Eminence (Wattpad Edition)

Note 9 - Face to Face

Warren had let Jack into the house, awkwardly gesturing to the living room with Jack preferring to stand, after a while they sat down at the dining room table. They sat on opposite sides. Neither spoke.

"Where's Emanon?" Jack asked, his voice stiff.

Warren glanced toward the open bathroom door, then back without moving much.

"Probably still in the bedroom," he replied.

"Right," Jack said, nodding once, eyes scanning the room.

Jack sat rigid, and his posture was unnaturally straight. He kept adjusting his hair, his eyes flicking around the room like he was bracing for something. Across from him, Warren sat slouched into the chair, eyes locked on Jack with thinly veiled irritation.

"So... how's it been, living with Em?" Jack asked.

Warren didn't even blink. "It's fine," he said.

"That's... good. I appreciate what you've done. Really. You won't have to keep it up much longer."

Warren's posture straightened. "I'm sorry? What?"

"I'm taking Em home with me," Jack began.

"You're not taking her anywhere." Warren interrupted.

Jack's nerves visibly spiked.

"I'm, I'm sorry really. I didn't mean to kind of dump her on you but I'm here now to take her with me."

"Hah, you sound like a parent who wants to impress a new lover."

"No. That's not what I'm getting at!"

"But you did admit to dumping her on me."

"Well. I mean. I figured that that's how you would feel about it."

"If that's how I felt then I wouldn't have taken her home."

"Why did you take her home? Why couldn't she have stayed at the motel that I paid for?" Jack's tone became more agitated by the minute.

"Oh, that's right. I'm sorry. I forgot she was still yours." Warren said sarcastically.

"What are you talking about?!"

"You break her out like a hero, you elope to a motel, you freak out on her and you dump her there leaving her to starve."

"That's not! Why do you care?! You spend one weekend with her and suddenly you get to decide if she leaves?!"

"She's been here 3 weeks now asshole, so yeah I'm not planning on giving her to you! She's not yours!"

"W-What?! What are you?" Jack stopped for a moment, his eyes hinting at being at the spark of a grave realization.

"What exactly is your relationship with Em?"

"That's not something you need to know," Warren replied, his tone clipped.

"Y-You're under a contract? Is that why you're so aggro? That's fine. I'm not asking you to break it. I just want to take her home. She does still belong with me"

Warren's voice dropped to a warning register. "She is home. She's not going anywhere. She belongs here, with me."

"Oh my god..." Jack's eyes widened, his voice lowering. "You've slept with her... haven't you?"

The silence that followed was unbearably uncomfortable.

"Yes," Warren said. "I'm seeing her."

Jack's face stiffened. He leaned in, the calm cracking.