Chapter 4 #2
Axel raises a brow, clearly catching the undercurrent of tension, but he doesn’t say anything. Instead, he just nods, a slight smirk on his lips as he watches me lead Emily out of the lounge.
Once we’re out of earshot, Emily shoots me a look. “You didn’t have to do that, you know.”
“Do what?” I ask, playing dumb as we walk down the dimly lit hallway.
She rolls her eyes. “You know, tell them about us. Why did you have to bring it up?”
“Why? Does that bother you?” I ask, trying to keep my tone light but I can hear the edge in my voice.
“No. It’s just that it’s silly,” she says. “We haven’t seen each other in so long. And you made it sound like we’re still friends.”
“We were never friends,” I say.
She stops walking to look up at me, something unreadable flashing on her face. She shakes her head and resumes walking again. Collie told us that Emily’s room is on the sixth floor. This place is bigger than it appears at first.
As we walk down the hallway, the silence between us is thick, and I feel the words bubbling up before I can stop them.
I know I shouldn’t say anything, but the thought of Axel or Tanner—or hell, even Ben—getting close to Emily makes my chest tighten.
I can’t just stand by and let that happen, even if I don’t have the right to feel this way anymore.
“Listen,” I start, my voice a little too loud in the quiet hallway, “I just…I want you to be careful.”
She glances over at me, one brow raised. “Careful? What are you talking about?”
I stumble over my words, suddenly flustered. “I mean, you know how these guys can be. They’re…they’re good guys, don’t get me wrong, but, uh…sometimes they might, you know, get the wrong idea.”
“The wrong idea?” she echoes, sounding more confused than anything.
I nod, feeling heat rise to my face. “Yeah, like, they might think you’re, uh…interested. Or something. Not that you can’t handle yourself, I know you can, but I just thought I should, you know, give you a heads-up.”
Emily stops walking and turns to face me, arms crossed over her chest. “Are you seriously trying to warn me off your friends? Is that why you volunteered to take me to my room?”
I run a hand through my hair, feeling more flustered by the second. “I’m just saying, they might…I don’t know, try something. Not that they’re bad guys, they’re great, but—”
“You’re unbelievable, Jace,” she interrupts, her tone a mix of exasperation and amusement. “I’m not some damsel in distress who needs you to protect her.”
“I know that!” I protest, though the words come out more defensive than I intended. “I just…I don’t want you to get hurt. Besides, when did I say I was interested?”
The elevator door opens and we step inside. She scowls at me.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Well, it kind of does. They’re my friends, and you are…”
“A long-forgotten ex-girlfriend. Tell me, Jace, how many times since we broke up have you thought about me?” she says.
More times than I would admit. But I never had the courage to pick up the phone and talk to her.
“It’s not that.”
As we enter the elevator, the tension between us is thick enough to cut with a knife. Emily’s jaw is set, and I can see the frustration in her eyes. I know I’ve messed up, but I’m not sure how to fix it. The doors slide shut, and the elevator begins its slow ascent.
“Then what is it? Now that your friends are interested, suddenly you’re concerned?” Emily snaps, her voice sharp.
“That’s not what I meant. I just…I don’t want them to…I don’t know, get the wrong idea.”
“The wrong idea?” she repeats, her eyes narrowing. “You mean, like thinking I’m some girl they can just flirt with?”
“No, no, that’s not what I’m saying!” I stammer, feeling like the walls are closing in on me. “I just…I care about you, alright? I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Emily crosses her arms, her expression icy. “You didn’t seem to care when it was just me and you, Jace. But now that your friends are paying attention to me, suddenly you’re all protective?”
“That’s not fair,” I mutter, but even I can hear how weak it sounds.
“Oh, it’s not fair?” she fires back, her voice rising. “What’s not fair is you trying to act like you have some sort of claim on me. You don’t get to do that, Jace. Not anymore.”
I can feel the heat rising in my face, and I know I’m only making things worse, but I can’t stop myself. “I’m not trying to claim you, Emily. I just…I don’t want them to take advantage of you.”
Her eyes widen in disbelief, and she shakes her head, laughing bitterly. “Take advantage of me? You’ve got to be kidding me. I’m not some naive girl who needs you to save her from the big bad world.”
“Emily, I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just trying to look out for you. I care about you.”
“Are you the same guy who forgot my birthday? Or the one who just happened to ‘wander off’ with Chloe Yaeger at prom?” Her voice drips with sarcasm, but the hurt behind it is unmistakable. “Did you care about me then?”
I stand there, speechless, as the memories she’s dredging up hit me like a freight train. I haven’t thought about Chloe in years, but now it all comes rushing back—the mistakes, the hurt, the way I let Emily down when it mattered most.
My mouth opens to say something, to apologize, to explain, but nothing comes out. What can I say? She’s right. I was a selfish idiot back then, too wrapped up in my own world to see how much I was hurting her.
“You know what, Jace? If you really cared about me, you’d trust me to handle myself. But instead, you’re just making this all about you.”
Before I can respond, she turns on her heel and heads down the hallway, leaving me standing there, feeling like the biggest idiot in the world.