Chapter 54 What Everyone Else Can See

Chapter 54 What Everyone Else Can See
Dalton sat on his bedroom balcony, watching the stars reflect over the dark sea. At his feet, his dog Siohban lay resting, while the muffled sounds of everyone playing board games echoed from downstairs. Dalton took a slow sip from his glass of vodka. He had been annoyed when Ember first found the games in the hallway closet and insisted on playing. He was about to tell her it was a stupid idea, but then Mayzie chimed in, saying it sounded like fun.

Mayzie was always friendly when she drank. He had tried to keep an eye on her, but every time he turned his back, one of his friends, usually the twins, would slip her another glass. By the time he walked away to get some peace, she was drinking vodka straight.

"Why are you out here all alone?" a voice asked from the sliding doors.

For a second, Dalton hoped it was Mayzie. But when he looked over, he saw Thelma leaning against the door frame. He snorted, making no effort to hide his irritation. "Board games are for kids. Why are you in my room? I didn't say you could come in."

Thelma bit her lower lip. "You act so tough and scary, but you're just a softy deep down, aren't you?"

"What?" Dalton scoffed, his lip curling.

A smirk crossed her face. "I think board games are childish too. There are much better, more adult things a man and a woman could be doing right now. Don't you agree?"

"I suppose," Dalton replied flatly. He figured he knew where she was going with this, but he wanted to be sure.

Thelma stepped onto the balcony and leaned against the railing. "It’s so beautiful out here. My room faces the jungle. It smells." She laughed softly. "It wouldn't be so bad if Arking actually paid attention to me, but he just sleeps on the floor. The only time he shows me any affection is when your assistant is around, and I'm pretty sure that’s just to make her jealous."

"I don't care," Dalton said coldly. "Get out of my room."

"I came on this trip to have fun and screw a hot guy. That’s what I was promised," she said, completely ignoring his order. "I was actually disappointed when Arking grabbed me instead of you. I like the strong, quiet, brooding type." She turned around, pressing her back against the railing. "They’re usually the ones who completely lose control in bed. Are you like that?"

"I said get out." His voice shook with rising anger.

Thelma grinned. "Playing hard to get? They're all obsessed with Candy Land or whatever childish toy they're playing with downstairs. If you're worried she’ll walk in, relax. Arking won't care either and, like I said, he hasn't touched me."

"I don't care what the others think. I'm not interested—" He cut himself off as she suddenly dropped to her knees in front of his chair, resting her elbows on his thighs. She almost landed right on Siohban, who decided he'd had enough, got up, and trotted inside to sleep on his dog bed. "I will hit a girl," Dalton warned.

"Kinky," she smirked.

With that single word, a heavy wave of alcohol hit Dalton's nose. Even though he had been drinking himself, he could tell she was way past her limit. "You're drunk."

She nodded. "Yes, but I still want you."

"I have no interest in this, especially with someone who isn't even in her right mind." He reached down to push her arms off him, but paused. He didn't want to shove her too hard and cause her to fall. Sighing heavily, he said, "I'll help you back to your room."

"No, let's do it here. It would be amazing," she smiled slurringly.

"We aren't doing anything." He grabbed her wrists and pulled her to her feet.

The moment they were both standing, Thelma grabbed the back of his hair, pulled him down, and smashed her lips against his. She tried to force her tongue into his mouth before Dalton firmly shoved her away, sending her tumbling to the floor. He wiped the back of his hand across his mouth, scowling deeply. "Stupid bitch!" he snapped.

Instead of getting upset, she began to giggle. "I guess Arking was right."

Dalton raised an eyebrow. "Right about what?"

"That you only care about that assistant of yours." She kept laughing. "But I have news for you... She’s not into you. Anyone can see it. You're always watching her and trying to be near her, but she’s always watching Arking and trying to be near him." She gripped the railing to pull herself up. "She wants him, not you. So why stop yourself from being with me? You can even call me by her name if it helps."

"You're barking up the wrong tree. Go find Gustav or Ariel. Either of them would love to screw you in the jungle with the mosquitoes as an audience."

She giggled again. "Ouch. If I actually cared what you thought, that might have hurt."

"Dalton?" Mayzie's voice called from the doorway.

"Out here," Dalton called back immediately. The second he spoke, Thelma ripped the front of her shirt open, sending buttons flying across the floor, and stepped closer to him. Dalton's hair was already a mess from the forced kiss. 

Mayzie stopped at the door frame, leaning heavily against it. She didn't even seem to notice Thelma or her torn clothes. "We’re out of vodka. What else can we drink?"

"There should be enough left for martinis," he said quickly, relieved that Mayzie hadn't registered what Thelma was trying to imply. He looked closer and saw Mayzie's eyes were half-shut; she was completely wasted.

"I don't think any of us are sober enough to mix martinis."

"Then just drink the gin straight from the bottle," he snapped, wanting Mayzie out of the room before she noticed Thelma's state.

"Psh, fine," Mayzie sighed. "Gin it is." She waved a lazy hand and turned back toward the hallway.

Dalton watched her go. When she stumbled and had to catch herself against the dresser, he rushed inside. "Are you okay?" he asked, grabbing her arm to steady her.

"Ouchie," Mayzie groaned, holding up her right elbow. "Your dresser bit me."

Thelma walked over to the sliding door, silently watching them.

Dalton shook his head. "On second thought, you're done for the night."

"Huh?" She looked up at him, her vision clearly blurry.

"No gin for you," he told her firmly.

"Aww, but the others are waiting. It's almost my turn." She tried to pull away toward the door, but his grip stayed firm.

"I'll go down, give them the gin, and tell them you went to bed."

"But I'm not tired."

He groaned. "You're too drunk. You weren't supposed to get completely wasted, you moron."

Mayzie giggled, poking him gently in the chest. "You called me a moron. You're the moron."

"I'm the moron? I'm not the one crashing into furniture and tripping over my own feet," Dalton replied, acting offended.

"And yet, still a moron," she laughed.

He decided to let it go. There was no winning an argument with a drunk person. "I'm putting you to bed."

"She might throw up. It’s probably a bad idea to let her sleep right now," Thelma chimed in from the doorway. "If she passes out and vomits, she could choke. She looks drunk enough for that to happen."

Mayzie smiled and waved at her. "Hi."

"Hey," Thelma smiled back.

"What happened to your shirt?" Mayzie asked, noticing the torn fabric. "Did Dalton do that? He did that to one of my shirts, too. Asshole."

Dalton winced at the memory. He had hoped she had forgotten about that day, but he was far more terrified of how Thelma would answer.

Thelma just smiled at Mayzie. "No, I did it to myself."

Dalton's head snapped toward Thelma in absolute shock.

"To yourself? Why?" Mayzie asked, confused.

"I was trying to seduce your boss, but he only has eyes for you," Thelma said with a grin. Right then, Mayzie's knees buckled, and Dalton had to grab her tighter to keep her upright. 

Dalton's heart hammered against his ribs. He didn't know how Mayzie would react to that, and while he wanted to deny it, he was too curious to see what she would say.

Mayzie just laughed, putting a finger to her lips. "Dalton doesn't like it when people throw themselves at him. He thinks it's un-at-tractive," she slurred, completely ignoring the comment about Dalton liking her. "He likes girls who play hard to get. He wants to be the predator. Don't tell him I told you."

Thelma nodded, grinning. "I won't. It'll be our little secret."

Dalton muttered under his breath about being right there in the room as he guided Mayzie out into the hallway. She was struggling to walk and couldn't keep up with his steps. They didn't even make it past his own bedroom door. "Alright, this isn't working, and I'm not carrying your heavy ass all the way to your room."

Mayzie giggled. "I'll just sleep on the floor right here," she said, pointing down.

"What are you, my dog?"

She laughed harder. "Oh! I want to sleep with Siohban!"

He sighed, shaking his head with a faint smile. Scooping her up in a bridal carry, he walked into his room and laid her gently on his bed. "You sleep here. I'll take your room." He looked over at the corner. "Siohban." He patted the mattress. The massive dog slowly dragged himself up onto the bed, and Dalton guided him to lie down right next to Mayzie. "Happy?"

Mayzie wrapped her arm around the dog. "Very."

Dalton nodded, turning and walking back out into the hallway with Thelma following close behind.

"You're a lot nicer to her than anyone else," Thelma noted as he unlocked Mayzie's bedroom door. "If you want her to see you as more than a boss, you should probably tell her."

"I don't need romantic advice from a woman who just tried to frame me," he snapped. "Why didn't you tell her I ripped your shirt? That was your plan, wasn't it?"

She nodded honestly. "Yep. But I couldn't go through with it. Honestly, I think you're perfectly capable of ruining your own chances with her without my help. Besides, if you two actually belong together, I’d feel bad for getting in the way."

He rolled his eyes. "I don't think of her that way. Go tell the others to drink the gin."

"You should still check on her tonight. Like I said, she could throw up."

Dalton frowned, stepped into Mayzie's room, and shut the door behind him.

Thelma sighed to herself. "Well, I guess Arking won't be paying me now," she muttered, heading down the hall to change her shirt.

· · ─────── · 𓅪 · ─────── · ·

"You really like her, don't you?" Ember asked.

Clyde was standing by the sliding glass doors on the downstairs veranda, watching Bellatrix through the glass. He frowned slightly at the question. "Is it that obvious?" He leaned against the concrete railing, turning his gaze to Ember.

She smiled. "There's definitely more than just a normal crush going on there."

"She dumped me for him," Clyde said, gesturing toward Blake, who was gently brushing stray hair out of Bellatrix's eyes. They were sitting on the floor next to the board game, and Bellatrix was smiling up at him while spinning one of the game pieces.

"Why him?" Ember asked, shaking her head. "Everyone knows Blake just uses girls and never takes relationships seriously. You're the kind of guy who actually treats a girl like a treasure. He's the type to throw them away like trash when he's bored."

Clyde offered a sad smile. "Thanks. They're only supposed to date for two months. She told me she would come back to me after that. I don't know... it sounded like a fine idea when I first brought it up, but now I feel like I just turned myself into her backup plan. It's pretty clear she's catching feelings for him."

Ember's expression hardened. "Then we have to make sure she doesn't."

"What do you mean?"

"You need to step in every chance you get. Whenever she's alone, be there. Whenever she's with him, do things to remind her you exist. Text her, buy her gifts." She leaned her back against the railing. "Don't let her forget that a real man is waiting for her while she messes around with a fool."

"I don't want to look desperate," Clyde said, folding his hands as he watched Bellatrix talk to Blake. "She already knows I'm jealous. If I push too hard, I might just drive her away completely."

"I've seen her watching you when she thinks you aren't looking," Ember countered. "And she definitely doesn't like me. She glares at me every time I touch your arm or bring you a drink. Believe me, she's paying attention, and she hates that I'm around you." Ember laughed softly. "We should take it a step further."

"Further?"

She nodded. "If she sees you moving on with me, she might just drop her little toy and run right back to her forever guy."

Clyde looked at her skeptically. "Why are you helping me? We barely know each other."

"Because I hate Blake," she said bitterly. "More than one of my friends has fallen for his charm, only to be tossed aside. Actually... he did it to me, too." She let out a heavy sigh. "Notice how he doesn't even look at me? He acts like we didn't just spend three weeks together in Italy. Like I never existed."

Clyde watched the pain flash across her face, his irritation softening into sympathy.

"I wouldn't even be that mad if he just nodded at me or acknowledged that I had been part of his life for a little while," Ember continued, looking away. "I wasn't in love with him, but those three weeks meant a lot to me. They changed me, and he acts like it was nothing. I'm just another face in a long line of girls he abandoned." She looked back at Clyde. "Bellatrix thinks she's prepared for the end of their two months, but she won't be. I knew my time with him was temporary, and it still completely broke me. One day we were holding hands, kissing, and he was telling me how beautiful I was. The next day, nothing. No anger, no sadness, just empty space. No phone calls, no goodbyes. It hurts worse than a loud breakup full of fighting. At least with fighting, you have anger to hold onto."

"I know exactly how that feels," Clyde said quietly.

"You do?"

He nodded. "That's how Bellatrix broke up with me a year ago. She said goodbye, but she never explained why. She just walked out of my life and cut off all contact."

"Do you want to save her from going through that same pain, or do you want her to learn the hard way?"

"I want to protect her," Clyde said instantly. "I never want to see her hurt."

Ember smiled. "Then, as of right now, we're dating."

Clyde raised an eyebrow. "You really think this is a good idea?"

"It will trigger her jealousy and make her realize what she's about to lose."

"And if it doesn't work?"

"Then she was never really yours, and you need to let her go. If you hold onto something too tightly, it eventually slips through your fingers anyway." She grinned. "So, are we doing this?"

Clyde paused, then nodded. "Alright. Yes. But if she asks, we're only together until she and Blake are over. You know that, right?"

Ember smirked, shaking her head. "Oh, I'll tell her you said that, but then I'll tell her I have no intention of letting you go. I'll make sure she thinks that by the end of the two months, you'll be completely mine."

Clyde let out a nervous laugh. "You're really going to say that?"

"Of course," Ember laughed. "We're trying to make her jealous, remember? She has to consider me as a real threat, not just a temporary rebound."

"I don't know if this is smart," Clyde admitted, "but it beats standing around waiting for her to choose me."

Out of the corner of her eye, Ember saw Bellatrix glance over her shoulder at them through the window. Moving quickly, Ember grabbed the collar of Clyde's shirt and pulled him into a firm kiss. Pulling back just an inch, she whispered, "She's looking."

Clyde's hands instinctively found Ember's shoulders, and he let the kiss continue. It was light, without any real passion, but it definitely didn't look like a friendly kiss.

"Hey!" Bellatrix's voice cut through the air as she slid the glass door open.

They both pulled apart and looked at her.

Bellatrix cleared her throat, her face flushed with embarrassment. "Mayzie went to sleep. Dalton said that we can finish the rest of the rum."

"Oh, thanks," Ember answered smoothly before Clyde could speak. "We'll be right in. Give us just a couple of minutes?"

Bellatrix swallowed hard. "Well, we want to keep playing the game." She coughed to clear her throat again. "I mean, we're pouring the drinks now, so we're starting soon."

"Perfect, we'll be there in a second," Ember smiled. The moment Bellatrix walked back inside, Ember turned to Clyde with a triumphant grin. "See? Jealousy. Told you so."

Clyde's face was bright red, and he was desperately trying to hide it.

"I'm only the second girl you've ever kissed, aren't I?" Ember teased.

"Wha—what?"

Ember laughed. "That is so cute. You're so innocent. Did you and Bellatrix lose your virginity to each other too?" She let go of his collar and stepped back.

"We never... she wanted to wait..." He cleared his throat, looking down.

"You've never done it?"

Clyde's face went from pink to a deep, burning crimson. "Oh, jeez."

Ember's grin widened. "Well, we'll just have to fix that too."

"Wait, not with you, right?"

"Of course, with me," Ember said with a wink. "I promise you Bellatrix has already given hers to Blake. I can hear them through the walls at night. Fair is fair."

She turned and headed back inside the house, leaving Clyde alone on the veranda, trying frantically to cool down his burning cheeks. He still wasn't entirely sure about Ember's plan, but he had to admit... she made a very convincing argument.