Chase Me

Chapter Forty-One: Double

Nex

What was wrong with him? Elio bee-lined straight for the door and the way I could see his shoulders were tense and his steps were quick, he wanted to get out of here fast. But I couldn't let that happen before I knew what happened. I grabbed his wrist and yanked him back. "Elio, stop."

Elio tried to pull away but I held strong. Of course, if he wanted to actually get away, I had no doubt that he would have been able to land me on my back. He was a boxer after all. But something was bothering him. "Elio–"

And there was the boxer.

He yanked his hand away and continued but when I grabbed his wrist again, he spun around and gripped my collar in both hands, almost lifting me off the ground.

Wow. That did something to me.

"Leave me alone," he gritted out.

My black shirt was gathered in his fists and I had the urge to pop a joke about the fact that he still owed me for wrecking my other shirt from our last encounter, but I chose not to. Since he looked like he was going to split my lip open if I uttered a single wrong word. I shook my head slowly, hands coming up to show not guilty. "Hey. Let's not get violent here, Prince. Calm down."

"Don't call me that."

I raised a brow. "Wow, you're controlling."

He loosened his grip on me and then let go entirely, stepping back and turning towards the door. I was going to get him to talk but I knew that if I started in here, I would disturb whatever Bellona and Amo were talking about in the gym. So I followed Elio out the door. He was heading for the elevator but stopped. I smiled at myself. "Relax, Prince, this one won't break." My smile fell from the memory of his panic.

He headed for the stairwell. "I told you to stop calling me that."

I followed right after. "I don't care." The door shut behind us and he kept walking. "What is wrong with you, Ricci?"

Elio spun around, eyes ablaze. "Why did you mention my mom?"

My brows furrowed. "What?'

"My mother. Camila Ricci." He gestured to the railing of the stairs where I had shoved Samuel against a little while ago. "You didn't need to say that—what was the point of it? 'Attacking an area where Camila Ricci resides is harmful.'" he quoted me.

I was silent for a moment. "Because it wasn't fair, Prince. I wanted him to know that it wasn't right to–"

Elio threw his arms up in exasperation and I could see a slight gleam in his eyes. "You can't just say that, Nex! She isn't supposed to be used like that. Do you not understand that? My mother is not some piece of information to throw about whether you want to incite fear or whatever else."

"But, Elio, she–"

He stuck a finger at me. "Don't you dare say she's sick, I already know that." He was angry and some sort of guilt was rising in me. "She's sick, she isn't weak." A humourless laugh left him and he rubbed his forehead before gesturing to me. "I don't expect you to understand."

Okay. Now I was pissed. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Elio turned to go down the stairs but stopped when I barked, "I asked a question, Elio!"

He pivoted to look over his shoulder. "My mother means more to me than you can understand. I don't expect you to know what I'm feeling."

This–

I stepped towards him, gripping his shoulder in a way to make it clear that if a fight were to break out between us, it wouldn't be only him who could take and throw a punch. "What the hell do you think of me? That I don't know?" I was seething now, from anger or something worse—I didn't know.