AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It wasn’t your dad who picked me up from the club,” I tell him. “It was the other guy.”
“My uncle?” he asks, eyebrows high and I nod. That explains the similarities. “What did they want?”
“They want me to convince you that The Games are a good thing. That you need to win for them, not me. That this is way bigger than me.” I can feel the tension practically vibrating through his chest, and all I can do is hold him even tighter, showing that I’m here for him, that I can do this with him.
“In exchange for what?” I don’t want to tell him, because I know what comes next, but I’m not quick enough with a lie, quiet for too long. “The truth, Harlow. I know there must be something he’s trying to bribe you with.”
“He’ll let me pull out.” His arms tighten around me in reflex, and I close my eyes, breathing in his scent as I wait for his inevitable answer.
“You should take it.”
“No,” I answer immediately.
“Harlow. Baby—”
“No,” I repeat, pulling back from him so my scowl is effective. “Don’t do that. Don’tbabyme for this.”
“I want you out of here.”
“It’s too late,” I say exasperatedly. “I’m already in it; we all are. I’m staying right where I am to support you. You don’t get this choice.”
“I don’t care about me,” he insists with a frown.
“But I do. That’s the problem. This is the end of other people telling me what to do. It’s my choice now.”
“No, it’s not. You’re still here because of them.”
“And now I’m staying because of me.”
Finally, Nico snaps. “I don’t want you here, Harlow!”
I step back, feeling like he’s hit me straight in the chest. Logically, I know what he means, but my fragile little heart takes it differently.
“Nice,” I say, then walk off down the corridor, not in the mood to listen to his apologies.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Ezra
Harlow storms into the studio with a scowl on her face, Nico a couple steps behind looking just as pissed off. He grabs her arm lightly, spinning her to face him, and they share some tense words, whispering fiercely between them before she pulls away and makes her way over to me, where I’m watching it unfold with a frown.
“Everything okay?” I ask her, and she nods tightly, clearly lying to me, but I don’t call her out on it. Nico joins us, his voice low.
“Harlow, we’re not done.”
“Yes, we are,” she declares. “I’m here for Ezra, and his session is about to start, so do you mind?” Her brow is arched, as if daring him to challenge it, but he scoffs and storms off.
He leaves, and she’s angrily looking down at her hands when I slide my hand into her hair, tipping her chin up with my thumb.
“Don’t do that,” I say gently, before planting a soft kiss to the corner of her lips to ease the sting.
“Do what?” she asks, but she won’t meet my eye, so I think she knows. Even so, I answer her.
“Play us against each other. It’s not fair.” She tries to pull away, but I don’t let her, keeping her face toward me. “If you want me to yourself, I’ll happily give that to you, but you don’t, so stop. You’re only going to make yourself feel guilty.”
“What’s a bit more of that on top?”
“We’ve talked about this. This is not your fault.” Something odd passes over her face, and she smiles sadly.
