Entwined - James Beaufort X OC

PART TWO

PART TWO

~

Adelaide broke through the surface of the water as she came up for air. "That's 53.73 seconds, Charlemagne! Keep it up!" Coach shouted as Adelaide removed her swimming goggles, clearing her vision.

Ivy swam up next to her. "I guess you're doing pretty good out there."

"Shut up!" Adelaide said, throwing water at Ivy's face.

"Did you get your piece handed in to Mr. Glass?" Ivy asked.

"I did. Well, kind of. He wasn't there, so I left it on his desk," Adelaide replied.

"Oh, why were you gone for so long?"

"Long story. I ended up bumping into James, and we got into a massive argument. He can be such a bastard at times," Adelaide said in a hushed voice.

"Tell me about it. And to think you're gonna have to sleep with this man at some point in your life," Ivy blurted out.

"Ivy, what the fuck!"

"Well, am I wrong? You are destined to marry him. Your parents will be expecting an heir, whether that's a boy or a gi—" Ivy was cut off.

"Hey, Addy!" Theo called out, walking alongside the edge of the pool.

"Theo! What are you doing here?" Adelaide asked, glancing around to see if anyone noticed them. She always became paranoid in situations like this, not wanting to disappoint her family because of her actions.

"I thought I'd stop and say hi. I just finished lacrosse training. Big match tomorrow. Are you both coming?" Theo asked, gesturing to the two girls at the edge of the pool. Adelaide had almost forgotten Ivy was there, too preoccupied with worrying if anyone noticed Theo.

"Yes, I think we are," Ivy replied, looking at Adelaide. "You know what? I'll leave you two to it. Good luck with the match tomorrow," Ivy said, getting out of the pool and heading towards the changing rooms.

An awkward silence fell between Adelaide and Theo. It had never been like this before. Adelaide had become much more paranoid ever since her conversation with James that morning. "Is everything okay with you?" Theo asked as she began to lift herself out of the water.

"Yep," Adelaide replied bluntly.

"It doesn't seem like it," Theo pushed, instinctively reaching to grab Adelaide's waist, but she quickly moved away so his touch didn't linger.

"Do you think we're too obvious?" Adelaide asked.

"What do you mean?"

"...James knows," Adelaide admitted.

"Knows what?"

"About us. Did you let it slip or something? How does he know?" Adelaide grilled Theo.

"How do you know James knows?" Theo asked, ignoring her question.

"I was speaking with him this morning, and he mentioned it," Adelaide admitted.

"You were speaking to your 'future husband'?"

"Why are you trying to turn this on me? I'm just trying to figure out how James found out in the first place. I thought we were being very careful. Besides, you can't expect me never to speak to the man. At the end of the day, we are engaged. He comes over for family dinners, we have business meetings together—it would be unusual if we didn't talk," Adelaide defended herself.

"Unfuckingbelievable," Theo muttered, starting to walk away.

Adelaide quickly grabbed his hand and pulled him back before quickly letting him go. "You know what you signed up for. And besides, it doesn't matter because I love you. None of that is real," Adelaide said. "Look, I have to go. My brother is probably waiting for me. Talk later?"

"Yeah, sure," Theo replied before Adelaide hurried off to the changing room to get dressed and pack her things.

~

Adelaide handed her bags to her driver, who placed them in the trunk of the car. As she got in, her younger brother Miles was sitting in the seat beside her, scrolling through his phone.

Adelaide pulled out her own phone and started scrolling through it. "How's lacrosse?" Adelaide asked. Sports were everything for the Charlemagne siblings. It was one of the few things they had achieved on their own, without their parents' support or interference. It was also one of the only things their parents didn't control.

"Yeah, good. We're looking good for the match tomorrow," Miles answered. "Looking good for next year as well. I think Coach is really impressed with my performance. James has been helping me a lot, even letting me take on leadership roles to prepare."

"Really?" Adelaide asked, shocked to hear that James Beaufort was doing something that didn't benefit himself.

"Yeah, why do you seem so shocked?"

"I mean, we're talking about the same James, right? He doesn't do anything unless it benefits him," Adelaide argued.

"You really don't know him, Adelaide. You see him at business meetings and around the dinner table, but that's just a front to keep his father happy. James and I have become really good friends over the past few months, and he's genuinely a nice person," Miles said.

Adelaide was shocked by her brother's reaction. She hadn't realized how close he and James had become. It unsettled her to know that James Beaufort could be so close to someone she cared about so much.

"I find that really hard to believe."

"I thought you, of all people, would understand. You know you can be a real hypocrite at times. James is only putting on a front to please his father, just like you do to please ours," Miles argued.

"I am pleasing our father for the benefit of our future. I don't exactly have a choice!"

"But you do. You're too scared to decide. Just like James," Miles replied bluntly.

"I am nothing like James Beaufort!"

"You are more alike than you think," Miles said.

~

Sorry this is just a short filler chapter, Part 3 coming soon! Do we hate or love Theo?