Running from His Claim (Beauty and the Beast #2)

Chapter 49

We greeted Amber's mother in a rush as we raced up the stairs to her room. Chuck was camped out in front of her door looking like a mess. When he saw us he quickly stood and came to us.

"Oh, thank goodness!" he mumbled, drawing each of us into a hug. "Please tell me you can help me fix this."

"We're going to try," I said softly.

"Just hang tight," Anya instructed and dragged me to the door where she knocked softly. "Amber? Honey, it's me and Belle here. Wanna open up?"

There was silence for a short while, then we heard shuffling and the door opened a crack. She opened it only a little wider and we both slipped through, then she locked the door again. I studied the room. The windows were open but the blinds were drawn. Her bed was unmade and she still had bed hair and her pyjamas on. "Hi guys."

"Hey." Anya drew her in for a long hug which I turned into a group hug. It went on for so long she started giggling. "Okay, okay!"

Anya pouted dramatically but drew back and we all sat on the bed.

"Wanna tell us what's wrong?" I asked gently.

She frowned, staring at the covers as she searched for the words, then she said sadly, "Derek is Chuck's best friend."

When she didn't continue I prompted, "And?"

She looked up incredulously as if we were missing the obvious. "Derek is his best friend. Anya is mine - as are you."

"What happened?" Anya asked cautiously.

"Chuck told me when Derek told you how he feels about you," she said apologetically to me, then threw a guilty glance at Anya. "He um... he stood me up so he could comfort Derek because you obviously shot him down. And I realised that we're taking sides now. A relationship never survives when the two people involved are on different sides."

I looked at Anya and she wore the same guilty look I did. We'd dragged Amber into this. "No one is asking you to take sides," I said gently, squeezing her hand.

She squeezed back. "Well Chuck is, and I can't take Derek side."

"Am, he didn't take Derek's side. They fought right before Derek came into my house with his madness. He was trying to stop Derek but I guess he didn't get through."

Her eyes grew round and then filled with tears and hope. "Really?"

"Even if he agreed with Derek - which he doesn't - he'd never risk losing you. That boy loves you," Anya pointed out. "And you're going to let him in and talk things through because we're not going destroy another relationship."

"I'm so sorry!" Amber gasped. "I didn't mean to imply that this was all your fault!"

Anya smiled wryly but I saw the pain in her eyes. "We know. And we're leaving so you and Chuck can go back to being the most annoyingly adorable and stable couple ever."

She grinned back. "Thanks."

We both hugged her then stood up. "I'm letting him in," I warned her.

"Wait!" she shrieked, jumping up in a frenzy. "I'm a mess! My room is a mess! Stall!"

I laughed and pulled the door open. Chuck came charging in, nearly barrelling into Anya and I as he rushed to his girlfriend and caught her up in a huge hug. We exchanged a look and a giggle before we gave them privacy. We talked to her mother long enough to calm her down before we stepped outside.

And found my car parked neatly next to Anya's.

"Wait, how'd your car get here?" she frowned. "I thought we left it in the forest."