Chapter 21 A Line Crossed
NANCY’S POV
I held his gaze.
“That was the problem,” he said quietly.
I think that was supposed to be a thought of his which had accidentally slipped out because his eyes widened a bit when he realised I'd heard him.
My brows pulled together in confusion, “What is?”
What problem could he possibly have, or what could he possibly be thinking, that gave him the right to act as my father.
I wasn't proud that I'd said that to his face when all he and Diana were doing was help me, but I also didn't regret it either.
Yesterday, he had denied Diana and me what could have been a fun night and a chance to meet even more people, and I hadn't protested, because I understood his perspective too.
Last night, I told myself not to get mad even when Diana was clearly fuming and convinced myself that Mr. Landon was just trying to keep us safe.
Today, however, I had no excuse for his behaviour.
What could he possibly be trying to keep me from by asking me not to get too close to Mason?
As far as I knew, Mason was a really nice guy, and he had not done anything to earn my distrust.
Moreover, Diana was friends with him too, and I trusted her judgment.
I didn't expect Mr. Landon to actually respond to my question, after all, he hadn't offered me much clarity about his actions, but he did.
“You,” he said.
My eyes narrowed, "Me?"
As though he needed to make sure I understood this time, he added, "You are the problem."
Something in me snapped instantly.
I didn't even know what I did wrong or what I was being punished for, yet he had the nerve to tell me I was the problem.
Me?
“Wow,” I let out a dry laugh that made my body shake, partly out of anger too. “So now I’m the problem because I took a note?”
The whole point of exchanging notes rather than talking in class was to avoid being a distraction, so I couldn't even wrap my head around why he was so mad about it.
“That’s not what I said.” His voice sounded strained now, and for a second, I thought I was taking it too far.
I flipped that thought out the window a second later.
Nothing was being taken too far. Mr. Landon was the one exaggerating a situation that shouldn't have meant anything.
“That’s exactly what you said.” I bit back at him, throwing all sense of logic out the window. I was more focused on my anger now.
Something about this whole argument with Mr. Landon had made the feelings I had been trying to bury ever since I arrived here resurface.
It reminded me of my father and his need to have control over my life, and then, it reminded me of Mr Hudson, who was no different from my father and was a bastard who also wanted control over not just my life but my body.
"I don't care that I live under your roof Mr Landon, but you don't get to control my life or who I talk to..."
“I just told you to stay away from him." The sharpness in his tone cut through my words. I didn't think that his voice could be louder than mine since I had been speaking quite loudly, but it was.
More accurately, he'd snapped at me.
My anger flared instantly, and I shot out of my seat, my abrupt movement pushing my chair back. “And I said you don’t get to tell me that!”
His eyes darkened, and he took a step forward, crowding me.
“Repeat that.”
My heart slammed against my ribs, but I didn’t back down.
“You don’t control me,” I said again, slower this time. “You can't dictate my choices or my friends and certainly not..."
The rest of my words were replaced with a gasp when he suddenly moved. He grabbed my arms and pushed me back, and the next thing I felt was my back hitting the wall.
It had happened so fast that I didn't even get a chance to react, much less resist his push.
Although he didn't push me too hard, it was still enough to knock the breath out of me.
My eyes widened because I hadn't expected him to do that, but my shock only lasted a minute before my eyes blazed again.
"What the hell..."
I couldn't finish my sentence again.
The slam of his hands against the wall behind my head shut me up. The impact rang so loudly in my ears that it sounded as though he had hit me, even though he hadn't.
My eyes widened when his body drew even closer, caging me in, and I stared up at him, unable to shut my gaping mouth.
“Say it again,” he said, in a dangerously low voice that made my heart pound in my chest.
“Say what?” I stuttered, hating how weak my voice sounded.
Just a move from him, and all my bravado dissipated.
“That I don’t get a say.”
The intensity in his eyes made my stomach flip, and my knees almost weakened at the sound of his voice so close to my ears.
Almost.
But I held my ground and steeled my heart to say, "You don't."
Silence fell between us, and I watched his gaze run colder.
“While you live with me, I’m responsible for you.” He enunciated.
“I didn’t ask you to be!”
Even I was startled by my sudden outburst. I'd leaned forward, and my body had made contact with his. I didn't know what to do with myself, which had sparked my abrupt reaction.
It was only after I'd yelled that I realised that I did so to hide the fact that he was making me feel some type of way.
“You live in my house.” Mr. Landon said. It sounded as though he was gritting his teeth.
I pressed my lips together stubbornly. “That doesn’t give you ownership over me.”
“It gives me a say in what happens to you!”
“And what happens to me is none of your business!” I snapped.
“That’s where you’re wrong.”
My breath hitched.
“Why?”
“Why does it matter so much to you?”
He didn’t answer, but that silence of his told me all that I needed to know.
This wasn't about rules or about keeping me safe, and it wasn't that he didn't like the fact that I was talking to Mason.
What he didn't like, or what I thought he didn't like, was the fact that I might actually enjoy talking to Mason.
His eyes exposed him in the brief second that we both fell silent, and realization hit me like a bolt of lightning.
Mr. Landon was jealous.