10
If you want to piss Aegan off, you’ll have to face the consequences
Aleixandre kept his promise.
The club was in what were known as “the hills of Tagus,” on the edge of the university campus.
Or . . . maybe not.
I’d braced myself for something shocking as I walked in, but it didn’t feel like it was hiding anything.
As soon as we stepped into the hall, I noticed everything had the same classic style as the facade.
The floor was of a gleaming dark wood. Almost every wall had pictures of old faces or different parts of the Tagus campus.
It had a high ceiling with suspended lights and was filled with wooden furniture.
A waft of firewood and aftershave floated through the air.
It was very . . . cozy. So much so, that I could see myself knitting there.
We had been deceived. It was nothing like the rumors.
“Welcome,” Aleixandre said to me like a tour guide, pointing to everything. “This hall, the living room, and the two upper floors are the only places in all of Tagus that haven’t been changed. The rest was added when my father was studying here. What do you think?”
“It’s interesting,” was all I could say, disappointed not to see anything mysterious. “Why is it no longer called Brotherhood of 1974?”
“Because my dad thought it sounded like a cult,” he said. “Now come with me.”
He led me down a hallway, where I saw nothing suspicious either, just framed pictures and diplomas of past members.
“Are you planning on joining any clubs?” he asked.
Tagus had loads of clubs.
“After watching the Scream Queens series, I don’t think it’s such a good idea,” I replied.
He laughed. “You’re funny, Jude.”
He turned again as we crossed another hallway.
There were doors everywhere. I felt a bit disappointed, although I didn’t know what the hell I was expecting.
To discover they had their own cult or something?
To see a severed head hanging above a fireplace?
It seemed like a cool place to explore and discover things, but I didn’t see anything overly suspicious.
“Well, Aegan must be in the backyard,” Aleix said before suddenly stopping.
I almost bumped into him because he was looking off to the side where there was another hallway. I glanced around and spotted a half-open door. There was a no trespassing sign on it.
I didn’t understand why we were looking at it until Aleix spoke.
“That door shouldn’t be open,” he muttered, so softly that I barely heard him.
“Why?” I asked.
I was so sure I’d get an answer that I was surprised when he just turned back to me, with that familiar smile he used with everyone, as radiant and approachable as always. But it didn’t look like it came easy to him in that moment.
I noticed these things because I’d been analyzing the Cash brothers for days. Somebody else probably wouldn’t have noticed.
“Go all the way down the hall and it’ll take you to where Aegan is,” he said, still in tour guide mode. “I’ll follow you in a moment.”
Placing his hand on my shoulder, he gently nudged me down the hallway.
I had no choice but to do what he asked. I continued alone. I looked back briefly and watched him disappear down the other corridor. This was all really strange.
As I stepped out of the house, I forgot about Aleixandre, too in awe of what I saw.
The grounds around the house were huge. An endless and perfectly mowed lawn stretched out in the afternoon sun.
It was a lot of land, but I tried to take in everything before me: a small stable, a pond, a pile of logs and a few stone-lined paths.
Aegan was over by the stable. Unfortunately, he wasn’t alone.
He was with a couple of guys and three girls who I’d seen him hang out with a few times.
He was always with the same people, Aegan’s chosen ones, maybe because he saw them as being more important than others.
They must’ve met Eli, talked to her, gone to the same parties, but they were so stuck-up.
I knew they were all fake and probably mocking me behind my back, so I didn’t care who they were, and I cared even less about trying to socialize with them.
I walked over to Aegan, cool as a cucumber. The broad grin was wiped from his face as soon as he spotted me coming toward him; it was painfully clear he had no idea what I was doing there. It was so epic, I should’ve recorded it.
He thundered toward me.
“What the hell are you doing here?” he blurted out unhappily.
“I came with Aleixandre,” I said.
He surveyed the area like he was looking for something before locking eyes with me, his expression serious and his gray, almost transparent eyes threatening.
“And is he invisible or is he hiding in your pocket?”
“He told me he’d be right down,” I answered, sure of myself.
I glanced back at the door, hoping Aleix would show up at any moment, just like he’d said, but . . .
Nothing. No one. There wasn’t a single soul in sight.
“He must still be inside . . .” I mumbled stupidly.
Now Aegan was standing with his arms crossed and an angry look on his face that unsettled me. All that was missing was for him to start stomping on the grass.
“Did you come here on your own?” he spat, losing his patience. “This place is private, Jude.”
“No, no. Seriously, I came with Aleixandre,” I said, holding my ground again. “But I don’t know where he is.”
Wait a minute, had I been duped? Had Aleixandre lied to me?
“I can report you for this,” he threatened, showing no mercy. “Actually, I’m going to report you.”
Well, Aleixandre was nowhere to be seen, and I wasn’t sure if Aegan could actually report me for showing up here, so I had to save myself.
So, I came up with an excuse on the spot.
There were people nearby, weren’t there? People who could spread gossip.
People who Aegan had to impress.
“But why do you care I’m here?” I blurted out rather loudly, playing my role as outraged girlfriend rather well. “I only came because I want to spend time with you!”
I caught him off guard. He really expected me to be frightened; his eyebrows sank, caught somewhere between bewilderment and horror at my blunt demeanor.
“Lower your voice. What’s wrong with you?” he said angrily.
“It’s just that . . . what’s the problem with me knowing what you’re doing in this place?” I added to the fake show I was putting on.
And I really had to try not to laugh at his reaction.
“Jude . . .” he tried to shut me up as if he were giving me an ultimatum. But I cut him off, my voice even louder, with more toxic girlfriend resolve.
“I want to be with you, so I’m staying here!”
His patience was wearing thin. I was hoping he’d lose it.
Unfortunately, I seriously underestimated Aegan at times.
His jaw and entire body were taut, with a barely contained urge to silence me lingering beneath the surface, yet he forced a smile.
“You know what? Yeah, maybe it’s not such a bad idea if you stay after all,” he said to my surprise, sounding friendly. “I was about to do something fun with the group and would love to get you involved.”
“Really?” I replied, acting like an excited and curious girlfriend. “What is it?”
“We’re going horseback riding.” I froze. My little act was falling apart. Fucking hell!
Horseback riding.
I didn’t know how to ride a horse! I could barely stand on my own two feet! But I tried to act like his suggestion was no big deal.
“Ah, don’t worry, I can wait—”
“You wanted to be here, didn’t you?” he said, cutting me off with an unsettling smirk on his face. “That’s the kind of thing we do here, so we won’t leave you out.”
I attempted to brush off the idea with feigned indifference.
“No, Aegan, it’s okay.”
But he turned to his friends and shouted, “Hey, change of plans! It’s now going to be a race!”
A race.
I forced myself to calm down so I wouldn’t step through the door labeled “panic,” which my mind had just flung open.
The panic was urging me to “make myself comfortable.” I had no idea how to ride a horse, I’d never been on a horse before, and I was clumsy.
But was I really going to give Aegan the satisfaction of knowing that I didn’t know how to do something?
No chance. Faced with this unexpected turn of events, I only had two choices: somehow do it or let Aegan get one over on me.
We all know I couldn’t let the latter happen.
“Move your ass, Jude,” Aegan said to me, and before I knew it, I had started walking toward the stable. “You have to choose a horse.”
With bated breath, I swung my legs forward. I could feel the other guys’ eyes on us, but I ignored them. We went in and Aegan showed me the options with his outstretched arms. It reminded me of the gesture Aleixandre the liar had made when going into the club.
“Which horse do you want to ride?” he asked me.
There were as many stalls as there were horses within them. I didn’t know which one to pick, or if I was supposed to be looking for something specific.
“Well, I don’t know, you know them better . . .” I dared to say, even though I wasn’t sure I should have.
But it seemed to go down well enough because Aegan looked thoughtfully at the horses. He then moved two stalls to the right and I followed. He stopped in front of an impressive white mare with shiny hair that looked more like a unicorn, only without the horn.
“This is Cloud,” he said and stroked her face affectionately. “You’ll like her, she’s very special.”
Somewhat hesitant, I reached out my hand and Cloud sneezed, so I pulled it away, nervous. I liked horses, but I didn’t know if they liked me.
“Why’s she special?” I asked, curious.
“She’s my horse,” he said, clearing his throat. “If Hades doesn’t like the current broodmare, we’ll hook him up with this beautiful one who he’ll definitely mount. Come to think of it, we’re quite similar like that. . .”
I folded my arms and looked at him with narrowed eyes, ready to confront him.
“Really? There’re similarities between Cloud and Hades, and you and me?” I laughed mockingly. “I don’t think so. At least your horse has a slight chance of, let’s say, ‘sleeping’ with Cloud. But you? With me?”