Tempted Hearts (bxb)

Chapter 19 - Blood Bound

In life, there will always be a core memory that stands out to us, for as long as we live. As if by second nature, my hand clutched his, and my tears spilt onto his shirt; my very essence felt like it had just collapsed in a burst of flames.

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"This guy's house is pretty much exactly how I imagined it," Lilly whispered as we began walking up the grey-carpeted stairs, stains of all sorts barely visible all the way up to the top step.

When I say my that heart was beating rapidly, it was comparable to that of Jake's driving. It was uncontrollable, the panic of what Charlie would do once he found us within his territory. As if a war between two beasts was soon to commence, all while two not-so-ferocious beasts helplessly yelled at the two to stop.

The boy in front of me then turned around to face me, checking up on me. I tried to hide my visible anxiety, looking away from him before suddenly realising that it looked pretty suspicious and then accidentally making direct eye contact with him.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay, just focus on us, alright?" He reached an arm out and put it on my shoulder. This interaction lingered just a second longer than it probably should have, as Lilly looked between us with a confused face.

I nodded subtly, swallowing hard and following close behind them, ignoring his sister's reaction. Everything over the past week had led up to that moment. From knocking on Lilly's door that morning to seeing Emily, learning about her past and then meeting Charlie. It had all been so much to take in, and our parents were to be returning from their respective holidays and work in only a couple of days. My whole world had been turned upside down during their little vacation and their knowledge of what happened over the course of their absence barely even scratched the surface of reality.

Before we could stop to have a conversation about our plan, Lilly reached for the door handle and began to turn it. Jake went to stop her, but they looked at one another. He let her continue, stepping into the room. I caught a waft of extremely strong alcohol, I felt like I couldn't even breathe and that I'd forgotten what fresh air smelled like.

"Lilly? Jake?" A soft voice questioned in shock and confusion, looking on at the two of them as I then popped up between the siblings.

Candles lined the windowsill behind them, it looked like a weak attempt at a romantic gesture, which, in Charlie's case wouldn't be intimate in the slightest. His bed sheets were dark and dull, similar to his frantically shaking curtains that twisted and pulled in the harsh wind. A storm was brewing.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Charlie stood up, suddenly enraged at the simple sight of us. He was shirtless and wearing only grey joggers, smoking God-knows-what. Even though he was a massive asshole, he actually had a decently toned body which he decided to cover in rather poorly-drawn tattoos. One of a moth on the left side of his chest and another of a crow on his right shoulder.

Jake moved forward slightly so that he was positioned in front of both me and Lilly. "Listen, we're just here to take Emily back to Cameron's, he's really worried about her," he uttered, taking another step into the room.

"You're in my fucking house. I didn't say you could come here. Leave right now or I swear I'll-"

"Swear to us you'll what?" Lilly began speaking and by the look on Jake's face, that clearly hadn't matched up with the plan that he had in mind. "Emily you need to come with us. You need to get tests done and be resting at Cameron's, alright?"

Charlie began to move toward us. "She's mine and I'll be taking her, not that fucking queer Cameron guy," he spat.

"He's literally insulting your best friend. What do you even see in this loser?" Lilly blurted out aggressively, raising Jake's eyebrows with fear striking his icy blue eyes.