I go to my room, leaving the door wide open, so I’m able to hear when Tyler leaves. Minutes turn into an hour and I’ve paced from my suite to the hall and back countless times, waiting with anticipation.
Finally, the voices in my head have become too loud and I find myself back at her door, pounding with an iron fist. “Rhea. Open the door.”
“Go away, Alaric!”
I lean closer, my lips practically touching the surface as I grit out, “Open the fucking door!”
It flies open and I step back, but when I see Tyler, I stomp past him into Rhea’s room. “We need a minute,” I tell Tyler with my eyes deadlocked on Rhea’s.
“Get the hell out!” Rhea shouts as she points toward the doorway.
The next thing I know, I feel a hand on my shoulder, but I quickly spin around, slapping it down. “Are you fucking touching me?” Tyler's eyes go wide as he withdraws his hand and takes a step back.
What the hell is the matter with kids these days?
Rhea crosses the room and steps between us, arms spread wide. “Alaric, you need to leave.”
I take Tyler in, noticing his shoes are now off and his jacket is laying across the end of Rhea’s bed. He’s made himself much too comfortable here.
“Give me one minute. That’s all I ask.”
She sighs heavily before looking at Tyler. “Can you just give us one minute?”
“You don’t have to listen to him, Rhea. I can go get Gladys.”
His words make me laugh out loud, because what the fuck is an eighty-year-old lady going to do? It’s comical that he thinks she can remedy this situation when he can’t do it himself. Fucking pussy.
“It’s fine,” Rhea assures him. “It’ll only take a minute.”
I walk over to the bed and snatch up Tyler’s jacket, then grab his shoes from beside her dresser. I shove them into his chest and walk him out the doorway.
“Like she said, it’ll only take a minute.” I push him out the door, then slam it closed so hard a painting of a majestic castle rattles against the wall.
When I turn back around, Rhea’s palm flies across my face.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” She pushes two hands into my chest as I cradle the print of her fingers on my cheek. She walks me backward until I’m slammed into her dresser, knocking an empty paper cup to the floor. “This ismyroom!Myspace! You have no right to makemyfriends leave!”
“Friend?” I laugh. “Tyler isn’t your friend. I know boys, Rhea. He only wants one thing from you and I can promise you, it’s not friendship.”
“So what?” She huffs. “Maybe I want the same thing. Maybe.” She smirks. “Maybe I’ve already given it to him.”
My muscles quiver, pulse rapid firing. “You’re lying.”
“Am I?”
In a knee-jerk reaction, I grab her by the throat, demanding the truth. “Don’t you dare lie to me! Have you fucked him?”
“Yeah.” She drags out the word, grinning maniacally. “Yeah, I fucked him. His dick slid into my pussy with such ease, as if it was molded just for him. Then, as we came together, our cries of ecstasy created a beautiful symphony that I’ll never forget.”
“You take that back right now or I’ll go into that hall and slit that boy’s throat. I’m not fucking around, Rhea.” I reach into my pocket, keeping my fingers still loosely wrapped around her throat. Pulling my hand out, I show her the pocketknife I’m holding. “Iwillkill him.”
Her eyes widen and she gasps as she breaks free from my hold. Walking swiftly to the other side of her bed, her jerky eyes drag from my hand to my face. “Are you insane?”
“I am,” I tell her honestly. “And you’ve got three seconds to tell me the truth about you and Tyler or I’m going to show you just how insane I really am.” I flip the knife open, watching as she stumbles backward a few steps.
“Okay.” She holds her hands up in surrender. “Okay. I lied. Tyler and I have only kissed and it was just to make some people jealous. That’s it.”
“Good.” I close the knife and stick it back in my front pocket. “Let’s keep it that way.”