Chapter 38
A knock on my door stirs me.
“Lina?”
“Yeah?”
In what feels like slow motion, I watch in horror as the doorknob turns and Johnny opens it. He takes three steps into the room before he freezes.
His eyes land on the scene. Me, tangled up in bed with Axel. Clothes scattered across the floor. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what happened.
“What the fuck?” he explodes.
He rounds the bed and grabs Axel by the arm, yanking him upright just before slamming a fist into his face.
“Johnny, stop!” I scream, but it’s already too late.
Axel crashes to the floor, and Johnny follows, hitting him again and again.
Panicking, I jump from the bed, ignoring my nudity, and try to pull Johnny off. But he’s too strong, too furious. My hands claw at his shoulders, my voice cracks from shouting, but none of it gets through.
“Did you fuck her?” Johnny yells, his fists still flying while Axel curls in on himself, shielding his head.
Not knowing what else to do, I wrap my arms around Johnny from behind and press my face into his back, sobbing.
“Please stop. Please.”
He stills. I don't even realize it’s over until Axel’s hand wraps gently around my wrist and gives it a squeeze.
“Princess,” he says softly, “it’s okay. I’m good. You can let go.”
I step back, shaking, and Johnny rises to his feet like a man waking from a trance.
Axel is already pulling his discarded t-shirt over my body, then slides into his boxers.
I throw my arms around him, checking his face.
His lip is busted, blood smudging his chin, and one of his eyes is already beginning to swell.
Johnny stands a few feet away, fists clenched, breathing hard.
“I said ‘yeah,’ not ‘come in,’” I snap through my tears.
“How the hell was I supposed to know you two were—” He breaks off, then glares. “You’re lucky it was me who walked in and not Ben. Or Mom.”
I glance at the glowing clock on my nightstand. 3:07 p.m.
“Why are you even home? Aren’t you supposed to be in class?”
“My last one got cancelled.” He rubs a hand over his face. “I came up to check on you. Clearly a mistake.”
His voice turns cold.
“Take a shower and air out your room. It smells like sex and bad decisions.”
My face crumples at his cruel words.
“Don’t you dare talk to her like that!” Axel growls, stepping forward.
I throw an arm across his middle, holding him back. “Don’t.”
“Fuck you! I can’t believe you touched her,” Johnny snarls.
Axel’s expression hardens. “Don’t be mad because your issues pushed her away, and she chose to move forward with me. She’s not your possession!”
“She is mine!” Johnny roars, unhinged.
And that’s the last straw.
“Both of you, out.”
“What?” they say in unison.
“You heard me.” My voice shakes but stays firm. “I’m not some prize you get to fight over. You don’t get to stand in my bedroom and argue about who I belong to. I belong to myself.”
Silence.
“As someone kindly pointed out, I need a shower,” I add coldly. “So, get out.”
Both men stare at me dumbfounded.
“Now!” I bark.
That gets them moving. Johnny storms out the door without another word. Axel holds my gaze a moment longer, something unreadable flickering in his eyes. Then he nods and slips through the bathroom into his room.
Once again, I’m alone.
∞∞∞
To say dinner is awkward would be an understatement.
Axel and Johnny won’t look at each other. Johnny won’t look at me. Axel blamed his black eye and split lip on some vague story about gym equipment, which neither Ben nor Maryanne seemed to believe. Especially with Johnny’s split knuckles resting in plain sight while we eat.
Maryanne brings out a cake. She sings “Happy Birthday” while everyone else mumbles along, their voices strained under the weight of everything unsaid. I force a smile and push my cake around with my fork, trying to make it look like I’ve eaten more than a single bite.
Nik sent me a sweet birthday text. He apologized for missing dinner and promised to make it up to me soon. He had plans with his parents tonight. Honestly, it’s probably for the best. I don’t need to add a third guy into this mess.
After dinner, everyone calls it an early night. Ben and Maryanne retreat to their room, and Johnny stomps up the stairs. Axel and I follow a few minutes later, trying to give him space.
Like he’s been doing for weeks, Axel slips into my bed without asking, but tonight, we both stay fully clothed.
“Don’t let this ruin your day,” he murmurs in the dark. “Let him cool off. We’ll work through it.”
“I hope so. I can’t stand him being mad at me again. I just got him back.”
Axel kisses the top of my head. “I’ll talk to him tomorrow. I promise. He won’t shut you out again. I won’t let him.”
We lie there in comfortable silence for a while, but sleep doesn’t come. Not yet. There’s something else on my mind.
“Hey, Axel?”
“Yeah, Princess?”
“Do you think Nik will be mad?” I hesitate. “You know… because we...?”
“Yes,” he answers immediately. “But not because of what you think. He won’t care that you and I were together. He’s just gonna be mad as hell he wasn’t here to watch.”
I smack his arm.
“What?! I’m serious. Your boyfriend is a serious pervert,” he deadpans.
“One of them sure is…” I grumble, joking.
“But that’s good.” I exhale. “I don’t think I can handle anyone else being angry with me right now.” I pause. “You two really don’t mind sharing, do you?”
“No,” he says honestly. “But that kind of comes with our… situation. We care about each other, but we still love women. As long as we’re together, we’ll probably have an open relationship to an extent. Unless we find someone who means something to both of us.”
He slyly adds, “You know, maybe someone with golden hair and blue eyes. About 5’5”. Smokin’ hot. Bit of a smartass.”
I snort. “You’re ridiculous.”
“And you’re cute.”
“Thanks for making me laugh.”
“Anytime.”