Chapter 14: Uninvited Guests & Unfinished Business
927 Words
Theo Callahan has overstayed his welcome.
I’ve tried to be patient. I’ve tried to ignore the way he’s treated my home like some kind of resort—raiding the wine cellar like it's his personal stash, staging those absurd game nights, somehow dragging Damien into the chaos with that smug, too-easy charm of his.
But when I walk into the living room and find him shirtless, sprawled across my couch, eating the last of my strawberries straight from the container?
That’s it.
“That’s it,” I snap, hands on my hips. “You’re leaving.”
He blinks up at me, mid-chew. “What?”
“You heard me. Pack your s**t. You’re done squatting here.”
Theo grins, completely unbothered. “Aw, come on, Red. You’ll miss me.”
“I’ll survive.”
Damien walks in right on cue, catching a flying strawberry that Theo tosses at his mouth and misses by a mile. His gaze flicks to me, sharp and immediate, then back to Theo’s ridiculous grin. He sighs like he’s been waiting for this moment.
“I told you to stop eating her food,” he says, grabbing a glass of water.
Theo shrugs, not even pretending to feel guilty. “You said snacks. Fruit doesn’t count.”
I swear to God, if I had something heavier than a throw pillow, I might use it.
Damien watches us with a lazy sort of amusement.
Then: “Elara’s right,” he says, setting down his glass. “Time to go, Callahan.”
Theo whips his head around, scandalized. “Et tu, Damien?”
Damien just smirks. “You cheated at poker last night. You brought this on yourself.”
Theo gasps dramatically, clutching his chest like I’ve shot him through the heart. “How dare you—”
“Get. Out.” I narrow my eyes.
He sighs, like this is somehow harder for him than it is for me. “Fine, fine. But I expect a heartfelt goodbye speech.”
“I expect you gone in ten minutes.”
“Five, if you say you’ll miss me.”
I throw a pillow at his head. He ducks it with the reflexes of someone far too practiced at this kind of bullshit.
“You wound me, Red,” he calls over his shoulder as he heads toward the stairs. “Truly.”
But then—so soft I almost miss it—I hear him mutter, “You’re gonna regret kicking me out when this place gets too quiet.”
I shove the thought away.
I like the quiet.
At least, that’s what I tell myself.
Still—something tells me to follow him upstairs. Maybe it’s instinct. Maybe it’s control. Maybe it’s just the part of me that doesn’t trust Theo Callahan as far as I can throw him.
Turns out, I’m right.
Because when I reach the guest room, he’s not packing. He’s performing.
“Oh, so now I’m the problem?” he says, pacing like he’s on stage. “After everything we’ve been through, you’re just tossing me out like some common criminal?”
“You are a common criminal,” I mutter, arms crossed.
He gasps, clutching imaginary pearls. “First of all, rude. Second, I prefer the term opportunist.”
Damien appears in the doorway, clearly enjoying the show. He leans against the wall, arms crossed, expression unreadable but amused.
“I don’t see you packing,” Damien says, voice dry.
Theo points at him accusingly. “You. You were supposed to be my ride-or-die.”
Damien shrugs. “I don’t take sides.”
“Bullshit. You take her side.”
I narrow my eyes. “You’ve been here for days. It’s time to go.”
Theo huffs, trudging toward the stairs like I’ve just ordered him to his death. “Fine. But for the record, this is cruel and unusual punishment.”
“Just get your stuff and—”
Then he stops.
Mid-step. Mid-sulk.
And something changes.
The playful edge vanishes. The smirk fades. His body stills, and when he turns to look at me, his eyes are different—sharp, cold, knowing.
“…Does he even know why you’re really here?”
The words hit like a slap.
The air shifts.
Damien’s head tilts, confusion sliding into his expression. “What?”
Theo watches me.
Studying me.
Waiting.
“Oh,” he says, like a discovery. “So he doesn’t know.”
“Elara?” Damien’s voice is quiet, but steady.
I keep my face blank. I have to.
But Theo steps forward, voice low and poisoned with curiosity. “Tell me, Red… does he know what people say about you?”
My hands curl into fists. “Stop.”
“Does he know what happened before you ran?”
“Stop, Theo.”
He grins, sharp and cruel now. “Why? Because it’s true?”
My pulse is roaring in my ears. The walls feel like they’re closing in. This isn’t a game anymore. He’s not just being a pain in the ass—he’s pulling at things I’ve buried so deep I forgot what they felt like.
And Damien… Damien is watching.
Silent.
Waiting.
Theo leans in one last time, voice velvet-wrapped poison. “I won’t leave until I get the truth.”
Something inside me snaps.
And in that instant, I make a choice.
Not because Theo deserves it.
Not because Damien asked.
But because I’m done running.
Because the truth is a loaded gun—
And I’ve been carrying it long enough.
- Writer
