Chapter 21
Zac
Ifucked up.
I let Noah get in my head to the point that I fucked up the one good thing I had.
Why couldn’t I just keep my mouth shut? Nothing will ever happen with him. He’s in a fucking straight relationship because he’s fucking straight. Why can’t I get that through my thick head? I need to stop thinking my stupid attraction will change anything.
The arsehole is ruining my life.
He’s the one guy I will never have.
The bathroom door slides open, and a second later, Milly bounces on the end of my bed. For a second, I consider ignoring her, but I’m not that much of an arsehole.
I pry my eyes open, and groan when I see her wide grin.
“You’re happy,” I sign before rubbing a hand over my face.
“I am happy,” she says. “Unlike you, grumpy bum. It’s almost one. What are you still doing in bed?”
I shrug.
“Jonathon and I are going to hike Eagle Peak. Want to come? We haven’t done that in ages.”
“No thanks,” I sign.
She pouts. “It’ll be good for you.”
“Not in the mood.”
She frowns, looking at my lips, but I didn’t speak clearly enough for her to read them.
Instead, I sign. “Go. Have fun with Jonathon.”
My sister bounces out of my bedroom like she’s Tigger on crack.
I let out a heavy sigh and pull the blankets over my head.
There’s no use dwelling on last night. It’s not like I can change what happened, and I don’t know who he is, so I can’t even apologise for my fuck-up.
I could wait until the next masked night, but the chances of him showing up are slim.
I found his mask on the ground a block away from the club when I was walking to my car. He’s not planning to go back.
I contemplate calling the club and telling them he left something in the room, and I need his details to give it back, but there’s no way they’ll agree. They have strict protocols for protecting member identities.
It sucks, but I don’t have any other options.
My phone rings, and I check the screen. It’s Theo.
I silence it, not in the mood to listen to his bullshit.
My stomach rumbles, and I drag my arse downstairs to find some food. After standing in front of the fridge, staring into nothing for a full minute, I pull out the ingredients for an omelette.
The house is quiet with Mum and Dad at the Sunday markets and Milly hiking with Jonathon, so there are no witnesses to my moping.
I take my food into the living room and switch on the EPL highlights.
Kicking my feet up on the coffee table, I roll through one video after another.
The food is tasteless, but I shovel it into my mouth until it’s gone.
I’m pathetic. My masked shadow man was nothing but a fantasy. It was just sex and never would’ve worked outside of Euphoria. He was hiding, and none of it was real. So why can’t I just forget him?
When the highlights finish, I pull out my phone and scroll through social media, pausing at photos from the party last night, but all that does is remind me of my captain and how he messed with my head.
I wish he’d just go back to being an arsehole.
Everything was simpler back when I didn’t have all these confusing feelings for him. God, he’s so frustrating.
I toss my phone onto the coffee table, restlessness kicking in. With no one home, I roam the house looking for a distraction and end up in the backyard juggling a ball, but that only lasts about twenty minutes because it reminds me of Noah.
So I chuck on my Beats and go for a run. As I pound the footpath, I try to clear my thoughts of anything but my breathing cadence. It works for a while, and I smash out ten kilometres before returning home for a shower.
When I get out of the shower, I have two more missed calls from Theo. With a sigh, I call him back. He’s probably just looking for another party or someone to go to Carter’s with, but he’s barking up the wrong tree with me. I’m not in the mood to be around people.
His phone rings and rings, and I’m about to hang up when he answers, his voice panicked. “Kincaid, dude. You gotta come get me.”
My spine straightens. “Where are you?”
“Oh, shit,” he says, his tone turning to wonder. “Where did the Smurfs come from?”
Smurfs? What the fuck?
“Focus, Theo. What the hell is going on?”
“I need to get out of here, man.”
“Where?”
“Here.”
I heave a sigh, sick of his shit.
“Surely there’s someone else you can call?”
He snorts a laugh. “I don’t want anyone to know where I am and who I’m with. Holy shit, dude. I’m tripping hard.” He breaks into a fit of giggles like a little schoolgirl. “I think I have six fingers. Woah. What does this one do?”
I rub a frustrated hand over my face. Theo doesn’t like to label his sexuality, and in public he’ll only hook up with women. However, a handful of people know he isn’t opposed to hooking up with anyone behind closed doors. The concerning thing is what he takes when he’s doing it.
“Where are you?”
He covers the receiver, and I hear muffled voices along with the sounds of kissing and groaning.
I’m two seconds away from hanging up when his voice is back, clear down the line again.
“I’m in Henderson,” he says, naming a town almost two hours west of Beckford.
“Are you fucking serious?” I snap. “How the hell did you end up… Nope, I don’t want to know. Call one of your other buddies.”
“Wait!” he cries, more panic in his tone. There’s the sound of bedsprings and floorboards creaking before a door shuts. He lowers his voice to a whisper. “This couple is weird, and there’s little blue people everywhere. You’re the only person I trust. Come on, Zac, do me this solid. I’ll owe you.”
My stomach churns. One of these days, Theo’s going to get himself into a lot of trouble, but as much as the dude annoys me, I don’t want anything bad to happen to him.
“Will you be safe until I get there?” I ask. “Do you need me to call the cops or something?”
“No,” he says quickly. “Don’t call anyone. Please, can you just come get me?”
I’m running on next to no sleep, but I can’t leave Theo stranded with strangers. Especially when I’m the only one who knows where he is right now.
“What’s the address?”
It takes me two and a half hours to find the address Theo gave me, and I lay on the horn twice before texting him. When a couple of minutes go by with no response, an uneasy feeling settles over me. I try calling, but it goes straight to voicemail.
Fuck.
The house is unassuming from the outside—a small, single-level weatherboard on a quiet street—but the fear I heard in Theo’s voice has me getting out of the car.
I glance around, weighing up my options.
Do I call the police? Henderson is a small country town.
The nearest station is in the next town over, which is at least forty minutes away.
If Theo’s on something, I don’t want to get him into more trouble.
Cursing him, I search the boot of my car for something I can use as a weapon that’s also easy to conceal, but the only thing I can find is a half-empty steel drink bottle in the bottom of my training bag.
Releasing a heavy exhale, I stalk to the front door and bang on it before I lose my nerve. My heart races as I wait. Theo fucking owes me.
A naked woman, maybe a couple of years older than me, opens the door.
I step back, muttering a curse and staring at the top of her head.
“I’m looking for Theo.”
Her lips turn up in a serene smile, and she reaches her hand out. “Of course, come on in.”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I clear my throat. “I’m good. Can you please send him out?”
“We don’t bite,” she says in a whimsical voice. “The more, the merrier.”
Christ. It’s clear she’s on something too. What the fuck has Theo got himself into?
I shout his name into the house. “Get your arse out here, or I’m leaving.”
The woman laughs. “He’s indisposed with Aurora and Phoenix. They’re blowing his mind, both literally and figuratively. But you can wait inside. I’m happy to keep you entertained.”
My stomach rolls, and I shout for Theo again.
If he’s not out in a minute, I’m calling the cops. Damn the consequences.
A commotion sounds from down the hall, then a shirtless Theo appears, his jeans undone, his torso covered in scratches, bitemarks, and hickeys. My eyes widen as he shoves past the naked woman in the doorway and stumbles towards my car.
Hurrying after him, I unlock the car and we both dive in.
His body trembles as I pull away from the kerb and take off down the street.
“What the fuck?” I shout. “That was insane, man. Even for you.”
He rakes his fingers through his hair and rocks back and forth. Reaching into the back seat, I grab a hoodie and toss it at him. He slides it on around his seat belt, but he doesn’t say anything. His eyes are wild, and when I wave my hand in front of his face, I get no reaction.
“Theo?” I snap, shoving his shoulder. “What the fuck did you take?”
No response.
“Theo!”
When he still says nothing, I slam my hand on the steering wheel in frustration. The nearest hospital is Beckford—almost two hours way.
“Goddamn it, Theo. I need you to answer me. What did you take?”
The car is silent, nothing but the roar of the engine as I turn onto the highway that leads us home.
I shake him again, my stomach bottoming out at his almost catatonic state. “Come on, man. What did you take?”
Slowly, he turns to face me, his expression morphing into confusion as he reaches out and runs his fingers over my cheek. “Zac?”
“Yeah, buddy. It’s me.” I glance at him before focusing back on the road. “What did you take?”
He brings his hand in front of his face, studying it like he’s never seen it before.
“Focus, Theo. What did you take?”
“Acid,” he says, his voice full of wonder. “Isn’t it beautiful?”
Shit. My hand tightens on the steering wheel. What am I supposed to do with him? I can’t take him home—his parents will flip if they see him like this—the hospital would cause too many questions, and I can’t leave him alone. Fucking conundrum.
“How do you feel?”