Ghosts (A Christian Yelich Story)

Chapter Nine: A Shameless Cocktease

It was almost 4:00 pm when Christian and I got back to the castle. We were both slightly tipsy from having  a few drinks with Nick at a small pub in town. So much for the workout.

"That was fun," Christian told me as we walked back to our room to prepare for our 4:00 pm meeting. "We should do that again tomorrow. Maybe a little less alcohol and a little more sightseeing."

It actually was really fun, and fun wasn't something I was used to as of late. "Yeah, I had a really great time with both of you."

We were interrupted by a familiar voice. "Hey, you're back. Can we talk now?" Asher was walking behind us, taking purposely heavy steps.

"Maybe later or tomorrow. We have to get ready for the meeting in a half hour," I responded coolly. I glanced at Christian, who had an extremely annoyed look on his face.

"I want to talk now," Asher urged.

"It's just not a good time." My inflection sounded more defeated this time.

"Are you seriously fucking this fucking guy already?" Asher snapped, pointing at Christian nonchalantly.

I stopped in my tracks. I was going to face him and try to call him out on his childish bullshit, but I felt a small chill from Christian placing his hand softly on my arm. "Let's just go," he said quietly — a voice just above a whisper. "It's not worth it."

"What did you say, bro?" Asher asked defensively.

"I said this isn't worth it right now. We're going to our room, and we'll see you later," Christian spoke for me. I wasn't sure if I was flattered or annoyed by his decision to do so.

"She isn't worth the effort, bro. She's just a shameless cocktease," Asher informed Christian. What a fucking asshole. I wish the words didn't hurt me, but they definitely stung. I felt my eyes tear up a little, and I decided to bolt to the bedroom. I had an amazing instinct to run away from all conflict. Such a natural.

I heard Christian yell something I couldn't make out as I ran around a corner. A few minutes later I made it to our room. I sat down on my side of the bed to compose myself and wipe the moisture from my eyes. Christian busted through the door a moment later.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked immediately upon entrance. His voice was worried and exasperated. "That guy sucks. It's actually surprising he sucks as much as he does." He sat on the bed next to me and gently placed his hand on my shoulder. He was definitely trying to look into my eyes, but I wasn't ready for that. I kept them focused on the ground.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I'm sorry I freaked out. I don't know what got into me." I bit my lip. For whatever reason, I felt really vulnerable.

"Don't be sorry. He's a dick. Don't ever be sorry for someone else being a dick." His hand was still on my shoulder, and he started to gently rub circles with his thumb. I hated it, but I also didn't want him to stop touching me. Ever. What was happening?

"We should get ready and pretend this nonsense never happened," I declared before standing up.

Christian looked up at me and laughed, but he also looked slightly upset. "That was a quick mood change."

"Let's just do this ghost hunting shit we've got to do tonight and enjoy our time together," I said.

Christian stood up. "Sounds like a plan," he muttered — this time with a genuine smile that made my stomach flutter slightly.

Fuck.