Chapter 18
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
DEREK
The Halloween party felt like it was closing in on me.
Every conversation, every laugh, every casual touch between friends felt loaded with danger.
I kept catching glimpses of Rosie across the room, her sparkly disco costume catching the light, her forced smile as she talked to Nova and Ivy, and wanting nothing more than to go to her.
But I couldn't. Not with Aaron watching. Not with Sebastian lurking like a predator waiting to pounce.
"Dude, you're staring again," Max muttered beside me, dressed in a zombie costume that was more funny than scary.
"I'm not staring."
"You absolutely are. And so is Aaron." Max took a sip of his beer. "This is getting out of hand."
"I know." I forced my eyes away from Rosie. "We're going to tell him. After Westpoint."
"That's what you said last week. And the week before that." Max's voice was gentle but firm. "At some point, you're going to have to stop hiding."
"We're not hiding. We're being strategic."
"You're being cowards." He held up a hand as I started to protest. "I say that with love, man. But the longer you wait, the worse it's going to be when it comes out. And it will come out. Sebastian's already sniffing around."
"Sebastian can go fu..."
"Derek!" Ivy appeared, pulling me into a hug. "Love the costume. Very creative."
"Thanks. You look great." I meant it, the Greek goddess costume suited her.
"Have you seen Rosalie? She's been in the bathroom for like twenty minutes." Ivy's expression turned concerned. "I'm worried about her."
My chest tightened. "I'll check on her."
"You sure that's a good idea?" Max asked quietly, his arms around Ivy. Jealousy hit me straight to the core, and I hated it.
"I'm sure." I was already moving toward the stairs, fighting my way through the crowd. If my girl was upset, I needed to be there for her.
The upstairs bathroom door was closed, but I could hear soft crying from inside. My heart shattered from the sound of it.
I knocked gently. "Rosie? It's me."
The crying stopped, and after a long pause, she let out a weak "Go away" before sniffling.
"Not happening. Let me in."
"Derek, if someone sees you up here..." Her voice was full of concern and resignation.
"I don't care." And I meant it. Fuck the secret. Fuck being careful. The girl I loved was crying in a bathroom, and I was supposed to just walk away? "Please, Thorn. Let me in."
The lock clicked. I slipped inside quickly, locking the door behind me.
Rosie sat on the edge of the tub, her sparkly makeup streaked with tears. She looked beautiful and broken, and I wanted to fix everything that was hurting her.
"Hey," I knelt in front of her, taking her hands. "Talk to me."
"I can't do this anymore," she whispered. "This lying, this sneaking around, this constant fear of getting caught. I thought I could handle it, but I can't."
"Okay." I squeezed her hands. "So we stop. We go downstairs right now and tell Aaron."
"You have a game in a couple of days," she reminded me. "Against Westpoint. The team that destroyed your knee. You need to focus, not deal with drama."
"You're not drama. You're everything." I reached up to wipe away her tears. "And I'd rather deal with Aaron being pissed than keep hurting you like this."
"But what if..."
A loud bang on the door made us both jump.
"Rosie? You okay in there?" Aaron's voice. Of course, it was Aaron. This night just kept getting better and better.
We stared at each other in panic. I was trapped in a bathroom with his sister at a party. There was no innocent explanation for this.
"I'm fine!" Rosie called out, her voice surprisingly steady. "Just fixing my makeup."
"Why's the door locked?"
"Because I'm changing tampons, Aaron. Do you really want to continue this conversation?"
I bit back a laugh. Even in a crisis, she was brilliant.
"Oh. Right. Sorry." Aaron's footsteps retreated.
We waited a full minute in silence before either of us moved.
"That was close," Rosalie breathed, her head coming to rest on my stomach.
"Too close." I stood, pulling her up with me and hugging her tight. "You stay here. Fix your makeup for real. I'll sneak out, go back downstairs like I was never here."
"Derek..."
"After Westpoint," I promised, cupping her face. "A couple of days. We can make it, right?"
She nodded, but she didn't look convinced.
I kissed her softly, trying to pour every emotion into it. "I love you."
"I love you too." She pulled back, wiping at her eyes. "Now go before someone else comes looking."
I cracked the door, checking the hallway. Empty. I slipped out, moving quickly toward the stairs.
And ran directly into Sebastian.
"Well, well," Sebastian's smile was predatory. "Interesting place to run into you. Upstairs. Near the bathroom where Rosalie's been hiding."
"I was looking for the bathroom," I said evenly. "The one downstairs has a line."
"Right. The bathroom." His eyes gleamed. "Must be nice, having such easy access to her. All those late-night studio sessions. Private Pilates lessons. I bet you're getting very... personal instruction."
My fist clenched. "Watch your mouth."
"Or what? Will you hit me? In front of everyone?" Sebastian stepped closer. "I'm not stupid, Derek. I see what's happening. And I'm not the only one."
"Nothing's happening."
"Keep telling yourself that." He started to walk past me, then paused.
"You know what's funny? Aaron asked me to keep an eye on you two.
Said something felt off. Guess he was right.
Imagine my surprise when I passed by the studio late at night, seeing you too naked and all over each other.
Should I have known Pilates was that much fun, I would have signed up sooner.
" I moved towards him, but he laughed and lifted his hand. “Don’t worry, I only snapped a couple of pictures before I left.”
Ice shot through my veins. "What are you going to do with those?"
"Me? Nothing. Yet." Sebastian shrugged. "But if I were you, I'd be very careful at practice tomorrow. Wouldn't want any accidents before the big game. It would be a shame if I had to start instead of you."
The threat was clear. Keep Sebastian happy, or he'd tell Aaron everything.
"You're an asshole," I said quietly.
"I'm a realist. And realistically, you're screwing your best friend's sister behind his back. That's going to blow up in your face eventually. I'm just deciding whether I want to be there when it does. It’s just going to be an added bonus that I can get my position back on the team."
He walked away, leaving me standing in the hallway with my heart pounding.
This was falling apart. Fast.
I made it back downstairs and found Max immediately. "We have a problem."
"What kind of problem?"
"The Sebastian kind." I quickly filled him in on the encounter.
Max's expression darkened. "That motherfucker."
"He's going to tell Aaron. Maybe not tonight, but soon. And he's threatening to cause problems at practice. He wants to start." I ran my hands through my hair. "What do I do?"
"You tell Aaron first," Max said firmly. "Tonight. Before Sebastian can."
"Are you insane? There are like a hundred people here."
"So take him somewhere private. You can use my room. Explain everything. Yes, he's going to be pissed. But at least you're being honest. At least you're not letting Sebastian control the narrative."
I looked across the room where Aaron was laughing with Oliver, completely unaware that his world was about to implode.
"I can't," I said. "Not tonight. Not before Westpoint."
"Then when?" Max challenged. "Because this isn't going away. Sebastian's going to keep pushing until something breaks."
Before I could answer, Rosie reappeared, her makeup fixed and her smile back in place. She headed straight for her brother, probably trying to be visible and normal.
Aaron said something that made her laugh, and for a moment, they looked like any other siblings at a party. Happy. Uncomplicated.
I was about to destroy that.
"Derek." Maddox appeared at my elbow. "We need to talk. Now."
The serious tone made my stomach drop. "What's wrong?"
"Outside."
I followed him to the backyard, away from the noise and crowds. Nova was already there, her expression grim.
"What's going on?" I asked, already dreading the conversation.
"We know," Nova said simply.
"Know what?"
"About you and Rosalie." She held up her hand as I started to protest. "Don't even try to deny it. We've known for weeks. Maybe months."
My mouth went dry. "Does Aaron know?"
"No. And we haven't told him because we figured you two would eventually." Maddox crossed his arms. "But Sebastian's been very loud about it, and he's not going to keep his mouth shut. You need to get ahead of this."
"I know. We're planning to tell him after..."
"After Westpoint, yeah, we've heard that one before," Nova interrupted. "But here's the thing: Sebastian's planning to tell him tomorrow. At practice. In front of the whole team."
The world tilted. "What?"
"He was bragging about it to some guys earlier. Said he was going to 'expose the truth' during warm-ups with some very graphic pics." Nova's voice was sympathetic. "I'm sorry, Derek. But you're out of time."
I looked back at the house, where I could see Rosie through the window, smiling at something Ivy was saying. Completely unaware that in less than twenty-four hours, everything was going to explode.
"Fuck," I breathed.
"You need to tell him tonight," Maddox said. "Before Sebastian does. It's the only way."
"He's going to hate me."
"Maybe. Probably." Maddox's expression softened. "But he'll hate you more if he hears it from Sebastian. At least if it comes from you, there's a chance he'll eventually understand."
Nova touched my arm. "For what it's worth, I think you and Rosalie are good together. She's been happier these past few months than I've ever seen her. And you're different too. Less closed off."
"Aaron won't see it that way."