Anger

Anger
Chapter Seventy
A Rash Decision 

“I’m going to Easton.”

Terry looked up from his laptop at the anxious man before him. He was still in the black pants he wore to bed last night and his hair was a wreck. The skin around his eyes was swollen, giving a puffy, worn appearance. That would be expected since Lucian hasn’t spent the last few days trying to reach Artemis. 

Terry leaned against the couch. This was actually the first thing Lucian had said to him regarding Artemis since the incident. 

“That’s fine. A boring retirement plan seems very on brand for you,” Terry shrugged, playing dumb. Lucian’s tongue clicked.

“I’m going after him,” he admitted.

Terry arched a brow. “You mean the same person that explicitly wanted you not to show your face to him? The one who blocked every number you’ve texted him with in the last three days?”

Lucian's jaw locked but Terry wasn’t done talking. 

“I’ll say you should let him be. The kid deserves better than some half-baked affection. If you ask me, I'd say he should move on. There are many…”

“I like him, Terry,” Lucian’s sudden admission surprised his friend. His blue eyes hardened with determination. “And I'm going to get him back, no matter what it takes.”

Terry remained silent for a while, critically accessing the man before him. Lucian’s expression remained serious , giving him the confirmation he needed. With a little stretch, he placed the laptop on the table, then patted the empty space beside him. 

Lucian hesitated a second before seating. Terry pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lighter from his pocket. A frown morphed on Lucian’s face when he was handed a stick. 

Terry rolled his eyes and stuffed it between the man’s lips. The lighter came on in a flick but Lucian made no move to take it out. “Cigarettes are no different from alcohol. They're both going to fuck you up.”

The stick lit up instantly and the smoke invaded Lucina’s nostrils with a familiar yet strange burn. He took a drag and felt his lungs cloud. He took it out coughing. 

Terry chuckled, “I guess in your case, it's the alcohol.” He lit his own cigarette. “You’ve always been able to manage a stick or two. What happened?”

“Artemis smokes,” Lucian said between coughs and teary eyes. A short breathy laugh escaped Terry. 

“No shit. You were trying to leave an impression on him?”

“it worked, you know. He’s twenty-one and has no business consuming that many cigarettes. He doesn’t smoke around me anymore, just so you know,” Lucian muttered. He took another drag and this time, it felt a lot nicer.

“What now?” His head fell back on the couch as the smoke escaped his lips. “Tell me what to do, Terry or God help me, I’ll disregard those threats and go to him. I don’t care if he shoots me on the spot.”

“You’ve always been a big talker, but don’t get too ahead of yourself. Taking a bullet from someone you love is not that simple,” Terry eyed him. “I think if you want to get back in his life, it should be more natural. Something he can’t control. Then he’ll less likely murder you.”

“I don’t think he’s that much of a killer though,” Lucian mumbled . A smile touched Terry’s lips but he didn’t comment on it. The man was either in denial or love was truly blind. “I think I get the no control part but what happens after that?”

“You love, he loves you, I think proximity can solve the rest. If you can show him how sincere you are and how far you’re willing to go to earn back his trust, I think that should solve it. It's hard for him to keep denying his feelings for you when you’re in his face everyday.” 

The suggestion made sense to him for the most part. He turned to Lucina who was deep in thought, considering his words. He patted him gently on the back. 

“It's going to be fine. The kid loves you. Just don’t force things okay? Take it slow and most importantly, give him time.”

“Yeah, I think I know what to do now,” Lucian stood up suddenly. Terry blinked at him. “Thanks, man. Be right back.”

“Wait, what are you planning…” The words died as Lucian vanished into the room. Terry sighed and grabbed his laptop. “You better know what you’re doing, Lucian. Don’t fuck things more than they already are.”



Artemis was about to hit the club for the first time since he got in Easton. The place was mundane compared to New York and it was exactly what he needed right now. 

He didn’t know about the nightlife though. Leo said he shouldn’t get his hopes up but the past few days have been hectic avoiding Stefan. The spamming got a lot worse, plus the dude wanted to know everything down to the type of air he was breathing. 

He had to set up a meeting tomorrow just to get him off his ass. 

The club outing was for a different reason though. As you can guess, Lucian’s calls disrupted the whole healing process. He'd blocked about five numbers and deleted the messages. The only thing keeping him from dumping the phone as a whole was his ass of a father. 

Like Stefan said, the best way to forget a man was to get under another. Artemis couldn’t picture himself getting wrecked by another man but he was very open to his women. They kept him afloat while his life was shit and didn’t have power over him like Lucian. 

He adjusted the leather jacket one last time and ruffled the messy curls. His phone rang just as he was contemplating whether to take the condoms or not. His mood sour like it did every time Trevor’s call came on but he answered anyway. 

“What is it this time?”

Trevor’s lively chuckle felt a distaste in his mouth. “How're you doing, son? Has your guest arrived yet?”

Nothing came to Artemis's mind at first. He was just genuinely confused. “What guest?” 

“The one that will be moving in with you,” Trevor answered nonchalantly. “I have some errands you two will be running for the next couple of weeks so ensure…”

“Wait, let me get this straight,” Artemis cut in. “You arranged for someone to move into MY house? Without my consent?”

“Why is that a problem? It'll be a lot easier for  you two to work together,” Trevor’s tone came out clipped. The man was not pleased with the questions but Artemis couldn’t care less. 

“No! This is my personal space. My privacy. I got this place to breathe! I don’t need anyone hovering around me! You better send whoever it is back or I swear I'll…”

“He’s going to stay with you and you will do nothing about it. You don’t want to cross me, Artemis.”

The cold threat sent a momentary chill down his spine but Artemis, being stubborn as he was, refused to accept it. He was going to argue some more when the door bell rang. 

The parasite was here. 

A cold laugh escaped him. His eyes flickered to the gun on the vanity and he picked it up without second thoughts then marched to the door. The moment he opened the door, his body stilled .

Lucian was standing there with luggage in his hands. He flashed one of the most breathtaking smiles Artemis had ever seen.

“Hello there, roommate.”

Artemis had never felt this much anger in a long time.