Wanna Watch

Wanna Watch
Chapter Seventy-One
You Might Regret It

“Hello there, roommate.”

Artemis had never felt this much anger in a long time. The smile that once gave him tingles inside, now made him boil. His fingers curled tightly around the gun.

The steel-grey eyes burned with rage, pinning Lucian on the spot. The man’s smile slowly faded before his eyes flickered to the gun in Artemis’ hand. It wasn’t pointed at him but it could as well have.

“I’m guessing you’ve met each other? I'll send the details of the job in two days. Until then, have fun—” the man paused suddenly. “And oh, if you kill him, there will be very severe consequences and I'm not just talking about the box.”

Artemis’ blood ran cold, displacing the fury. The line went dead but he still held the phone to his ear, waiting for the suffocating dread that now held him on chokehold to disappear. 

“Mind if I come in?”

The sound of Lucian's voice broke him out of the mind-prison he was trapped in. Artemis exhaled slowly, shutting his eyes briefly before focusing on Lucian. 

“What are you doing here, Lucian?” His voice came out calm—the direct opposite of what he felt inside. Heaven knew he wanted to scream at this man to get the fuck out of his apartment. And his life.

“Your father sent me,” Lucian responded quietly. 

For some reason, that answer made him even angrier. But deep down, there was a tinge of disappointment. He wasn’t sure if it was because he expected a different answer. 

“Yeah, my father is insane but I believe you’re not. I don't want you in my space, Lucian, so get the fuck out and live somewhere else. I don't mind working with you if that’s what he wants but I don’t want you in my face,” Artemis stated, harshly. 

The words pierced right through Lucian’s heart. The disdain and bitterness in the boy's voice hurt far more than he cared to admit. He had expected resistance. He had even prepared for punches. But hearing Artemis speak to him like he was nothing more than an inconvenience left an ache he couldn't hide.

Lucian lowered the duffel bag hanging from his shoulder and rested it on the floor by the doorway. "I understand why you're angry…"

A humorless laugh escaped Artemis.

"No." His jaw flexed. "You don't."

"I do."

"You don't." Artemis took a step forward, his grip tightening around the pistol until his knuckles turned white. "Because if you did, you wouldn't be standing here acting like this is some awkward misunderstanding we can laugh off."

“Can we talk…” Lucian tried to speak but Artemis cut him short. 

“There is nothing to talk about except you invading my space. Get out.”

Lucian swallowed. Why did it seem like things were spiralling for the worse. It felt like nothing he said would change Artemis’ mind. 

“If you want me to leave, you’ll have to call your father and inform him yourself or just shoot me,” Lucian firmly stated. Artemis’ expression hardened but Lucina simply picked up his bag, ready to walk in. 

Artemis wanted to raise the gun and just blow his brains off but he couldn't do it. Lucian knew he couldn't do it. That was why he was confident enough to walk into his house. Calling his father was not an option either.

“Where’s my room?” Lucian asked, rolling into the bare living room. “You haven’t even furnished the place. Hasn't it been more than a week already?”

Artemis' jaw ticked. He did not owe Lucian any explanations. He never planned to furnish the apartment in the first place. In a way, it sort of depicted how empty his life was. From the outside, it was a ridiculously expensive apartment complex but inside, there was really nothing to be proud of. 

“We should start with a couch. Three or four,” the suggestion sounded more like he was talking to himself. “Some colourful lights here and there—” he pointed at the ceiling. “You don’t like really bright lights so it’ll be switched to dim lights without the room going entirely dark…” 

Artemis’ jaw tightened. Why was this man making plans for his space? Just because he forced his way in didn’t mean he could just do whatever he wanted. 

“You need extra cottons too…”

“That’s enough!” Artemis snapped, shutting the man up. Lucian looked at him this time, riddled by the aggressiveness. “You're right. That's where you’ll find the spare room. You can do whatever you want with the space but keep off everything else. This is my property and I will decide what to do it.”

“Understood,” Lucian nodded slowly. Artemis shot him one last look before heading towards the door. He didn’t care whatever game Lucian was playing with his father but he wasn’t going to just sit back and let the two of them dictate his life. 

“Where are you going?” Lucian asked as he reached the door. Artemis glanced over his shoulder with a sweet smile. One that sent a chill down Lucian’s spine. 

“What do you think, professor?” He pulled the pack of condoms from his pocket. “To put these to proper use.”

The packet of condoms dangled lazily between Artemis' fingers before he tucked it back into his pocket.

Lucian couldn’t utter a word. 

The implication settled heavily in his chest, squeezing the air from his lungs.

So that was what Artemis wanted him to picture.

Someone else touching him. Someone else kissing him. Someone else in his bed. He had no right to feel hurt.

After everything Lucian had done, he had no right to feel possessive. No right to feel jealous. No right to care. Yet the thought alone made something ugly twist inside him.

“You don’t mean that…” his own voice was surprisingly calm, opposite of the turmoil inside of him. But Artemis’s eyes were fixated on his clenched fists, the veins running up his hands from the pressure. 

His lips tugged in a smirk. “Would you like to watch? You might regret it, though.”