The Distance Between Us | Eric Coulter

nineteen

    Rory

Eric jumps out of the way before I got the chance to do any real damage.

Damn it, so close.

I shove away the disappointment filling my chest, replacing the feeling with anger instead as I close the space between us to jab my finger into his chest- which, frankly, probably hit my finger more than it did him.

"You've got a lot of nerve, you asshole!"

Eric looks at me as if I've lost my mind. Who knows? Maybe I have because lord knows it was tempting to let Eric have his way with me.

Unfortunately for Eric, looking at his face only made me want to yell at him even more.

"And Emily? Seriously?" I scoffed at him, "The same Emily that you swore you would never touch even with a ten-foot pole. And you can have her draping herself all over you, but I can't have fucking breakfast with another guy? You are such a fucking hypocrite, Eric!"

Eric leans away from me, folding his arms over his chest with one of his infuriating smirks tilting at the corner of his lips and a raised brow.

"What the fuck are you smiling at, dipshit?" I snap, "Nothing about this is fucking funny!"

When he continues to stay silent, that stupid-ass smile still on his face, a boiling need rises in my chest to get a reaction out of him. I'm also not sure what it is about him that provokes violent tendencies within me, but it does.

Without giving it much thought, I raise my hand to smack him across the cheek.

Eric, however, has much quicker reflexes than I did and snatches up my wrist before my palm could make contact with his face.

One day. I swear to whatever god there is up there that was willing to listen, one day I'll fucking get him.

With his grip still firmly wrapped around my wrist, Eric yanks me towards him, sending me flying into his chest. Then, he leans down until his lips were brushing against the shell of my ear in a way that sends a shiver through me and whispers, "Are you jealous, baby?"

I fucking was. But I'll be damned if I ever admit that to Eric.

Reeling back, I scoff. "Are you fucking dense?"

Eric's eyes study me and I carefully iron out my features to not give anything away.

He opens his mouth to retort, but just before he could, another voice spoke from behind him.

"Just what is going on here?"

Eric stiffens at the voice and I raise on my tippy-toes to catch a sight of who has spoken over Eric's tall frame.

I get a glimpse of a head of short blonde hair and a blue blazer and immediately knew who had spoken.

The million-dollar question is; what the fuck is Jeanine fucking Matthews doing in Dauntless?

Eric confirms my suspicions when he moves to stand beside me, giving me an uninterrupted view of Jeanine, who stood with her hands crossed over her chest, appraising us as if we were merely chewed-up gum that was stuck to the sole of her shoes.

Unease settles in my chest knowing that where Jeanine went, my mother was most probably not far behind.

Just as the thought crosses my mind, I spot my mother's lengthy figure- a trait I didn't inherit- rounding the corner just as Jeanine scoffs, "I should've known that the two of you would find each other eventually."

Hearing my mother's footsteps approaching, Jeanine looks over her shoulder at her, and whatever she sees on my mother's face has her moving aside to let her pass.

The only word that seems sufficient to describe the look on my mother's face was thunderous like a black cloud was looming over her head. There was no denying that she was fuming, and so, I guess I should've seen what came next.

Coming to a halt before me, my mother raises her hand, her palm coming towards my face at full speed.

I squeeze my eyes shut and brace for the impact and the sharp sting that would probably follow.

Instead, a second passes. Then, another. But nothing comes.

I crack my eyes open to see Eric towering over her, her wrist gripped in his large hands in a way that looked almost painful.

If it was, my mother showed no signs of it on her face.

She doesn't cower at the way Eric seems to look over her threateningly. Which, I suppose, I begrudgingly give her props for since the look that Eric was spearing her with could bring a grown man to his knees.

"You think you can just come onto my territory and lay hands on my initiate?" Eric grits outs, "Remember, Giuliana. You don't call the shots around here. I fucking do."

My mother lets out a sound of disbelief, "I see my daughter still has you wrapped around her finger, trailing you around like a little guard dog," She says slowly, her eyes flashing with something almost devilish as they turn to me. "Are you really going to let her have that kind of power over you after all that she's done?"

"All that I've done?" I question, "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

My eyes dart from Eric to my mother. Clearly, my mother must've said something to him that I wasn't aware of.

Suddenly, the way Eric has been acting towards me has been making more sense- not that it has been justified.

Before I could question any of them further, Eric releases her and stomps down the hallway.

"Let's get this fucking over with," He throws over his shoulder just before disappearing down the hallway, leaving me with my mother and Jeanine.

My mother takes a slow step closer to me, forcing me to have to crane my neck to meet her gaze, a power move that didn't pass me.

I straighten up, reminding myself that this woman didn't have any control over me anymore and stare her down. Two could play at this game.

"I'd say it was nice to see you again, Mother," I say, "But you didn't raise me to be a liar. Actually, one could argue that you didn't raise me at all."

My mother clicks her tongue at me in disapproval, "Just a short time with that boy and already look what you've become," She sighs, "This isn't over, Aurora."

I watch as she turns on her heels and follows Jeanine down the hallway Eric had disappeared down.

No, it fucking isn't.