One Temptation

Comforting & Movie Night (Chapter 5)

West walked in, and my stomach dropped. He looked like he had just emerged from a brutal fight. 

His shirt—once gray—was now a chaotic mix of dirt and blood stains.

His wavy brown hair fell over his forehead like a messy halo, and his eyes were swollen, suggesting he'd cried or been on the receiving end of something painful. I felt a rush of nausea at the sight of him.

I glanced around the room. Lia and Em wore expressions of disbelief and concern, their eyes glassy. Jake stood silently, an unreadable look on his face, while Cole had gone pale, as if he'd just witnessed something horrifying.

West walked towards us, fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles were white.

"What the actual bloody hell, man?" Cole spat, rising to his feet. "What happened?"

West met Cole's gaze, his lips parting as if he might say something but ultimately fell silent. We were all sitting on the couch, Cole was the first to get up and go over to him. 

"I'm fine. Just leave me alone," he mumbled, his voice heavy with exhaustion. 

Him and Cole exchanged a couple of words before he walked towards the stairs.

He turned and headed upstairs, leaving us in stunned silence. We exchanged worried glances, the atmosphere thick with unspoken words. 

He just got here and just left as well.

Oh well.

Having grown up together, West had spent countless nights at my place. That led to the fact that some of his stuff was laying around in my house. And he probably wondered off to find it.

"What do you think happened?" someone whispered, barely breaking the tense silence.

"Should we check on him?" another suggested, glancing toward the stairs.

"Does anyone else know?" came the hesitant reply.

"Maybe we should leave him alone," I finally said. I knew him well enough to know he'd be nothing but an asshole right now, though he was always a bitch to me.

As the minutes dragged on, the air grew heavy with uncertainty. It had been nearly thirty minutes, and the conversation shifted to whether we should go up after him.

"Maybe you should check on him, just in case," Em urged, her gaze fixed on Cole, pleading for him to act.

We all nodded, the collective worry palpable.

Excluding me.

"Cole, you should definitely go. It's been too long—just check in on him," Jake insisted, his voice edged with concern.

"Okay fine, though I'm not sure if he wants to see anyone." Cole sighed.

Cole reluctantly headed upstairs while we sank back into the uncomfortable silence, waiting for any sign from him or West. When he returned a few moments later, he looked shaken.

"He's alright," Cole said, but the way he hesitated told me otherwise. "He just wants to be left alone."

A heavy sigh escaped my lips as we all sat in the living room, the tension coiling around us. 

"Guy's come on, let him be." Jake started, "He's like that and we all know it, lets not let that put all of our moods down." 

"I guess," Em started, "What should we do?" 

"Lets watch a movie?" Lia suggested, as Cole walked over to sit down next to her.

"Sounds good to me."