Chapter 17 #4
“You all want me? Want this?” I ask to clarify. We’ve all talked about this separately, but I need to hear them say it. Together. Right now.
I need to know, without anything being misconstrued, without any miscommunications. The moment of truth.
“Yes,” Kai says with a strong nod and a small fist-pump into the air.
“I need you, Mel,” Adam agrees.
“If you’re mine, I’m yours,” Reis vows.
“I believe we’ve already discussed how very on-board I am with this.” Markus nods with a playful grin on his face.
“Thank fuck,” I cry out, blurting the words out with a happy sob. Smiling through my tears, I see the bright smiles on all their faces, and it feels like everything slides into place.
We can change our future, fix things to be how it should’ve always been.
Love each other, support each other, grow with each other.
“I want you. All of you. I want to be with you all. It’s all I’ve ever wanted,” I confess, wiping the stray tear off my cheek.
“Why didn’t you say anything sooner? We could’ve been together in high school,” Reis asks, “In any way that you wanted. We were all head-over-heels for you, just as much as we are now.”
“Because they all had me convinced I was a whore, a sinner , for wanting each of you. I thought that if you guys knew, then our relationship would never be the same, and you’d leave me.”
Kai steps forward, pulling my arm free from my waist, and turns me to face him.
“I hope you know, if you’d told any of us back then that you wanted us, we would’ve all rejoiced.”
“But now that we know how you feel,” Adam steps closer, holding me around the waist so his front is flush to my back, enveloping me in his warmth as he speaks softly in my ear. “And you know how we feel, you’re completely stuck with us. We’re never letting you go again.”
“You run, we follow.” Markus steps forward, kissing the side of my neck. My eyes close at the feeling of his soft lips on my skin, of Kai’s hand in mine, of Adam at my back, and then they’re all gone as Reis stands in front of me.
Placing his hands on my hips, he holds me close, and quietly says–just for me–but loud enough that they guys can hear him.
“We’ll figure this out. Together. Always, together.” His words seal our new commitment and he kisses me in front of them all for the first time.
Kai whoops, Adam chuckles through his nose, and Markus nods in approval. It feels like this is Reis telling me he’s serious about this, that he’s not afraid of it anymore.
“I love you,” I say, and look at them all, “I love you all. I have for years.”
“I love you, Mel.” Reis smiles brightly, like he can’t quite believe I love him but wants to.
“I love you too, Echo.” Adam kisses my cheek, his shoulders lighter than I’ve seen them.
“You know I love you more than life when I catapulted over the railing at the store,” Kai says with a cocky smirk, puffing his chest out because as far as romantic gestures go, it was pretty kick-ass. A dangerous, reckless one, but one I won’t ever forget. I laugh, but nod. I do know it.
Markus holds his hand out to me, and I gladly take it. Like we’re in a fucking romance movie, he twirls me around, right into his arms.
“I love you, more than ever,” he says, touching our foreheads together softly, cradling our clasped hands in between us.
Surrounded by love, I feel better, lighter and more alive than ever.
There’s a tension building between us all. A burning need that all of us are succumbing to. Adam’s eyes are heavy as he licks his lower lip, staring at me with those blue eyes full of filthy promise. I can almost see the memory of that night in the bathroom playing in his mind.
Kai has a similar look, but he’s much less subtle with his staring.
I can feel his gaze as I clear my throat, a blush heating me all over.
Having them all, well… I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about it.
I’ve gotten off on that fantasy many, many, many nights both in high school and the lonely years since, but am I actually ready for it?
It looks like they are all thinking the same thing; that they want to devour me whole.
“What else was it that you needed to talk to us about?” I cringe as I hear my voice break under the heavy tension. The bubble around us doesn’t necessarily break, but my question lessens the tension enough for me to breathe.
Adam grabs my arm and pulls me to him, falling with me onto the couch.
Kai sits at my feet, pulling my legs onto his lap while Markus goes back to his spot in the armchair glaring at the two guys that made their move first. Reis stands in the middle, takes a deep breath and shakes his head with a small smile.
His expression is soft and like he’s in awe, but he shakes his head and looks at me.
He’s happy. The grumpy asshole that drugged me, that was so fucking awful, he’s gone in this moment. The man before me is the guy I fell in love with in high school, the one I still love.
“Well, I understand you have a job that you want to get back to. I was able to get Louis to overnight your computer and all your stuff from your apartment. You should have all your stuff tomorrow.” Reis bites the inside of his lip, and I know then that that’s not all he has to say.
“All of my stuff?”
“Yeah.”
“How?”
“Money talks, baby.” Markus shrugs. “We can do or get anything we want whenever we want… for a price.”
“That’s incredibly convenient and disgusting,” I say with a chuckle. “But why are you… Wait, you’re moving me here?” A sharp inhale of understanding makes my nostrils flare and my fingers twitch, uncertain whether to reach out or pull back.
“Hell yes, we are,” Kai cheers, fist pumping the air before he leans over and presses a sting of kisses down my leg a lá Gomez Addams.
“Be serious right now.” I look around, trying to convince myself that I’m hearing them wrong.
But instead, Adam rubs the back of his neck and shrugs, Markus nods with a flat, tight-lipped smirk, Kai’s smiling brightly like this is the best thing ever, regardless of the tension in the room and Reis…
Reis sits up straighter, and looks me dead-on.
They just did this? And obviously they all fucking knew about it, discussed it and made it happen.
“We said we wanted you with us. So, we made it happen.” Reis rolls his shoulders back, addressing the room. “I also… I made a decision.”
“Oh fuck,” Markus mutters, rubbing his eyes.
“Here we go,” Adam snaps behind me, his hand resting on my waist protectively.
“I know you want to get back to work, Melody. I get that, and so, I…” Reis' words trail off as he restructures the sentence in his brain. “From now on, you work exclusively for us. It doesn’t make much sense for you to live in Haven when we’re based out of New York City.
You’ll live with us, tour with us, and run all our social media accounts and programs–” Reis announces.
My eyes widen, and I stand up, stepping closer, before cutting him off mid sentence.
“I’m sorry, you just decided this?”
“I did,” he says, owning his insane level of control. And here I thought Kai would be the one to tie me up and lock me away, not Reis. “We’ll pay you five times your normal rate. We’ll pay your room and board, you’ll have a credit card with an allowance. You’ll want for nothing, Melody.”
There’s no fucking way I’m hearing him correctly.
“I had clients. Clients that I earned myself.”
“And your partner knows that they’re to be divided up between the others.
You’re still the co-owner, still can bring on new managers and clients, but all your attention and work will be for us.
Think about how great it will look for your firm that you have us, the biggest rockstars in modern day, as your top clients. ”
In his defense, this does sound good. Having star power of their caliber would be invaluable and bring in so much business.
But it pisses me off that this wasn’t even a discussion. He didn’t ask, he forced.
“Reis,” I say softly, shaking my head. “Just when I think you’re maybe not a fucking idiot, you do shit like this.” I storm out of the room.
“Melody,” Reis' stance breaks and he goes to hold my arm, but yank my arm out of his reach, glaring at him in warning. “Melody, please.”
“You didn’t ask! You don’t actually care about what I want, do you?” I throw my hands up.
“I did this before,” he says strongly, refusing to back down.
“It was yesterday. I… I just thought if you were here, we could make up for lost time. If you were here, you could see how we’d grown.
If you were here, you could be ours. Look, Mel, I understand I fucked up, but this will be good. For all of us.”
I watch him carefully, my eyes trace the sharp line of his jaw, the way his lips press together just a little too firmly.
I know what he’s doing, I know what he’s trying to do.
And I understand the intention he had behind it, but any way I look at it, he’s controlling me.
I tilt my head, letting the silence stretch between us, watching for the flicker of hesitation, the slight shifting of his weight.
“Did you even think of asking me?” I throw out there, narrowing my eyes at him.
“Honestly, no,” he admits, putting his hands in his pockets. “There was too much of a chance you’d say no.”
“So you resorted to manipulation and control?” I scoff.
“Oh, Reis,” Kai mumbles and shakes his head. Adam’s hands clench into fists, and he crosses his arms. The way he does it makes his biceps look so much bigger. But I know he’s doing this to keep himself from smacking Reis.
“You’re not being manipulated or controlled,” Reis says with a huff. “Did you not hear what I said?”
“I heard what you said.”
“Do you not want the opportunity to make your business better? That’s what I’m trying to give to you.”
My nostrils flare and my lips purse in anger as I think of all the ways I could make him hurt.
“Of course I do,” I snap through gritted teeth.
“Then give this a shot, Mel.” He steps closer, holding his hand out to me. “If you stay only for that, I get it. But please, just stay. We’ll take care of you. In every way you’ll let us.”
He’s so genuine, and I know he thinks he’s done the right thing by all of us. He just can’t see it from my side.
“You can’t just make decisions about my life and my business.
If you want to actually give this a shot, all of us,” I include the others, pointing over Reis' shoulder to briefly meet their eyes before I return my frustrated glaring to Reis.
“Then start treating me as an equal. Start running your ‘decisions’ by me. Start being fucking considerate and communicate for once in your fucking life,” I snap loudly, pulling my hand away from his.
“I’m going to the room. Do not follow me.” I point at him before pointing over his shoulder again. “None of you. I need some space.”
“Wait, Melody,” Reis rushes forward, his tone nervous and filled with worry. “You’re not leaving, right?”
With my back to them, I take a breath, trying to figure out how to answer that question. Of course, I’m not leaving. I love them, and this is our chance to be together the way I’ve always wanted.
But I’m fucking pissed off that he’s done this, that he doesn’t seem to respect me or my career.
“No, I’m not leaving. But I’m walking away for the moment so I don’t say something I regret. Because I do love you, each one of you, but this… this takes disrespect to a whole new level.”
None of them try to stop me this time, giving me the space I’m asking for.
I pause, right before the turn to the hallway, before looking at them over my shoulder.
“If you would’ve just asked me today, I would’ve said yes.”