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“Gage brought you some clothes,” he mumbles with a jerk of his head in the direction of something behind me.
A small pile of clothes sits on top of the couch from upstairs, now placed under the window. I smile softly at him before walking over to pick them up. I quickly turn back to the bathroom so I can get dressed.
Smoothing my hand down the purple knit sweater, much like the others I had gravitated toward the first time I saw the clothes they bought, I can’t help but smile. It’s decadent and soft between my fingers and it goes adorably with the black, ripped skinny jeans they got for me.
I miss my own stuff. My blankets, laptop, clothing, makeup, and shoes. I miss my house and my room. But I can’t deny the fact that I also love ithere.
I love the bed I sleep in every night. It’s much better than the one at my house. I love their home, minimal layout, decor, and all. I love the clothing they bought me. It’s so similar to what I would choose for myself and it makes me smile every time I put on something new, knowing they picked it out just for me.
But mostly, I love the feeling of being here, with them. All of them. Even Nyx.
I don’t feel alone and this house doesn’t feel cold.
Even though I lived with Alyssa, who I still haven’t heard a damn thing from, my house never felt likehome. It was quiet and we barely spoke. We argued or avoided one another frequently. She and I were both gone so often that we barely ever saw each other. Though my house is cute and I am beyond lucky to have been gifted it, it never felt how this place feels.
My stomach twists at the idea of having to go back to my house when Drew is found.
A knock on the bathroom door shakes me out of my thoughts and I jump to open it. Stone stands on the other side, his hand mid-air, as though he was about to knock again.
“Oh, hey. The guys wanted me to let you know lunch is ready.” He eyes me up and down, his eyes flaring slightly.
Maybe he is not as immune as I thought. Maybe he’s just respectful.
We make our way out to the clean and dry kitchen, where boxes of pizza line the island.
“Think you got enough?” I chuckle, shaking my head. Maddox grins as he loads his plate with a slice from each of the four boxes.
“Variety is the spice of life, baby girl,” he laughs, rounding the island and dropping a kiss on my forehead. “You look hot in those jeans,” he whispers in my ear, making me shiver.
I grab a plate and plop two slices of combo on it before covering them both with chili flakes. “Is there ranch?” I question while moving on to repeat the process with parmesan.
“Seriously? That’s disgusting, Cariño,” Gage scrunches up his face, thoroughly repulsed. I shrug but smile when Stone slides the bottle across the island. I look up at him to say thank you but am met with an extremely odd expression on his face. He swallows hard, his face looking pained.
“Uh, what’s wrong?” I murmur. He snaps out of it, shaking his head before forcing a smile.
“Nothing. Bet you like ketchup on everything too, don’t you?” he asks, making me laugh.
“Yep, it’s basically a food group to me at this point. Hunter always jokes and tells me I would drink it with a straw if I could.” Maddox fake gags at the same time Gage cringes.
“Maybe if it was hot sauce, I could understand. But ketchup, Ella? It’s fucking smashed tomatoes covered in sugar.Maldito asqueroso,”Maddox shutters before diving back into his pizza.
“Exactly, and it’s delicious.” I sit down at the table next to Maddox. Stone follows, sitting across from us, next to Nyx. Gage is at the head of the table, like always.
“So, I was thinking,” I start, nervous to bring up something I was thinking about while in the bath. Gage pauses and looks up from his food before jutting his chin out for me to continue. I take a deep breath. “Look, it’s not that I don’t love it here and appreciate what you guys are all doing for me, but I want, no, Ineedto get out of this damn house for a while.”
“No,” three voices bark out simultaneously. My head jerks back and my eyes widen. Stone is the only one who stayed silent but even his face is pinched at the thought.
“Excuse me?” I sputter. “That sounds an awful lot like I’m a prisoner, which you said I’m not.”
“Isabella, you arenota fucking prisoner for fucks sake,” Gage sighs, rubbing a hand on his forehead like I exhaust him or something. It irritates me and I sit up straighter, ready for a fight. “But, it’s just not safe right now and as much as I wish we had the resources to be with you all of the time, to protect you, we just don’t baby, I’m sorry.”
“I don’t need protection, Gage. Seriously. I’m not talking about going to the mall by myself or even running alone on the streets. I understand the need for safety but come on. This is ridiculous. Drew is not going to attack me in the middle of the day out—”
“How the fuck do you know?” Nyx snarls, surprising me with his sudden interruption. “If we can’t find the sick fuck, and we can't, not even Stone’s brilliant ass has found him, then how do any of us know where he is? He could be outside, stalking you, waiting for his moment to attack.”
“He’s not,” I protest, though I don’t know why I’m so adamant on the fact.
“Baby girl, you don’t know that. We don’t know where he or your roommate is, and it’s not because we’re slacking. Stone has programs constantly running that are searching for him and we still have nothing on either of them,” Maddox says softly as he wraps an arm around my shoulders. I shrug it off and scoot back to glare at the group of overprotective baboons. But secretly, I’m fuckingpreeningat their care and concern. I can’t remember the last time anyone cared so vehemently about my well-being.
