Obsessed(35)

“Dramatic? I’m not being dramatic. This is so unfair.”

Dad sighed. “I told you, Elise, I just need a word with this boy.”

I glared at him. “Do you want a tracker on me too, Dad? I’m seventeen years old.”

“Yes, seventeen years old,” he growled back, exasperated by my attitude. “If you’re so certain you can take care of yourself, the world is outside that door. Get a job, pay the bills, feed yourself and still find the time to go out on your date.”

Silence.

Well, shit, I just got owned. I had no decent rebuttal either.

I got up moments later and dumped my dishes in the sink. Then I huffed and puffed out of there, typical teenage girl style. Before I left, I glanced over my shoulder and at Aston. My eyes narrowed at the subtle smirk on his face. He stared back at me, and I could see the message loud and clear in his icy expression. He said two words, unspoken:

I won.

*

I sat in the dark on Aston’s bed, waiting for him to come up. My arms were crossed, and I was leaning back against the headboard, listening to him laugh downstairs with Mom and Dad. For a short moment, I smiled along at the sound, thinking how lucky we were to have him.

Then I remembered he had just tried sabotaging my date tomorrow – might have even succeeded – and my smile was replaced with a scowl. I had done nothing wrong! How could he? I was doing the right thing trying to find another guy to obsess over.

When I heard his footsteps approach the door, my adrenaline spiked. I was ready to tear his asshole a new one. The light flooded in as he opened the door and came in, and when I saw that soft smile planted on his lips and his blond hair ruffled in a million different directions, I froze. I swallowed the venom on my tongue, already softened by the sight of him. How unfair was it that he could control me even when he didn’t know it?

When he looked up and saw me, there wasn’t surprise on his face. In fact, his smile only broadened. He already knew I was in here. He shut the door behind him, and we were swallowed in darkness. I could feel his eyes on me, though I couldn’t see them.

“You think you’re so sneaky, don’t you?” he whispered to me, his voice low.

My heart skipped a beat. “How did you know I’m in here?”

“My door creaks when it closes. I heard it creak after you went up.”

“And still you kept me waiting.”

“I like when you’re fired up.”

I fumed, crossing my arms even tighter. “You want me angry?”

He sat down on the edge of the bed, his large silhouette turned to me. “For thinking you could go out with the likes of Patrick? Yeah, I want you angry. I want you as angry as I feel.”

“You don’t have any right to be angry. That was wrong what you did. He’s not a bad guy.”

“But he’s not for you.”

“How would you know?”

“Because he’s not me.”

My whole being tensed. I swallowed hard, a wave of emotions flooding through me. My heart felt clamped. I liked to visualize it in a spiky bear trap because it was the only thing that came close to explaining how it felt. Far from a pathetic pinch in the chest that only Patrick could ever achieve.

“Isn’t that right, El?”

“Don’t you dare say things like that,” I angrily said, my voice quiet and fierce. “Don’t you dare dangle yourself in front of me just out of reach and laugh at my feelings.”

“I’m not laughing,” he replied, solemnly.

“You should have just left it alone. It won’t change anything, you know. I’m still going out with him tomorrow.”

“No, you’re not.”

“Like fuck I’m not!”

“Shh.”

He wanted me to be quiet? No! He couldn’t push me this far and then expect me to remain a silent little mouse as he butchered my heart like it was nothing. I was panting, anger swirling through my depths, itching to come out. I wanted to provoke him, drive a reaction out of him, make him hurt just like I hurt!

“I’m going,” I went on, pushing my back off the headboard, leaning forward so he could make out my face. “I’m going because he’ll pass Daddy’s stupid little test, and then when we’re out, I’m going to kiss him and fuck him and do all the things the girls at school have done because I’m one of them too and I’m tired of wasting my time waiting on a guy like you!”

I waited for him to lash out – hungered for it even – but he didn’t move. As the seconds passed and my anger tapered off, I slowly realized what I said, and embarrassment followed. Fuck, I should have stayed quiet. I made a promise to myself to treat him well, but I couldn’t hold myself back. I didn’t understand what came over me time and time again. Aston was designed to make me tick, and then drive me insane with remorse.