Chapter 14
Charlie
He isn’t supposed to be here.
My heart started fluttering in my chest the moment I first caught sight of Dillon, the familiar dark strands of his hair sticking up as if he’s been running his hands through it. His hazel eyes keep drifting in my direction, almost as if he can’t stand to have them off me for more than a second.
I shift my weight, subtly sidling closer to Barrett, murmuring under my breath, “Maybe we should go.” He glances down at me, his brow furrowing. “She doesn’t need us now,” I say pointedly, tipping my head to where Jack’s still holding Marisa.
He looks over, eyes flashing, before they come back to me. “She called you,” he reminds me simply, voice low enough that no one else can hear. “You’re the one she trusted. The one she felt safe enough to call.”
I roll my lips inward because that’s true. My desire to leave has nothing to do with Marisa and everything to do with wanting to escape Dillon. I feel like I’ve been encased in ice, but now that he’s here, it’s cracking, letting every emotion I’ve buried slowly seep out.
I’m not ready, and he isn’t supposed to be here.
Barrett’s expression turns knowing. “Running won’t help you now,” he tells me, his tone gentle.
“There are always consequences to your choices, Charlie. And this is one of yours—a confrontation you might not be ready for.” When he looks at the others, I follow suit, finding Jack and Dillon in the middle of a furious whispered conversation, their expressions grim.
Marisa looks dazed, her eyes overly bright and two high spots of color in her cheeks.
“We need to get her out of here.” I don’t mean to say it out loud, but the burst of sound draws everyone’s attention. I don’t look at Dillon, not ready to face whatever might be lying in wait in his expression, pinning a stern glare on Jack. “She can’t be here right now.”
“Why didn’t you get her to leave when you got here, then?” he snipes back. “Isn’t that why she called you?”
My brows climb my forehead, but I’m done letting people like this think they can walk all over me.
I sweep a derisive glare over him and Dillon.
“I didn’t realize that was my job. If anything, it should be her friends looking out for her.
But with friends like you—like Bliss—who needs enemies, right? ”
Jack’s expression flattens. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You’ve all been walking on eggshells around Bliss for years, allowing her to tear people down and treat them like shit.
And why? Because you thought you were safe from her?
” I scoff. “The minute Marisa stood up to her, this happened. Now you’re acting like you’re somehow surprised that Bliss would ever turn on you. ”
Jack scowls. “So why are the two of you even fucking here?”
With quick steps, Dillon gets in his space, his shoulders back and fury flashing across his face. “Don’t swear at her, asshole. This isn’t on Charlie.”
A sarcastic laugh rips out of my throat. “Little too late to be speaking up now, don’t you think?”
Dillon turns to give me a steady look. “Never too late, Angel.”
My mouth thins at the endearment, fury slithering through my veins like toxic sludge.
“It doesn’t fix anything,” he acknowledges, never looking away. “I know that…but I won’t let anyone speak to you like that again.”
Barrett lets out a low sound of disbelief as another voice cuts in. “Dillon! Jack said you weren’t coming tonight.”
My eyes fall shut as I let out a low curse. There’s only one way out of the office, and now, Bliss is standing in that doorway—her brows raise high, mild amusement crossing her face as she takes us all in. Her eyes are heavy-lidded, her makeup smudged, and her hair is mussed.
“Bliss,” Dillon says warily, just as a guy steps up behind her, his wavy blond hair tousled and mouth turned down as he catches sight of Marisa. “Callum.”
He runs a hand through his hair, mouth twitching into a small smile that fades as fast as it came. “Hey, man.” He looks around the room, touching on everyone before going back to Marisa, his expression guilty as hell. “Is she…Is she okay?”
Marisa shifts at his voice, turning her head away, hiding herself in Jack’s chest. I glance over at them, catching his furious expression as he tightens his arms around her. “Whatever you’re here for, Bliss…Just don’t. You’ve done enough.”
Dillon frowns with consternation. “What the hell is going on?”
“You really want the gory details?” Bliss taunts him with a grin, ignoring Jack. “Didn’t know that was your kink, but guess we all have to get our kicks somewhere.”
No one says anything, Jack’s dark glare sliding off her and onto Callum—who has the decency to look away, pink rushing into his cheeks.
Dillon watches them before his stare goes to Marisa’s trembling form. I can see his brain working through the physical evidence, and then his eyes widen. “Tell me you fucking didn’t,” he demands, staring at Bliss.
She smirks, planting her hands on her hips. “Didn’t do what, exactly?” she wonders. “Fuck a single guy? Why wouldn’t I?” She doesn’t look at Marisa, acting as if her friend isn’t even there.
I snort contemptuously, just loud enough to draw her attention, and her smirk drops into a snarl. “What are you doing here? Someone needs to tell Carrie she’s got a rodent infestation.”
Okay, and the gloves are off.
Barrett bristles at my side, but it’s Dillon who moves, stepping in front of me, his face mottled red with fury. Before he can let it loose, I step around him, making him pause. He looks at me, a question in his eyes, but my focus is on her.
“You’re a real piece of work, Bliss,” I say succinctly.
She laughs with dark amusement. “Oh, yeah?” she says tauntingly. “You gonna educate me, Charlie?”
I look at Jack. “You should take Marisa out of here.” She’s drooping against his chest, her mouth slack and eyes hazy.
He throws me a concerned frown. “I didn’t drive, and I don’t want to wait outside for a ride while she’s like this.”
Barrett grumbles next to me—he knows me well enough to know what I’m going to say. He still glares at me first, just to let me know he’s not happy about it.
“My truck’s on the street,” he mutters, and I flash him a grateful smile, but the scowl only deepens. “Not leaving you here with them.” He shoots a look around the room, lingering on Dillon. For what it’s worth, he doesn’t flinch, just tipping his chin with a nod of understanding.
“I’ll be fine.” I pat Barrett’s arm, clocking that Dillon tracks the movement. “I’ll be out right after you.”
Dillon steps closer. I don’t look over, even when he assures Barrett, “I’ll make sure she’s okay.”
He scoffs, his jaw tight. He hesitates another beat, jerking his chin at Jack. “Come on.”
Jack scoops Marisa up into his arms, her head lolling against his shoulder. “Where we going?” she slurs as he falls in behind Barrett.
“Home,” Jack mutters back, just as Callum edges into his path.
“Marisa—” Callum starts before Jack cuts him off.
“Don’t talk to her, asshole.”
Callum stumbles back at the raw fury in Jack’s voice, the color draining from his face. He doesn’t give him a chance to say anything else, leaving without another word.
I turn back to Bliss, finding her already watching me, expression twisted into something ugly—probably imagining feeding me to crocodiles or lowering me into a vat of acid.
She’s twisted enough for it.
Callum has turned to watch Jack leave with Marisa.
He looks back, his shoulders tensing as he watches us.
Dillon steps behind me, close enough that I can feel his breath brushing over the top of my head.
His cologne—the same one he’s worn since I gave it to him for Christmas—fills my lungs.
I fight the urge to step away, refusing to show weakness in front of any of these people.
The party is still raging outside the room, but it feels as if we’re far away, trapped in our noxious little bubble.
“You know what, Bliss?” I say calmly into that quiet.
“I feel sorry for you. Wait, no”—I purse my lips thoughtfully—“not sorry. I pity you. You’ve spent your entire life treating the people around you like toys, playing with them when it suits you and your agenda, but as soon as they try to shift out of your control…
you break them. Marisa stood up to you once, calling you out on your bullshit, and you destroyed a years-long friendship over it. Was it worth it?”
The skin around Bliss’s eyes tightens infinitesimally, but her smile is smug. “I didn’t do anything wrong. Callum and Marisa aren’t together.”
He makes a low noise, looking as if he’s just fully realized the damage he helped wrought tonight.
“You don’t know me, Charlie,” Bliss sneers. I stare at her, wondering why this woman had such power over me, because now? I really don’t give a shit what she thinks of me and that…
This is freeing.
It’s an unfamiliar feeling—a little like wearing a pair of shoes that are a size too small, pinching and rubbing in all the wrong places. My entire life has been filled with people doubting and second-guessing me, commenting on my looks or how I’m perceived—the way I talk, act, breathe.
My entire relationship with Dillon, I kept his friends at a distance. I buried myself in low self-esteem, never wanting to give them a reason to think he deserved better. It was a rigged game, and I never stood a chance of winning.
“You aren’t with Dillon anymore.” Bliss drops the words like a grenade, pleasure lighting up her eyes as she watches me, waiting for the shrapnel to hit. “You aren’t welcome here, and neither is your shitty opinion.”
“Bliss—”
“No, Dillon,” I interrupt, keeping my focus on her. “Let her get it out. Maybe if she spits out enough poison, she might actually start to resemble a human being.”
Her mouth drops open. “Oh, you bitch—”
“Name-calling seems beneath you. I’m not sure why I expected more.
I mean, you think shit-talking people behind their back is hilarious, like we’re all still stuck in a crappy movie about the mean girls in high school.
” I shake my head, clucking my tongue. “Sorry, but your words only have power when other people give it to them. You know what that makes you?” She glares daggers at me, trying to flay the skin from my bones with her eyes.
I don’t care. I don’t need her input for this.
“Weak, Bliss. The one thing that made you strong is that you had friends who actually gave a shit about you.” I let out a thoughtful hum.
“Guess you took care of that tonight, though. You showed them your true colors, and that’s not something you can ever take back. ”
Bliss doesn’t say a thing, looking like she might actually be at a loss for words, but I’m done. I stride past her and Callum, leaving while the going is good.
It doesn’t take me long to push through the crowd and make it out the front door. I can hear the quiet tread of footsteps on my heels, and I don’t have to look to know it’s Dillon, his eyes burning into my back.