BEG FOR IT

Chapter 29 - Beatrix

Beatrix :

              "Bee... spill it out already. What's the long story?" Emma stepped in front of me, her eyes dancing with curiosity, lips curled into a wide smile. "Last night, you came home alone, I remember that much—so when did he show up?"

I sighed, keeping my expression carefully neutral.
 
              "Something happened between him and his dad," I said, "He just came over to stay the night. That's all."

            "Really?" Emma raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced. "Because what I saw just now..."

I cut her off, placing a hand gently over her mouth before she could finish the sentence.
 
       "It's nothing like that, okay?"

          "Yeah, yeah—it's nothing like that," she repeated with a teasing smirk. "I never thought you two would end up so in love. It's going to be so fun telling your mom—"

She stopped mid-sentence.

My eyes narrowed.

         "What did you just say?"

           "I was just saying how fun your story is," she said quickly, glancing away like a child caught red-handed.

             "Emma," I said, my voice tightening, "did you tell my mother about Ethan?"

            "Nope. I didn't," she replied a little too fast. "I didn't, okay? I'm not a loudmouth."

I crossed my arms.

           "You become a loudmouth when it comes to my mom, though."

         "Okay..." She exhaled. "Fine. I did tell her a little. But not everything! It wasn't a big deal, alright?" She shrugged.

I stared at her, speechless for a moment. I knew my mom and Emaa were close—almost like old friends—but I didn't expect her to spill the tea that fast. It was... surprising, though not entirely unexpected.

Without a word, I walked past her.

              "Bee, bee..." she called after me, trailing behind. "I just wanted your mom to know that you're happy. That you finally found someone you trust."

I stopped and turned back, my tone softer "Yeah, I get it. But still, you should've asked me first before saying anything."

               "And what would you have said? 'Sure, Emaa, go ahead and tell Mom everything?' You would never say that." She laughed a little. "Wait... are you really mad?"
 
             "I'm not mad," I said, letting a small smile creep in. "But from now on, you have to ask me what you can tell her and what you can't. Deal?"

            "Deal," she said with a dramatic nod. "Mouth. Shut."

           "Oh, and you're definitely not telling her anything you saw today."

         "My lips are sealed," she replied, making an exaggerated zipper motion across her mouth.

I gave her a long look, then finally let myself relax. I wasn't angry—not really. It's not like I planned to keep Ethan a secret forever. And if I were that determined, I would've warned Emma long ago. But still... next time, she's asking first.

       

            "Hey, what's up?" Ethan called as he stepped into the hallway, waving toward Emma, who was clattering around in the kitchen.