Ezren:We reached the door at the end of the hall, and Knox pushed it open. Meanwhile, I was trying very hard not to spiral over the fact that we were actually about to share a room… after that kiss.The place screamed money.. like, obnoxiously so. The bed alone looked like it could sleep an entire basketball team, the sheets were so crisp and white.A huge window letting moonlight across the room, making it look straight out of one of those pretentious magazines I pretended not to read.There were dim standing lamps on each side of the room.Knox strode in first, scanning the room like the methodical, possibly-mildly-unhinged man he was, while I trailed behind him.From the back, he looked… well, let’s just say I understood why women and men might sell their souls for five minutes in his orbit. His hair, loose now, moved when he moved, catching the light like it was part of some haircare commercial. Every step made it shift in these smooth, perfect waves, and, God.. it made him look
Ezren:Every cell in my body was screaming abort mission, but Knox’s thumb brushed along my jaw, steadying me like he was anchoring some wild animal he didn’t plan to let bolt.The space between us was so small now, that I could count the faint flecks of gray buried in his irises. That same disturbing calm was still there too, making my pulse trip over itself.He leaned in and whispered once more, “Stay calm. I’ll handle it. Let’s give them something to talk about.”Right! Anything to for Eli.My breath hitched, half from panic, and half from the awful realization that this man was not bluffing.Then, without warning, he smashed his lips to mine. I probably looked stupid while he was at it because I squeezed my eyes shut like I was actually enjoying it.This wasn’t like the ‘kiss-or-kill’ stunt at the bar the other day. This time, his fingers spread firm against my jaw, tilting my head like he was staking a claim in front of the entire room. And yet, God help me, his lips were warm,
Ezren:I wasn’t ready.Not for the Mansion, not for the guards who gave us the kind of up-and-down you reserve for people you’re sure are about to rob a place, and definitely not for Knox casually slipping his fingers into mine like we’d been doing it for years.There are a lot of words you could use for Knox. When he’s being loud, reckless, and borderline suicidal, you’d go with psychopath or freak. Other times, when he’s strangely calm, you’d try ‘cool’ or ‘collected’. But there’s one word no one in their right mind should ever use for him, ‘gentle’.And yet, the idiot had handed me gloves minutes ago because, apparently, he didn’t want me dead.A small knife too. “For protection,” like he said, though it came out more like, ‘Don’t embarrass me if something happens.’ Still… it surprised me. Hell! It should surprise anyone.This is the same guy who, last night, made it crystal clear he didn’t want me tagging along. And now? I’m suddenly the most important piece in whatever insane ga
Knox:“You say what?”Ezren’s voice was a strangled screech, half confusion, half panic, and fully annoying.I rolled my eyes, gripped the wheel again, and turned back to the road, back on track. There was no point in answering him. I could already feel his stare pressing into the side of my skull like he thought he could force an explanation out of me.“I’m sorry,” he tried again,“I must’ve misheard you. You said you’re my—?”“Boyfriend,” I repeated. “Try keeping up, genius. It’s not brain surgery, you know.”“And why the hell would we lie about that?!”I turned slightly toward him, one hand on the wheel. “Because we’re talking about that fucker,” I said. “And I’m not walking into his engagement alone like I’ve been nursing heartbreak and jerking off to old memories for the past three years.”And because Bobby is exactly the name Alex Pa knew would mess with my head. The one he dangled just to see if I’d pull a runner mid-drive. And normally? I would’ve. I would've gladly fed his exp
Knox: Ezren’s a damn idiot. Remember how he was all mouth last night? Yelling about how he wasn’t going to South End, how no one could drag him there, and how he wasn’t some “little freak” to be ordered around? He even had the balls to point at me with the same energy as someone flinging an insult with a finger dipped in glitter as if he was about to conduct a fucking exorcism on me. Goddamn ME. But guess who’s in the passenger seat of my car right now? He’s got his arms crossed, his head leaned against the window like he’s filming a tragic indie movie in his head. His boots won’t quit tapping the floor, some kind of Morse code for “get me the hell out of here.” If I didn’t know him, I’d think he was just anxious, but I do know him, and this is exactly how he acts when he wants attention without asking for it. I hadn’t said a word since we pulled out. Didn’t see the point in wasting air on someone who acts like every emotion he has should be carved into a monument.
Ezren: I didn’t say a damn thing after that, just like they wanted. And they didn’t either. Eli yanked the blanket off like it had personally offended him and stood up without a single word. His shoulder nudged mine as he passed, and yeah, if that wasn’t on purpose, then I’m not the ghost of every bad decision I’ve ever made, in boots. He paused at the door. “I’ll be outside,” was all he said, before slamming it hard enough to make the walls shudder. For some reason, I found myself wondering why his dad chose to live in a place like this while he stayed up in some penthouse suite. I mean, the Graye family could buy the entire Upper East Side and still have change for a yacht named after their trust fund. Not that the place didn’t have a vibe. It did. It doesn’t look cheap or abandoned. It actually feels like home. Typical Graye Family energy, if you ask me. Dark wood and dusty corners. It was chaotic, a little haunted, probably hiding a secret or two in the floorboards…