Chapter 9 Boundaries
Boundaries
RILEY
“Well that was… something,” I mumble, snuggling a little harder inside Eli’s oversized Vipers hoodie. They won, I guess, and it seemed like Eli did a good job, but it might as well be a dead language for all I can understand it.
The funniest part is I could tell which girls were forced to be here by some other dumb soccer boy, but I have a feeling none of them were forced in the same way that I was.
The scowling girl that sat next to me almost had me curious enough to ask though.
I think she said her name is Mayson? “Is it always so cold at these things?”
Josh nods, but his attention is on the Vipers’ celebration as we make our way toward the exit with the crowd. “Honey, it’s September in Washington. It’s always cold.”
The reminder that I have to fake-date Elias Reyes for the next four months brings a little heat back to my body, but it vanishes instantly when I see a girl walking toward us with purpose.
Shit. Is that his sister?
I feel ridiculous in a hoodie the size of a dress as she approaches, and I don’t know whether to smile or be on guard.
“Hi,” she says, familiar dimples peeking out the second she reaches me. “I’m Juliana, Elias’ sister. You’re Riley?”
Oh god. “Yeah,” I say quickly, flicking my eyes briefly to her friend. “Riley Dattner. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Really?” she says with a chuckle. “I’m sure he didn’t tell you the time he chased me with a bee. I’m allergic by the way, so you have my full permission to hit him in the nuts whenever you need to.”
“Good to know. I might just take you up on that.”
Juliana chuckles. “Let me see your phone. I’ll put my number in there.”
Her friend crosses her arms with a small frown, but doesn’t say anything at all as I hand it over.
“What’s your name?” I ask. “Have you been personally victimized by Eli too?”
She looks between Juliana and I before answering. “Um, I’m Maci. Not really, he’s too much of a jock to acknowledge me.”
Juliana’s smile fades slightly as she types. “She’s joking. It was nice meeting you though. Definitely text me so we can talk shit about him.”
I really wish he’d gone into a lot more detail about what he said to her. There’s an irritatingly high chance that I’ll say something I’m not supposed to, so I swear to myself to keep it surface level as I shoot her a text with my name. “Sounds good.”
She waves at me and walks away, leaving Josh and I staring at each other with confused expressions. “Wow. So… when’s the wedding?” he teases, and something about the question makes me uneasy.
This isn’t just about us anymore, and meeting his sister was a good reminder of that. I let things go way too far way too fast, especially considering why we’re doing this in the first place. “Yeah,” I say halfheartedly. “Wedding. Can we go before they come back out?”
He seems to catch the shift in my demeanor because he mutters out a, “say less” and links his arm with mine, weaving us through the crowd like the pro he is. It isn’t until we’re approaching my dorm and my keys are in my hand that he decides to probe. “So… trouble in paradise?”
“Paradise doesn’t exist,” I clarify, pushing open my door and relaxing when I see it’s empty. “I’m just… cautious, that’s all.”
“Fair,” he agrees. “So do you want company, or…?”
I do, but I think I’ve got some serious decisions to make and I can’t exactly talk through the dirty details with anyone.
This is the first time I’ve ever regretted the fact that my best friend came to the same school I did.
If he’d gone anywhere else, I could spill all my secrets.
All of Eli’s secrets, too. “I’ll catch up with you later.
I want to take a shower so hot the devil gets concerned. ”
“That’s my girl. Wash away those sins so we can make room for new ones,” he gives me a hug and blows me a kiss before walking away, and I almost immediately wish I’d have told him to stay.
Growling, I shut the door and collapse on my bed, giving myself a few minutes to stare at the ceiling and wonder if I’m making the right decision about anything at all.
Probably not, but I do know I’m way too confused to be in this mess. I need some space, some perspective. That’s all.
Pulling out my phone, I brace myself and send my thoughts to Eli.
Me
I’m not backing out, but I do want to stop hanging out in private. I’ll come with you to your team events or whatever, hold your hand walking to class if I see you, and you can still kiss me on the cheek, but that needs to be it. I hope you understand.
He won’t, I’m sure of it, but I turn my ringer off and pull the blankets over my head anyway. I think it’s time for a nap.
Several hours later, I wake to Eli stumbling into my room and locking the door behind him. “Cupcake?” he whispers loudly, making me happy Sam isn’t here for her sake.
I ignore him, watching him as my eyes adjust to the darkness and he begins undressing.
“Eli, what the hell are you doing?” I rush out, scrambling to cover myself with the blanket. “Go aw—”
He tugs the comforter down, his shirt off and jeans unbuttoned. “So we’re not going to bed?”
He’s slurring slightly, making this worse.
“Didn’t you get my text?”
“Oh, that bullshit. Yeah. I called you like seven times and you ignored me so I figured you didn’t mean it.”
Good lord, I don’t want to check my phone. “You thought me ignoring you meant I didn’t mean it?”
“Well when you put it like that…” he trails off, rubbing the back of his neck with a sigh heavy with the scent of booze. “You didn’t explain why. Where the fuck is this coming from?”
It’s coming from the fact that even now, I want to pull him into bed and take care of him. I want to put his ass to sleep, snuggle with him, and ride him in the morning until he apologizes for being so hot.
And the fact that while some people have anniversaries, we have a break-up date.
“I just think it’s better if we don’t complicate this,” I say firmly. “I’m not backing out. Just laying some thicker ground rules since the first ones didn’t stick.”
“So fuck fuck the rules? That sentence came from your lips first.” He reaches out and touches my bottom lip, then braces his weight on my bed. “I’ve already been inside you, baby.”
My stomach flips violently. “I know that. We… we needed to get it out of our systems, that’s all.”
“And did it work?” he has the audacity to ask. “Am I out of your system, cupcake?”
All I hear in my head is that stupid vampire telling me to lie. Because that’s what it is — a lie. “Yep.”
Eli stands up straighter like I slapped him. “Alright.” He looks around the room like he’s lost, then buckles up his pants and backs away from me. “I lost my shoes.”
He trips over them and falls onto the bottom of my bed, making me giggle. I stifle it quickly. “There they are.”
His head snaps toward me before he turns to stare at my ceiling. “This is bullshit. Did I say that yet?”
“You did.”
“And did I say no? I don’t remember agreeing to this. I liked how it was.”
“Of course you did,” I say softly. “You had all the power.”
“I don’t remember you complaining when we were in bed. Your pussy loved giving me the power.”
Rolling my eyes, I yank the blanket up a little higher. “The sex was good, I won’t say it wasn’t. But that’s not the power I was talking about.”
Eli groans, moving to stand up abruptly only to find himself right back down. “Fuck this. So what? We’re still fake dating just only in public. I’m not allowed in your room anymore?”
“Pretty much.” Sighing, I reach out to touch his arm. “I just need some boundaries. That’s all.”
“I don’t like boundaries, but fine. You’re going to have to really play it up around the team. They’re believing us right now because I keep disappearing to be with you, but if we’re not even friends anymore I’m going to be around more often. You’re going to have to pretend you’re in love with me.”
Which will have the opposite effect of what I’m going for.
Are crabs in my dorm really that bad?
“And if I can’t?”
“You can. Just keep calling me cute when they’re around… and I’m gonna stay the night.”
I’d argue with him, but I genuinely don’t think he’s in a fit state to go anywhere alone. I’d have to either walk him home and explain to Vito why I’m not staying, call his sister and explain why Eli can’t stay here, or risk him passing out and waking up in the middle of the quad.
“Fine,” I relent. “You can stay, but I’m sleeping in Samira’s bed.”
“No.” He pins both of my legs down and curls onto his side to hold them like a pillow.
It’s hard not to reach out and play with his hair. “What’s your tattoo? The soundwave on your ribs.”
“Sleep Token,” he slurs. “Aqua Regia.”
His deep breathing reaches my ears not even a moment later, and I realize I’m pinned.
Not the cute kind of pinned, but the kind where there’s a hundred and eighty pounds of drunken, passed out weight crushing my legs. A hundred and eighty pounds of obsessed man making sure I don’t go anywhere.
The perfect start to a perfect war.
This is gonna be a long night.