Savage Vicious Heir: Part Two: A dark high school bully romance

14. Abigail

ABIGAIL

Elliot’s arm brushes mine as he reaches for the salt. “Here.” He passes it to me.

“Thanks.”

“You need to eat,” he adds, staring at me as I stare at my untouched plate.

I’m not hungry.

Not even a little bit.

But if I don’t eat, he’ll cause a scene. And there’s been enough of that this morning already.

Stabbing a piece of bacon with my fork, I shove it in my mouth and glare at him. His gruff laughter makes my stomach flip.

“So Abs, are we going to talk about the fact you?—”

“Theo,” Elliot barks, and his friend holds up in his hands in surrender.

“Before you leap across the table and hurt me, I wasn’t being a dick. We were worried. Especially the girls.”

“Yeah, well, she’s back now.” Elliot gives me another meaningful look.

I don’t know how this happened, but I can’t deny that part of me is glad it did.

I miss the girls. I miss being a part of their inner circle.

The truth is, I’m tired.

Tired of being alone. Tired of questioning everything. I’m not sure I can trust Elliot or even trust myself where he’s concerned, but maybe we can find a way to move forward after all.

So long as I don’t get drunk again, or end up in his bed, begging him to touch me.

Heat burns through me as I remember how good it had felt. How addictive.

God, I’m a mess.

I drop my fork and Elliot stares down at me.

Like a moth drawn to a flame, I lift my weary gaze to his and his eyes darken. “What’s wrong?” he asks quietly.

“Nothing.” I smooth my hair over my shoulder.

“Don’t do that,” he whispers, reaching out to tuck my hair behind my ear. “Don’t hide from me.”

I swallow over the lump in my throat and realise our little corner of the café has fallen quiet.

Everyone is watching us.

My gaze finds Tally and she gives me a sad, sympathetic smile that makes my stomach roil.

“I’m fine,” I say weakly, and to my relief, they go back to their conversations.

It’s surreal to be sitting here with them. Eating breakfast in a small café just outside of Saints Cross.

But nothing is more surreal than the way Elliot keeps watching me or how some part of him keeps brushing against some part of me. As if he needs to touch me. To reassure himself that I’m still here.

I know I jumped to conclusions that night at the pub with Scott but I’m not sure it changed anything.

I was still humiliated. Elliot still did nothing.

And I’m still Abigail Bancroft—a girl nowhere near strong enough to walk in his savage, vicious world.

After last night though, after the way he held me this morning, I’m not sure he’ll accept that.

“Abi?”

I blink at Tally who smiles when I realise she’s been talking to me.

“I asked how you’re finding it back being in class?”

“It’s okay, I guess. But I think I’m going to have to defer my exams. Maybe even the year.”

Elliot goes rigid beside me, his hand white knuckling his fork. I peek up at him, hardly surprised by the tension in his jaw.

“You won’t be finishing with us?” Oakley asks, and I shake my head.

“It’s unlikely. There might be the option to resit my exams in the summer but that’s only if I’ve caught up.”

“We can help,” Liv suggests. “We can have revision sessions and?—”

“Oh no, I wouldn’t expect you to do that. To be honest,” I say, shrinking under their rapt attention. “After everything that’s happened, I’m not sure I’m ready for university in a few months.”

“But what will you do?”

I shrug, turning my attention to the food on my plate. “I’m not sure.”

I thought not having a plan would scare me. But there’s something oddly liberating in it.

Maybe I’ll take a year out and do some voluntary work. Maybe I’ll travel and see the world. Or maybe I’ll stay in Saints Cross and work on myself. On healing.

“There’s time,” she says, as if I’ll change my mind.

But if this year has taught me anything, it’s that plans can change in an instant.

“Well, I’ll still be here next year. So if you decide to retake any classes you won’t be alone.” Raine gives me a reassuring smile.

“And Millie will be around,” Theo adds, slinging his arm around her. “My girls will look out for you.”

“I…” It’s on the tip of my tongue to argue. To tell them all they don’t need to coddle me. But Elliot’s hand squeezes my knee gently and my gaze flashes to his.

‘They care,’ he mouths, and those two words crack something inside me.

“Thanks,” I murmur, forcing myself to look away from him and at Theo and Raine. They give me a knowing smile that does little to settle the nerves coursing through me.

I was so certain that I couldn’t be here, that I couldn’t be a part of their tight knit circle if things didn’t work out with Elliot.

Maybe I can.

Elliot though, he’s a different entity all together, and I’m not sure where we stand.

Or what I even want from him anymore.

But one thing’s for certain…

I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to escape him.

“How are you feeling?” Raine asks me as we watch the boys deep in an Xbox tournament.

“I’m okay, I guess.”

“It’s okay if you’re not, too. You know that, right?”

I shrug. Because telling her—or any of the girls for that matter—the truth about just how not okay things are isn’t on the cards.

“He cares about you a lot,” she adds, tipping her head towards where Elliot sits on a black bean bag, his expression a mask, predatory and hyper-focused.

“It’s not that simple.”

“No, I guess it never is with these Heir boys.”

“Theo doesn’t talk much about Elliot’s family, but it’s obvious he’s under a lot of pressure.”

“Yeah,” I murmur. “His older brother Scott is… not a nice person.”

“So I’ve heard.” Her lips twist with disgust. “You know, Theo’s dad didn’t approve of me either.”

“Theo’s dad murdered his mom.” I deadpan.

“These families aren’t normal. And honestly, sometimes I wonder if I should have run and never looked back…” She looks over at Theo and something softens in her gaze. “But he’s worth it, Abi. It’s all worth it.”

“I’m happy for you,” I reply, unsure if it’s the answer she’s looking for but unwilling to give her anything else. “I’m going to get a drink.”

I excuse myself and head for the sleek kitchen in the corner of the open-plan room.

I’ve been here enough times now that I know my way around even if I never truly feel at ease here.

“I would have gotten that for you,” Elliot says from behind me as I root around in the fridge for a can of pop.

“I’m capable of getting myself a drink,” I retort, unable to keep the exasperation out of my voice.

“You’re angry at me.” He moves closer, coming right up behind me and resting his hands on my hips. My heart flutters wildly in my chest, my skin vibrating at his touch.

“I’m not, I just… I don’t know what you want from me.”

He drops his head to my shoulder, his lips brushing my neck. Once. Twice. Sending a wave of shivers through me.

He isn’t playing fair. Elliot knows exactly what he’s doing and I both hate and love him for it.

“I think you’re lying to yourself, Red,” he murmurs against my skin. “You know exactly what I want from you. You’re just too scared to give it to me.”

“I’m not scared.” I twist in his arms. “I just don’t know if I can trust you anymore.”

His eyes flare with irritation but he doesn’t argue. “I know I fucked up. But I want to fix it… Just give me a chance to fix it. Please.”

Elliot drops his head to mine, not caring one bit that our friends can see us.

I shouldn’t cave, I know that.

I know it with every fibre of my being. But I’m so tired of hurting. And being with Elliot, it makes all the pain and grief go away.

It shouldn’t. But it does.

Without overthinking it, I wrap my arms around his neck and hold him closer.

We don’t kiss.

We don’t do anything except stand there, holding each other.

Wishing it can be as simple as me forgiving him.

We spend the day at the Chapel. Hanging out, taking it in turns to play the boys on the Xbox.

I don’t join in at first, letting Raine and Liv tag team Theo and Oakley. But the third time Reese asks if I want to join in, Elliot plucks me off my position on the end of the sofa and pulls me down between his legs and thrusts the controller at me.

“You can take over for me,” he says, wrapping an arm around my waist and easing me back against his chest.

It’s intimate, too intimate given we’re with our friends and we still haven’t defined what we are to them—or each other.

But I don’t argue, trying desperately to focus on the television screen and not Elliot’s hand as it slips beneath the t-shirt I borrowed from Tally to caress my skin.

“Is this okay?” he whispers, his warm breath brushing the back of my neck.

“That is very distracting,” I admit.

“Let the girl breathe, Eaton,” Theo teases. “Or she’ll stand no chance at kicking Oak’s arse.”

I blush at his insinuation, but Elliot doesn’t seem to mind.

In fact, he seems completely at ease.

It’s confusing. Even if I do get a small thrill at being with him like this.

Still, it’s tainted by everything that’s happened.

The seed of doubt from that night has taken root, growing inside me and coiling around my heart.

I can’t trust him.

And yet…

“Stop overthinking it,” he says, kissing my shoulder. “You’re safe here, I promise.”

Safe.

He’s right, I do feel safe with him.

But he still has the power to hurt me. To wreck and ruin me.

Then he says six little words that make me melt.

“I want you, Abi. Only you.”