I slam the truck door behind me once I've climbed inside.

Theo takes an extra minute to get in. First, he has to put his cane behind his seat and then he has to pull himself into the truck.

He clicks his seatbelt into place and puts the keys in the ignition. He pauses before he turns the key, and looks at me.

I glare at him while I wait for whatever snarky comment he has for me, but he doesn't say a word. He just unclicks his seatbelt and leans toward me.

For a split second, I'm sure he's going to kiss me. My breath catches in my throat and I wonder if I should push him away or if I should take the opportunity to get my tongue in his mouth.

But then he grips the seatbelt hanging beside me and pulls it across my chest, leaning back into his seat while he clicks it into place.

I should have seen that coming.

My held breath escapes me with an irritated huff. I turn away to look out my window, while Theo once again buckles himself in and starts up the engine.

He pulls the large truck onto the road. "Are you going to tell me why you're mad at me?"

"No." Mostly because I don't have a straight answer for him.

"Was I wrong about why you kissed me?"

Fuck. I didn't expect him to bring that up. I thought my attitude was a big enough clue that I didn't want to talk about it, but apparently not.

"No," I answer again, and I'm being honest. Theo wasn't wrong about why I had kissed him. I had started the kiss with the intention of making Cal jealous or angry... Only, my intention had quickly been forgotten when Theo began to kiss me back.

I lost myself in that kiss. I felt something I thought I would never feel again. But then it all came crashing down when Theo mentioned Cal and brought me back to reality.

It wasn't safe to feel that way. I was an idiot to forget that, even for a second.

"So what then?"

I shrug my shoulders and Theo sighs.

"Come on, Milia. Tell me."

"It doesn't fucking matter, Theo. Just leave it alone."

"I can't do that, Princess."

"Why the fuck not?"

"'Cause I somehow upset you, and I'd like to know how, or why, so that I can say sorry and make it—"

"Do you want to fuck me, Theo?"

That finally shuts him up. He gives me a puzzled frown and then slowly shakes his head. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"So that's a yes?"

His frown deepens. "No, it's not."

"So you don't want to fuck me?"

He shakes his head again. "No, I—"

"So stop trying to get back on my good side, which I'm not sure you ever were really on, and leave me the fuck alone. Got it?!"

He glares at me, glares at the road, then glares at me again. His head moves in a short nod before he turns his attention back to the road ahead of us.

We finish the drive in silence. When we get to Cal and April's, Theo unlocks their front door for me.

I sit down on the porch steps, light a smoke, and watch as Theo limps over to his house without his cane.

He doesn't come over for lunch.

----------

I call it a night early, but the peaceful sleep from the night before must have been a one-time fluke because I once again wake up drenched in a cold sweat with nervous trembles coursing through my body.

I know that rolling over and trying to go back to sleep is a futile endeavour, so I gather my phone and my pack of smokes and make my way downstairs.

My phone screen informs me that it's quarter past eleven, and the minimal colour on the battery icon reminds me that I should have plugged it in before I went to sleep. Normally, I wouldn't care that my battery is dying—I have no one to call anyway—but I had been looking forward to playing some mindless game to distract myself from the dark memories plaguing my mind.

I walk to the kitchen to get a glass of water. When I step in through the door, I find a shirtless Cal sitting at the table. His hands are gripping the edge of it, and his white knuckles make it apparent that he's holding on tightly. His head is tipped back, angled toward the ceiling, and his eyes are closed. He doesn't notice me coming in.

I take a minute to appreciate his exposed chest and strong arms. He looks like he might be stressed out and deep in thought. Perhaps he's praying. That's apparently something he does now. I battle internally with myself on whether I should interrupt or just leave him to it.

While I try to come up with a decision, he lets out a low, throaty growl. "Such a hungry, greedy mouth..."

Oh shit!

Cal's head falls forward and he opens his eyes before I can manage to turn and run. His blissful expression disappears and is replaced by a look of surprise when he sees me. "Emilia," he gasps my name but leaves it at that like he's not sure what else to say.

Big mistake on his part.

"Excuse me?!" April's voice comes out sharply as the top of her head pops up above the table. "What did you just call me?'

Cal looks down at where she's kneeling in front of him and shakes his head. "No, no, not you."

"Yes, me, Cal," April snaps back. She begins to stand, but Cal places his hands on her shoulders.

"On. Your. Knees."

His dominant voice almost has my toes curling, except knowing that he's talking to another woman ruins it for me.

Without taking his eyes off April he asks in a low voice, "Em, could you give us a few?"

April gasps and pushes his hands off her shoulders to stand up. "Cal!" she scolds. She turns to look at me, but I've already seen and heard enough.

I turn on my heel and leave the room, but April follows after me.

"Emilia, I'm so sorry you had to walk in on that," she apologizes.

"Don't apologize, April. We weren't doing anything wrong," Cal says as he comes after us.

I turn to look at them while I step into my shoes, and my eyes land on Cal—All of Cal.

April turns around to look at him too and points to the kitchen. "Cal, you don't have any clothes on!" she exclaims, sounding exasperated.

"It's nothing I haven't seen before," I comment dryly. "Except that. That's new." I point to the tattoo near his right hip bone. It's a cartoon monster with rain boots and an umbrella.

Cal picks up a throw pillow from the couch and holds it in front of his still erect penis. "Where are you going?" he asks. His tone makes it sound like I'm a teenager getting caught sneaking out of the house after curfew.

"I'm giving you a few," I explain, using his words from earlier. I reach for the door handle and hear heavy steps behind me.

"What are you going to do, Cal, follow her outside butt-naked?" April asks, sounding irritated. I'm unsure whether it's Cal or myself that she's irritated with.

"Wait, Emy!" Cal calls after me as I step outside.

I walk quickly toward the street, already pulling my phone out to call a cab.

"Are you going to come back?"

I turn around to find Cal standing in the open doorway, still holding the damn throw pillow in front of himself. It'd be comical if I wasn't so hurt and disgusted every time I was faced with the reality that he is with April now.

"I don't have anywhere else to go," I answer with a shrug.

Cal's shoulders relax as if the fucker is glad that I'm once again completely dependant on him. "I'll leave the porch light on for you," he offers like he's doing me some big favour.

April appears in the doorway just behind him and grabs his arm. "Cal, you don't have any clothes on," she repeats herself as if Cal will suddenly develop a sense of modesty.

Good luck with that, April.

I turn away again and continue walking along the sidewalk. I need a fucking drink.

----------

I'm not sure what time it is when I get back to the Jones' residence.

I found a friendly gentleman to keep the drinks coming at a local pub. He invited me back to his place and I decided, why not? But after we had a few more drinks on the couch and he started getting a little too close for comfort, I came down with a convenient case of food poisoning.

He handled my excuse better than expected and even offered to pay for my cab ride home. He made a comment about wanting to drive me home but said something about losing his job and possibly his life if his boss found out he had been driving under the influence.

He suggested we exchange numbers, but my phone was dead, so I just gave him mine. Or at least, an incorrect version of it. If he was really determined, he could possibly rearrange the numbers until he got it right, but I wasn't expecting him to put in that much effort.

It was a shame, really.

He was attractive. He was kind. He must have known I was lying about the food poisoning, seeing as I took his bottle of whiskey home with me, and yet he never questioned it or made me feel bad about it.

Thinking back, I almost wish I had pushed through my fear and gone to bed with him. He might have been good for me; some exposure therapy of sorts.

Oh well, too late now.

The ground shifts beneath me as I walk, and I pause to take another gulp of the burning liquid. My eyes narrow while I take in Cal's beautiful house. A shudder moves through me at the memory of him growling about April's mouth on his cock.

Gross.

With staggering steps, I make my way up the steps to the front door, but when I try the handle it doesn't work. I try again, giving a mighty tug, and then the anger inside of me crescendos into a physical rage.

"You locked the fucking door?!" I scream while I pound a fist against the surface. I take a step back with a defeated groan and lift the whiskey to my mouth for another swig.

The door in front of me is pulled open, revealing a confused April. "It's not locked," she explains. The last word comes out softly when she takes in my intoxicated state and the bottle of whiskey in my hand. "Are you... Are you okay?"

"Just dandy," I answer with a laugh. I wait for her to get out of my way, but she continues standing in the entrance of the doorway. "Are we gonna stand here all night or are you going to step aside, Ape?"

A small frown creases her eyebrows. She glances at the bottle in my hand and holds her ground.

"I can't believe this. You're seriously not going to let me in?"

"Of course you can come in," she says with her stupid, kind smile, which is quickly replaced by a serious expression. "But you can't take that in with you."

I laugh again, then lift the bottle and take a long drink. When I move it from my lips, April and I hold eye contact. I wait for her to smile again and to tell me to come inside, but it doesn't happen.

I take a step forward and April does the same, filling the doorway more securely.

This fucking bitch.

"Cal!" I call out his name in April's face. "Cal! Where the fuck are you?"

April blinks with surprise at my sudden screaming. She looks over her shoulder when we hear Cal's quick footsteps coming down the staircase.

"Emy?" he calls back, sounding greatly concerned. He comes up behind April with a pair of grey plaid pyjama pants low on his hips. Low enough to reveal that it's the only piece of clothing that he's wearing. When he takes in the scene in front of him, his expression of concern turns wary. "Uh, what's going on here?"

"She—" April tries to start but I yell over her.

"Your crazy fucking wife won't let me inside!"

Cal frowns as he walks closer. His eyes land on the bottle of whiskey in my hand and he sighs. "Ape... just let her?"

April leans against the doorpost. "She can come in. She just can't take that with her." She shrugs like this is a simple misunderstanding.

Cal rubs the back of his neck. "Just dump the bottle, Emy." He's already wincing like he knows I won't like his suggestion.

"Fuck that!" I point an accusing finger at April. "You get to guzzle back his cock, I want something to guzzle down too!"

April looks taken aback, and Cal moves in closer to put a supportive hand on her shoulder. "C'mon, Emy. I'm sorry about earlier, but—"

I poke my finger into April's shoulder, just below where Cal's hand rests. The band on his ring finger makes me want to scream—or scream louder, seeing as I'm already screaming.

"You pretend you're just sooo good and proper, but you're a dirty skank, aren't you? Sucking back cock in your damn kitchen and having sex on your couch. I bet you take it in the ass too, don't you?"

The shocked expression on April's face turns into embarrassment, and I throw my head back with bitter laughter. "You fucking do!" I move my finger to jab her shoulder again, but Cal's hand whips forward to push my hand away.

"That's enough," he growls. His hands move to April's hips and he pulls her out of the doorway, moving her body behind his.

"Finally," I murmur.

I take a step forward to enter their house but am stopped in my tracks when Cal fills the doorway. He doesn't stop there but takes another step toward me, causing me to stumble backward. I almost fall on my ass, but I land against a hard body before gravity can completely take me down.

A strong arm wraps around my waist, steadying me on my feet before it releases me, though the body behind me stays firmly in place against the back of my head and shoulder blades.

"Cal," Theo's voice rumbles from behind me, through me, and it's impossible for me to decipher if it's a greeting or a warning.

Cal's hands are clenched at his sides. His glare moves from me to Theo, then he slowly takes a step back.

"You guys trying to wake up the whole neighbourhood?" Theo inquires.

His deep voice once again travels through my body due to our closeness. I should step forward to put some space between us, but my wobbly feet are finally feeling secure while I use his body as a leaning post.

"Bitch won't let me inside!" I accuse.

Cal looks ready to blow, and April steps closer to him. This time she's the one putting a supportive hand on his shoulder. "That's not true, Emilia. I just can't allow you to bring alcohol into our home."

I roll my eyes and lift the bottle into the air, holding it up to the porch light to try and get an idea of how much liquid is left. "Well, I guess I'll start chugging then."

"Fuck, Emy, stop it," Cal pleads, and the desperation in his voice almost makes me feel guilty. Almost.

I bring the bottle to my lips to get to work.

Theo's arm comes up from behind me. He rests his hand on the bottom of the bottle, applying enough pressure to slowly push it down again. "Come with me," he urges quietly.

April pushes past Cal now. "Theo," she speaks his name with an alarmed tone, "I don't think—"

"April," he speaks over her, cutting her sentence off. "It's nothing I can't handle. Don't worry about it."

Cal is once again rubbing the back of his neck. "Man, this is my problem. I don't want—"

"Cal," Theo speaks with an edge in his voice, "just go back to bed. Both of you. I got this."

I hate how they're talking about me like I'm some insolent child. I spin around to give Theo a piece of my mind, but the action throws off my balance and I begin to stumble to the side.

Theo's large hands come out to grip my hips and steady me. "You can drink in my house," he explains with a small smile. "Sound like a good idea, or would you rather stay here to argue on their porch?" He glances over my shoulder and nods his head at Cal and April. "Go," he instructs them.

"Theo..." April's voice sounds from behind me.

"Go," he says again, more firmly this time, then brings his earthy brown eyes back to mine.

"I want to stay and argue," I answer stubbornly, even as I hear the front door close.

Theo glances at the closed door behind me. "Too late, they're gone. I guess you could scream at the closed door, but..." He smirks at me.

"You underestimate me," I growl at him with a glare and turn back to the door. "Cal! You piece of shit! Open the—"

My shouts die in my throat when Theo swings me up into his arms, causing me to almost drop the bottle.

"You underestimate me, Princess," he explains with a soft laugh while he carries me down the porch steps.

"Put me down!" I roar, kicking my legs and throwing an elbow into his chest.

He immediately places my feet on the lawn but keeps an arm loosely around my waist to keep me from falling to the ground.

I take a stumbling step forward and Theo's arm drops from around me. I manage three more steps before I hold out my arms and sigh. "Okay, carry me."

His boyish laugh fills my ears while he steps up behind me and lifts me into his arms again. "Ahh, so you do have a bit of self-preservation left in you. I'm glad."

His laughter stops abruptly when I burst into tears.