The Incubus Under My Bed #wattys2019

Chapter 19- Prime Suspect

Stella and Henri went to the café to wait for Aria. She drove out to her grandmother's house and rushed back. "What happened to your hand?" Stella said looking at his bruised knuckles as he handed her a cup of coffee.

"I punched my brother in the face, and then assaulted a punching bag," he said in his nonchalant tone.

"Why did you punch him in the face?" she asked.

"He kissed Aria," Henri said with a humorless laugh.

Stella's eyes widened as they studied him. She couldn't have heard him right. "Say that again?" she asked.

"David. Kissed. Aria," he said slowly.

"Why?"

"I don't know, and I don't care," he said.

Stella laughed. "You care and you should care, did you talk to her?" Stella asked.

"We're not in the place to talk to each other. I used to find how passionate she is cute."

"If I didn't know you were crazy before, I know now," Stella said getting a genuine smile from him.

"Everything's going to work out, you just have to work at it," Stella said with a smile as she took his hand. "I don't know what it is but, Aria, just isn't Aria, right now."

"Hey, how's Kaitlyn?" Tyrell asked as he approached their table.

"She's stable and the doctors are waiting for her to wake up," Stella smiled at him. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Tyrell got in a fight with Dr. Stein, apparently he has a student fetish," Cohen said.

"What are you talking about?" Stella asked.

"He made out with Keeda and Tyrell handled his business," Cohen laughed.

"It's not a big deal," Tyrell said as he looked at Stella.

"It seems like a big enough deal, if you felt the need to assault a professor and put your whole academic career on the line because of it," Stella said. Henri could pick up on the underlays between the two. "I'm going to the bathroom," she said.

Tyrell hung his head, and Henri honestly felt his pain. He knew how it felt to strike out with every move he made.

_IUMB_

Tyrell and Cohen left, but there was still no sign of Stella. He knocked on the family bathroom door and he didn't hear anything. He tried to open the door, but it was locked. "Stella it's me let me in," he said. Henri heard footsteps and soon the lock unhinging. "You okay?"

"No," she cried. Henri wrapped his arms around her and tried to comfort her. "Why did I do this?" she asked him. "Why did I let myself believe that he could love me?"

"Stella, that doesn't mean he can't love you," Henri said.

"It obviously means he's still in love with Aria, and she's my cousin. I had sex with my cousin's ex-boyfriend," she cried.

"Stella you guys were drunk."

"I wasn't drunk. This wasn't random. I liked him before they got together, and when they started dating, I let it go, but he started asking me about her, after they broke-up. Then, we started to talk about Aria less and less, and I realized those feelings, they were still there," she said looking up at Henri for the tiniest bit of reassurance.

"So, he knew how you felt?" he asked.

"Not completely, but yes."

"Then he'll do the right thing, because he's a good guy," Henri said hugging her again when her phone buzzed. "It's Logan hold on. Hey what's up?"

"Is Henri with you?" he asked.

"Yeah." She looked at Henri puzzled.

"Could you guys come upstairs Kaitlyn just woke up?" Logan asked.

"Okay we'll be right up," Stella said. "Kaitlyn woke up, let's go," she said grabbing some tissue and she cleaned her face.

_IUMB_

When they got up there Iesha and Grant were already in the room with Kaitlyn. "Can I talk to you two really quick?" Logan asked as he and another officer led them to an empty room.

"What's going on?" Stella asked.

"I just need to know where Mr. Stein was at five this evening?"

"I was in the training room," he said.

"Can anyone confirm that?" Logan asked looking to Stella.

"It was empty until six when Tyrell came in for practice."

"I'm sorry, but I have to take you in," Logan said.

"What? Why?" Stella asked.

Logan leaned in and whispered. "She just described being attacked by an incubus, and you and your brother are the only ones I know," Logan said.

"Logan, he didn't do it," Stella yelled.

"I'm just going to question him," Logan reassured her. "Book him," he ordered the officer.

_IUMB_

Aria got out of her car when she saw Tyrell approaching. "Thanks for meeting me," she said. "Are you okay?" she asked him.

"All those nights you were in the lab-did you guys have sex?" he asked her.

"No! I've never done anything with anyone while we were together. I only started having feelings for David this past summer. It just happened one day. And I'm sorry," she said. "I just want you to be happy."

"I need to tell you something, you might not like."

"I will always love you Tyrell, but I'm not in love with you," she said.

"No," he said. "I like Stella and we had sex last night after Seth's party," he confessed.

Aria was taken aback, by what he said. "You and Stella did what?" she asked.

"I know that what we did crossed the line, but I do care about her Ar," he assured her.

"I love you guys and if you want to be together, I support you," she smiled. "I meant it when I said I want you to be happy."

Tyrell hugged her. "Thanks."

"Thank you for always being here when I need you," she smiled. "You really are my best friend."