Page 178 of Unravelling The Beast

"Okay, no problem; I love you."

"I love you too. Bye."

I hang up the phone, keeping my gaze fixed on Arlo as he tosses his snapback to the ground before reaching behind his head and yanking his shirt off.

When he throws it to one side, he kicks off his shoes, and his eyes finally reach mine, signaling my awareness that something is wrong.

As he prowls towards the bottom of the bed and stops, I sit up on my elbows, his dark, slightly red, and puffy eyes transfixed on mine.

He makes a lazy hand motion towards me while speaking with a slight slur.

“Is that my fucking shirt?”

I avert my gaze from his and look down at his shirt on my body before returning it to his. He waits for me to respond, but I only offer him a brief, wordless nod.

His glazed eyes blaze into mine as he stands there, slightly waving back and forth, and I realize he's been drinking. He smirks and starts crawling up the huge bed towards me, keeping his eyes locked on mine.

When I'm within his reach, he takes my ankles and pulls me down the bed easily but aggressively, forcing his shirt to ride up my body, exposing my nakedness underneath, and a small shriek escapes me.

While he kneels between my open thighs, he grabs the small of my waist and squeezes it as his black eyes sweep over me, admiring me.

When they flicker to mine, he gives a small, sinister grin and begins to speak.

"You know you're what dreams are made of, right?"

His attention shifts to my exposed pussy for a brief moment before he continues with a small growl in his throat.

"Every man's wet fucking fantasy."

Because of his drunken state, I try not to giggle and when his eyes return to mine, he talks earnestly.

"But you've become so much more to me."

He takes my hand in his and shows me both of our palms, revealing our initials carved into them.

"This was when I knew you were mine, and then when you told me you loved me, I knew I was entirely yours."

My eyes soften as he lets go of my hand and moves until his forearms are resting on either side of my head and his body on mine.

He glances around my face before settling his eyes on my lips and continuing.

"You've saved a broken man more times than you'll ever fucking know.You didn't even have to do anything other than be present."

I resist the tears that threaten to spill as I feel my heart melt in my chest. He closes his eyes and places his brow on mine.

"Our love is fucked, Wren. It's a crazy fucking game that we both can't get enough of; it's consumed us both, yet we continue to love what it does to us. I just can't promise it'll ever be normal because I’m not fucking normal."

I make the decision to respond softly.

"I don't want us to be normal, Arlo.Normal is dull."

I continue as he cautiously opens his eyes to stare into mine.

"I like what we are, and I wouldn't have it any other way because this is us, Arlo. This is our normal, and it doesn't have to make sense to anyone else, because what does it matter if it's love? Our twisted love."

His gaze roves over mine, and I can see him pondering carefully until, after a long stretch of silence, he finally speaks.

"I went to see Bridget tonight."

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