing in front of Rose. They are blocking her from getting to Chris, their eyes on her. Chris is in front of the sofa, his back to me, talking to someone I can’t quite see yet.

Jake is wearing black, wire-thin glasses that make him look so much more approachable than usual.

Rose is watching everyone, her back to me. She’s the closest to me but Jake and Luke are so focused on not letting her get away from them that they haven’t noticed me standing in the doorway behind her, half-hidden by the door. Everyone is wearing clothes except Jake, who’s topless, only wearing jeans he seems to have put on in a hurry.

I can’t help but linger on his body. He looks like the child of a Greek god and a top model. His defined abs are stopping my eyes from looking anywhere else. He’s got a V that disappears into his jeans and I think I’m starting to understand why Camila finds it difficult, or should I say impossible, to leave him.

Chris takes a step to the side and I can finally see he’s talking to Samuel. What the hell is this guy doing here?

They both look like they’re about to jump each other. I’ve never seen Chris so bestial. I don’t know what the conversation was like before I arrived, but they seem to be at the breaking point.

“Let me make this clearer. I see you around this house or around her again, you’ll be able to count on one hand the number of teeth you’ve got left when I’m done with you. Is that easier to get for you?”

I can’t believe I’m hearing these words come out of Chris’ mouth. I’ve never seen him so angry in my life.

“Chris–” Rose tries to interject but Jake shoves her back. She scowls at Jake and Luke, both determined to not let her get to the other side of the room. “You two are fucking traitors,” she says through gritted teeth.

I look back at Samuel. He’s just about as tall and big as Chris but he looks more dangerous. It might have to do with the fact that he’s covered with tattoos, up to the neck and some on the side of his head where his hair is shaved. It might be because everything about him is darker, his hair, his look, his eyes. It might be because I know he’s part of a gang and Chris has always been this peaceful figure to me.

Samuel simply smiles back at Chris. “You think I give a shit about being threatened by a teenager born with a silver spoon in his mouth?”

I can’t help but think that, just like in films, the mean guy is British. His accent is making everything he says much darker and as if his real motive is to destroy the world.

“These two, belong to my world. You know it, I know it. I’m the onlyrealfamily they have. They might think they want to stay with you now, but they’ll come around eventually. Especially this one.” He smiles smugly, gives a head gesture towards Rose and I can almost hear her rolling her eyes.

“Shut the fuck up,” she spits at him. “You don’t know me!”

Samuel chuckles. “I don’t know you? I fucking made you. Be grateful, love. We–”

He doesn’t get to finish his sentence because Chris shoves him so hard in the chest, Samuel stumbles backward and hits the TV, sending it crashing to the floor. He regains balance quickly and is about to get back at him when Rose takes a step forward. Luke holds her arm, but her behavior has changed drastically. She’s almost fighting her friends to get to Chris and Samuel. She gets past Luke. In a split-second Jake grabs her by the waist, holding her firmly.

“You’re really looking for shit today, aren’t you?” her twin says as he lifts her, so her feet don’t reach the ground anymore, his arms bulging under her weight.

Samuel has a killing look on his face. He’s about to strike back and I’m not sure why she would want to get between the two.

“Don’t! Sam, please, don’t.” Her voice is nothing like her usual confident tone. She’s almost pleading with Samuel. She wriggles in Jake’s arms. “Fuck. Let go.” Her frustration and panic are overwhelming and I’m not sure if I should intervene or not.

I’m perplexed at the dynamic this group has behind closed doors. I always thought Rose was just ‘part of the boys’ and did whatever the fuck she wanted. I never thought Jake was an overprotective brother or Chris to get involved in her business. Looking at this now, they all look so controlling over her.

Samuel freezes just before hitting Chris but the look in his eyes doesn’t leave much to the imagination what he was planning to do. He hesitates and glances at Rose.

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