Page 56 of Relapse

Chapter fifteen

Three Little Words

NOAH

Iawoke sometime during the early morning. Probably around four o’clock.

It was the kind of awakening that aggravated me. I had been in the most comfortable position, surrounded by silky smooth blankets that wrapped snuggly around my body. The feeling was refreshing and blissful. I loathed my mind for hauling me away from the peace of dream-filled rest. I am not sure how we’d even made it back to his house, let alone his bed.

I turned over, my face meeting Silas as he slept peacefully next to me. Watching him rest, the soft huff of his breath releasing, made a feeling rise from deep inside me.

“Are you angry?” Silas mumbled suddenly.

I watched him. His eyes remained closed, and for a minute I wondered if he was still sleeping.

Those eyes fluttered open, revealing an ocean of colorless secrecy.

I pushed the covers back, exposing my body to the chilly atmosphere. “Yes. You are forever unforgiven.”

Silas smirked, knowing full well it was a lie. “How sad.”

Truth was, I had no regrets. Even though the memories of hours prior came through broken, like fragmented little pieces of a video spliced together, I understood what had taken place.

I exhaled a deep breath. How could I possibly be angry with someone who did exactly as I asked? I told Silas not to treat me like a fragile object. Silas did not. If anything, last night was a fulfilling experience, even if he did lie about the drugs.

Either way, I had stopped caring long ago.

Besides, we were simply each other’s pleasure tools, nothing more. My inner conscience snapped back at that one. Keep telling yourself that, was the phrase unintentionally brought to the forefront of my mind.

I straightened my clothes as I stood. Silas lay outstretched on the bed, looking exceedingly pleased despite the drowsiness weighing on his face. He lifted his head as I crossed the room to grab my hoodie.

“Leaving?” he asked with a hint of disapproval.

I nodded, slipping it over my shoulders. “Damian is going to string me up over my house.”

“You’re always answering to him,” Silas said with a scowl as he reached for a blunt and lighter that sat on his bedside table. I hadn’t noticed their existence until now.

“Just tell him you’ll do what you want. Oh, and to fuck off,” he added the last as he wedged the blunt between his lips, flicking the lighter on.

I grunted my approval, eyeing the weed with a familiar hunger. Silas didn’t know it, but sitting there in his hands were my oldest friends, and seeing them again this close, was like they were welcoming me back in with open arms.

Silas noticed the direction of my gaze and immediately offered me some. “Want a smoke?”

I blinked and shook my head quickly. “No, I— uh, I quit. Just vaping now.”

There was a rumbling laughter from the bed, followed by a sharp squeak as Silas rose from it.

“Oh, please. You?”

Before I could step around him, he intercepted me, drug in hand, so close to me that I could see the small ring of red around the tip of the blunt burning softly, slowly peeling back the layers of black from within the wrapping. I held my breath.

He took a long drag from it before placing it at my lips. “Have some.”

I bit my tongue. “I shouldn’t.”

Silas chuckled. “Let me guess,” he began, a grin tugging at the corners of his lips, “This was all Damian’s brilliant idea. I’m sure he called it: Ruin Little Brother’s Life: Step Two.”

I arched an eyebrow, amused, “And what was step one?”