You Promised Me

IX. The Confession

Her heart thumped loudly in her chest, lungs constricting. (Y/n) stared at him with wide eyes, unable to formulate words, her voice refusing to work. Fear. Fear is all she felt. Fear of being degraded with words that hurt as much as daggers, fear of being on the receiving end, once more.

(Y/n) nods briskly, wishing for this moment to be over. Unable to make direct eye contact from the intensity of his stare, she stares at the hand that was clasped around her wrist, yanking it out of his hold.

Xerxes is taken back at her sudden burst of aggression as she yanks her hand away, though more pressing matters were on his mind.

"What's been wrong with you recently?"

She felt her eye twitch.

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with YOU? I have every reason to act the way I'm acting!" she explodes, frustration clearly written on her face.

"What?" Xerxes held a look of genuine confusion.

"Don't act clueless, you know what you did," (Y/n)'s voice and adrenaline died down, turning calmer.

Shaking his head, Xerxes backtracked. "Can we start from the beginning? What did I do?"

Sighing, (y/n) felt like an amusement toy, but went along with his antics.

"Why would you tell Angie about my family's financial situation?" she spoke, words quiet, full of betrayal and defeat.

Xerxes's eyes widen at her statement. When he saw her hurt expression, he grabbed her shoulders firmly, startling her.

"I would never tell her that. I've never even had a full conversation with her. If anything, she's been harassing me recently," he calmly explains, squeezing her shoulders and staring deep into her eyes, drowning her in their black, endless abyss.

It was now (y/n)'s turn to widen her eyes at his proclamation. "W-what? Don't lie to me, Xerxes. How else would she have known? You're the only one who I told about that!"

Xerxes's eyes suddenly narrow, a deadly glint crossing them. "I don't know. But all I know is that I never told her anything about you. She's been a leech to me recently."

He comes to a realization. "Eavesdropping. She had to have been eavesdropping. Right after we left, she approached me as I was leaving the library. She must've been in there, too, and overheard our conversation."

Xerxes's grip on her shoulders hardens, making (y/n) wince a bit at his strength. He suddenly looks her in the eyes, coming so close to her face she can almost feel the soft caress of his warm breath. Locking his eyes with her (e/c) eyes, he grabs her chin so she can't look anywhere but his face.

"(Y/n). I promise you I would never tell her anything that you told me. You have to believe me. Trust me this time, please," his voice held so much convection, she couldn't help but automatically nod.

"Okay," her breathless words come out, squirming out of his grip, slightly. "But, what happens now? There are rumors that I'm using you for money going around."

Xerxes's visage turns murderous at her words.

"What?" he whispers out, hiding his pure, unadulterated anger behind a calm facade.

(Y/n)'s eyebrows furrow at his question. "Yea...didn't you hear? There are rumors that I'm using you for money, since my family is struggling and you're well...not financially struggling," she forced the words out, still hurt from the rumors.

Xerxes stares at her face with a stoic expression, seeing nothing but red at the rumors that made his darling avoid him. That bitch would surely pay for hurting his (y/n).