• dedicated to Kiara-z because she's an absolute darling •

[ 16 ]

I stumbled back away from him, my skin burning where it touched his. My heart was still pounding vigorously and I was afraid he could hear it.

Otter. The way my nickname sliding off his tongue so smoothly made my chest ache.

"What are you doing here?" Ethan asked, frowning.

I could only stare at him mutely.

"Otter?" he repeated, not knowing what that word did to me. His brows were knitted together and having his full attention on me somehow made me feel... good, in a bad way.

The pressure at the back of my eyes built up and to my horror, I felt the pricking of a fresh wave of tears.

My throat felt like sandpaper when I swallowed and I winced. Ethan took a step towards me and I backed away instinctively. It wasn't a good idea to have him near me, not when I was being so irrational. Who knew what I would do?

His lips thinned at my retreat and he stood still, stopping his advances. "What is it? Is it my dad?"

The mention of his father made me bite my lip. That was the man who was going to fire me any day now.

Ethan's gaze sharpened and a look of determination settled over his face. "Go back home, Otter. I'll speak to him."

For a moment, I felt like smiling. Home. He told me to go back home. The phrase somehow warmed my heart, because he was acting like he was my... family.

But then he stormed past me and I shook myself out of that ridiculous fantasy. Ethan Black is not family, he's a client.

And he's a client that I'm going to lose the moment he opens his mouth and blabs to his parents.

"Wait," I called out, running after him. Clutching onto his arm desperately, I dug my shoes into the floor, trying to break his stride. "Don't go, please."

Ethan halted, his body going still. Just like that time in the kitchen, his gaze went to where I was holding on to his arm.

And just like last time, I snatched my hand away and flushed a deep red, not knowing what to say.

But instead of grinning and teasing me like he did previously, Ethan turned to face me, his face unsmiling. "Why do you keep stopping me from talking to my father?"

"I don't stop you from talking to your father," I clarified. "I stop you from talking to your father about me."

He shrugged. "Same thing. That's all we have to talk about."

I sucked in a deep breath at his honesty. In all the time that I'd known Ethan, I'd learned that he was one who was open with his emotions and wasn't afraid to feel.

Till this day, I could see how badly Kira still affected him.

My heart almost softened for him, but suddenly, the image of Miranda Black with her razor-sharp smiles surfaced in my mind. I've heard some things from Ethan, about the best waffles in the world, and I'm a little worried about boundaries, you get me?

"I just don't think your parents need to know every little detail about us, okay?" I snapped at him, the resentment deep inside me resurfacing.

"What?"

"You know, you don't have to tell them every single word I've told you."

"Otter, what are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about Hodge Lodge!" I exploded, the anger getting out of my system in a sudden burst. "You don't have to tell them that I said they sold the best waffles in the world!"

Ethan was still staring at me like I was crazy, which maybe I was. "What on earth are you talking about?"

"Stop playing the innocent," I said, throwing his words back in his face.

Ethan winced, his face contorting in pain. "I shouldn't have said that," he said quietly. "I didn't mean it."

"But you did. Maybe you didn't mean to say it, but you meant it. Every word."

"I'm sorry," he said, taking one step towards me.

I shifted back, raising my hand up to stop him. "Don't."

As I stared at him, I could see how his brows drew together, how the skin around his eyes crinkled in pain, how his mouth tightened.

"I judged you too quickly, and I'm so beyond sorry for it there are no words."

"That's not why I'm mad, Ethan," I told him. "I'm mad because you trusted Kira, even after all the shit she'd done to you, you still trust her - over Carter, over me."

Ethan's fingers ran through his already dishelved hair, clearly frustrated. "Well, what was I supposed to think when she showed me pictures of the two of you together?"

"Tell her to fuck off? Why did you even care?"

"Because I just do!" Ethan shouted. "Maybe that's my problem, I care too damn much."

I jerked back at the vehemence in his tone, feeling my heart rate kick up.

When Ethan saw me withdraw from him, he let out a breath slowly and cursed, softening his stance instantly. "Look," he said in a measured tone. "I'm sorry about that. And I'm sorry for what I said to you that time."

I swallowed, willing myself to stay rooted even as every fibre of my being was yelling at me to get out of the situation. "I-It's okay," I said, hating how unsure I sounded. Get your shit together, Jade, I scolded myself.

Ethan advanced towards me slowly but I stumbled back away from him.

He winced. "Please, just, let me come near you. I promise I won't do anything."

I shook my head vigorously. "I don't think we should be doing this."

"What are we doing?"

My tongue darted out to wet my dry lips as I stared at him, trying to figure out when exactly our relationship had reached this stage. It felt only like yesterday when I had to remind myself every morning that murder was a crime.

The both of us remained silent, letting the tension build with every second that passed. I felt sweat forming on my upper lip as I grew more and more fidgety.

Unable to bear the weight of his gaze any longer, I broke eye contact, staring at the marbled tiles.

Ethan let out an audible breath while I held mine.

"Why did you suddenly bring up Hodge Lodge?" he asked, breaking the silence.

I breathed out with relief, feeling my knees go weak. Thank God he's dropping the subject.

"I know you told your mother about Hodge Lodge and how I said they had the best waffles and ice cream in the world," I said quietly. "I'm not angry at you for that, I have no right. I would just really appreciate it if you didn't tell her every single thing I tell you."

Ethan was still staring at me like I'd grown two heads. "Otter, I've never told my mother that. I would never."

"You don't have to lie. I'm not mad at you, honest."

"I'm not lying!"

"Well, did a little birdy fly to her and tell her those things then?" I snapped, tired of his act. "I already told you I'm not mad so you can drop this innocent act."

Ethan grabbed my shoulders in a tight grip and I almost winced. "Otter, listen to me. I never told her those things. Whoever it was, it wasn't me."

I scoffed, not believing him for a second. "Who else could it be?"

Those green eyes remained steady on my face. "That's what we have to find out."

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I couldn't stop Ethan from speaking to his father. Apparently they had an appointment, so I trudged back to Ethan's apartment, praying this wouldn't be the last time I was making this journey.

"Hey Jade!" Riley called out cheerfully when I entered the security room.

My head was down the whole time I walked here because I didn't want anyone to see me like this.

"Hey," I said to Riley, hoping that she could pick up on my tone and take the hint.

Unfortunately, the red-head didn't. "Wait up! I need to talk to you."

My chest heaved on a sigh and I turned to face her, resigned. "What is it, Riley?"

"Have you heard about Black Publishing?"

I frowned. "Isn't that Mr Black's company?"

Riley nodded excitedly. "Guess what? It's expanding!"

I stared blankly at her. "What?"

"Mr Black is breaking into the Asian market with his company, which is going to make Black Publishing even bigger than it already is! Isn't that exciting?"

"I think we have different definitions of what is exciting."

"Oh come on, Jade!" Riley exclaimed, bumping shoulders with me. "This means that the Blacks' are going to gain way more exposure with the public!"

"Oh!" I brightened up, finally getting her point. "You mean that there'll be more stuff happening?"

She nodded, the grin still on her face.

"That's really cool, Ri," I laughed. "But that means security probably needs to get a lot tighter and you can't keep slacking off in here to eat ramen."

Her face flushed with indignant anger. "I do not slack off in here to eat ramen!"

My brows raised. "Whatever you say." Then, I started to walk away, but Riley caught up with me, apparently still not done talking.

"By the way," she piped up, "don't worry about the whole club incident, Jade, I won't breathe a word of it to Mr Black."

I glanced at her. "What?"

Riley winked at me conspirationally. "I got the memo alright."

I felt like I was completely losing the plot. "What are you talking about?"

Those blue eyes were wide in her face. "Do you not know about it?"

"No," I said, feeling more agitated by the second. "What's going on?"

"I thought you knew... Ethan, he-" she stammered out, her hands wringing together.

"Ethan?" I said in a sharper tone than I'd intended.

She blinked. "Yes, Ethan, he t-told us not to tell Mr Black about what happened at the club. Well I mean, telling is too light. He practically threatened us not to report it to Mr Black or we'll lose our jobs."

I felt a sudden wave of relief wash over me. My job is safe. But why would Ethan do something like that, on his own accord? "Is he trying to save his skin or something?"

Riley seemed confused. "I'm not sure, you can go and ask him."

I pivoted and left, not bothering to listen to what Riley had to say. I'd have to apologise, but now wasn't the time.

Why was Ethan doing this? Did he know that my job was on the line? And if he knew, why would he go to such lengths to silence the team? Why didn't he jump in joy and turn me in himself, seeing as that was what he wanted since the beginning?

But I knew that somewhere along the way, he'd changed, and so had I. Whatever that meant for the both of us, I wasn't sure, and I was curious to know.

As it would seem, luck was on my side and I saw Ethan sitting on the couch with Carter when I walked into his apartment.

"Hey Jade," Carter called when he saw me.

Ethan whipped his head and I could've sworn a smile curved his lips before he wiped it away. "I need to talk to you."

"Oh," I said, surprised. "So do I."

Ethan stood up and beckoned me to follow him to his bedroom. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a sly smirk form on Carter's face. I trailed after Ethan, pointedly avoiding Carter's gaze.

When we walked into the room and was just about to shut the door, he yelled to us, "Keep it quiet, please!"

Ethan rolled his eyes but a small smile was playing on his lips.

I shifted on my feet, trying to keep my eyes on his face instead of letting them drop to the ground.

Ethan cleared his throat. "So, um... What did you want to tell me?"

"You told the team not to blab about the club incident," I stated.

"Yeah, I did."

"Why?"

His shoulders lifted up in a casual shrug. "I didn't want to give my father another reason to yell at me."

"Oh," I said, surprised at his answer. "That's it?"

Ethan frowned. "Why? What did you think I did it for?"

My cheeks heated up at his question and I felt stupidly naïve in that moment. Somehow, I'd fooled myself into thinking that he did it for me, that he knew about my predicament and didn't want me to leave.

"Nothing," I muttered. "What was it you wanted to tell me?"

Suddenly, Ethan's stance changed. He looked apprehensive and he opened his mouth, hesitating to speak. "Well, my brilliant plan didn't work."

"What brilliant plan?"

"The plan to shut up about what happened at the club."

I froze on the spot, feeling my blood turn ice cold. "What?"

"I was talking to my father earlier and he already knew about it."

My jaw went slack. "How did he know? Didn't you tell the team not to blab?"

"I did! But he still found out anyway."

"What?" I forced myself to swallow, feeling the burn in my throat. Blood was rushing through my ears and I could barely hear myself speak. "What are you saying?"

"But nothing bad happened!" Ethan reassured. "Well, nothing really bad happened."

"Spit it out, Black."

He bit his lips, clearly struggling to put the words together. "My father wants security to be tightened."

I nodded, trying to be patient. What does tightening security mean?

"Which means he wants me to be watched 24/7."

"And?" I prompted.

"No, Otter, I really mean 24/7. Even when I'm sleeping."

I blinked. "Oh. Oh."

Ethan scratched his neck, laughing nervously. "Yeah. Oh."

"Well, who did he assign that lovely duty to?"

One side of his mouth quirked up. "You, actually."

I stumbled back. "Me?"

He nodded.

My heart started beating faster at the thought of sharing a room with Ethan. Yet something about Harvey Black's decision struck me the wrong way. "But if he knows about the club incident, how does he still trust me with your safety? Shouldn't he be firing me?"

Ethan shrugged, but I could see that his face was carefully blank. Something went down between the father and son duo. Something that ended in me being allocated for night duty.

"So," I said lightly, "how do we do this then? Am I only doing night shifts? Or do my daytime shifts remain the same?"

"Uh... Remain the same?"

"You don't sound very confident."

"I am. It remains the same."

I frowned. That would mean I'll be spending more than half the day around Ethan Black. That was a heck load of time to be around somebody.

And we needed to address the elephant in the room. "What about the sleeping arrangements?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

Ethan scratched his neck once again, looking around his room. There was a large king-sized bed and a two-seater couch. "Um, I'll take the couch. You can have the bed."

That sounds wonderful. "Don't be ridiculous," I said instead. "I'll take the couch."

He frowned. "You're the one being ridiculous. How can I let you sleep on the couch while I sleep on the bed?"

"Why not?" I crossed my arms. "I'm going to be sleeping here every night. I can't expect you to sleep on the couch just because I'm here protecting you."

"Look, it's okay. I'll just take the couch. I don't mind."

"Ethan, you're my boss."

"Technically, I'm only your client."

"Which also makes you my boss."

A scowl appeared on his face and I braced myself for another argument from him. But he just muttered, "Fine," and turned around.

I stared at his back. Why was he throwing such a big fuss over sleeping on the bed?

If he wasn't a client, he wouldn't be able to come five feet near the bed because I would definitely be hogging it. Why else would Kaden dread having me sleep over at his place?

Honestly, the guy didn't know how lucky he was.

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okAY DONT EVEN SAY IT IK THIS CHAPTER WASNT THE BEST BUT SOMEHOW I JUST COULDNT WRITE IM SORRY anyway thank you for reading and dont forget to share your thoughts with me!!

until next time,
fleur xoxo