The Desires Of Her

The Cracks in the Ceiling

~MAVIE~♧

Do I run back in the bathroom, or do I hold my head high and walk past him like I don't see him?

I tried my best to look like I wasn't hyperventilating on the inside. My nails dug into my clutch purse as if to transfer the nerves to it.

I calculated the distance between the lobby and the bathroom door. The bathroom was closer, but why would I run?

Why was I acting like he's also thinking about the same thing i was? I was simply acting like an i***t.

That out of the way, I decided to act like the grown-up that I was instead of a girl seeing her crush.

"This is a non-smoking area," The words left my mouth before I could stop them, I bit my tongue for that.

His hand found my wrist in the next moment, sending a surge along my arm, I lost footing, he caught me,arm around my tummy in a familiar stance. I scurried away like I was burnt, heaving.

"I didn't know that." His voice.

God!

That surge. I remembered it from... those arms. I released another deep breath.

"Didn't know? Right," I had forgotten what he was replying to. Pointing to the sign on the wall, I added, "There's a sign there, surgent."

I didnt wait to hear his response, there was none anyway, but I did notice the way a look I couldn't quiet out a finger on flashed past his face before it was replaced by the same neutrality he always wore.

So it's all a facade?

It would seem there's more to Rhysand Moore than he's letting out.

"All okay?" Luc asked as he opened his arms for me, I gracefully received them.

"Everything is perfect. Thank you for the best birthday ever." He mummerred in my ear, his short stubble tickling me, "I know how you can thank me. By practicing how we're gonna make sure by this time next year, we have two little gremlins running around this table with us."

Kids? There's that weight again on my chest.

I forced a smile, patting his chest.

"Slow down there, Lucas. One step at a time." He laughed before kissing my hair.

"Anyway, my parents had to leave early. Those two also have to leave because Rocky wants to sleep," Luci gave me a knowing smile, which I returned gracefully with full understanding.

"Congratulations, you two," Luci and Rocky came around to give us hugs before leaving, but not before Luci whispered how she kept the newly released Savage X Fenty lingerie vol in the closet for me. I thought that was funny.

She wasn't always that happy about me dating her brother initially, but eventually, she got the hang of having me around for life as a good thing, so she didn't think it was gross anymore.

After everyone was gone, it was finally only me and my fiancée at the table.

Luc kissed the back of my ring hand.

"I can't wait to call you Mrs Moreno." Another kiss.

I ran a finger through his brown curls.

"Me too." My lips found his as I allowed myself to busk in the moment.

A voice I seem to be all too familiar with interrupted us.

"Shall we? I have an early morning." Luc pulled me up to my feet in response.

"Yes. Rhys will be staying with us for a few days, babe, so he's driving us home."

My brows arched in confusion, my eyes found him but this time, he didn't hold my gaze.

Rhys Moore didn't look like a driver type of guy. And he was staying with us?

God! f**k me now if I'm gonna have to stay in the same house with these two men.

Hot! Brothers, too.

The rest of the drive back home was a hell of weird and quiet in the car. It was suffocating. I sat with Lucas in the back seats, engaging in random conversations about Luc's video game match, but oftentimes, my eyes would drift to a certain masculine arm clutching the starring wheel. Smooth.

We parted ways at home when Luc and I went to our room, and he wanted to take a stroll by the beach. Something about missing it or something, I didn't want to act weird and ask my boyfriend or rather, fiancée! About his hot brother whose c**k I can't get out of my mind.

Then we fought again about us having s*x with his brother in the house. In truth, I just didnt feel right about it.

Who was I feeling guilty for again? Even i didn't know.

*****

The next morning, when we woke up, the house was empty, windows open, and the chill from the sea swifting around the house with the kind of relief and peace you don't get much in Manhattan. San Francisco beaches were to die for.

Within the next hour or two, Luci and Rocky were over for breakfast, but the boys finished theirs quickly and rushed to join in the feast on the beach and play volleyball. As for us, since I couldn't swim, we decided to sunbathe instead.

"Seriously though, babe," Luci sat up from her chair suddenly, pulling the LV sunglasses off her gray eyes.

Something Mrs Moreno's children seemed to have in common.

Although a certain man had his so magnetic, they were on their own league.

"Why don't you learn how to swim? And why can't you just wear a bikini and show some of that lovely skin?" I rolled my eyes at that.

Remembering why I never showed the skin on my chest to anyone. Not even Lucas.

"First of all, I can swim. I just dont feel like it. Secondly," I ponder for a minute before adding, "I don't like the sun on my skin."

"Bullshit!" She spat before dropping back on her chair.

"I hope to God it's not my stupid brother asking you not to show your skin." Now that's funny.

Actually funny, I couldn't help but laugh.

"Love, your brother isn't qualified enough to tell me what to wear." Lucas was too sweet of a boy, he would never dictate my clothing.

"Hmm." She mummerred, pushing the glasses back on. Since we were on the floor about talking about the brothers, I decided to take my chances and draw near a very dangerous line.

"Speaking brothers, you never told me about Rhysand," I noticed the creases form on her forehead, but she didn't give anything away.

"There's not much to stay. Rhys left home when he was 18, I don't know the backstory, but I heard he joined the military. He came home once in a while, when he left we never knew where he went, even when he came back we wouldn't know he's coming. Sometimes, he'd be in the city we wouldn't even know. There, really nothing interesting."

"Mmh." Strange.

"And the gunshot wound?"

"Luc says he got it during an ambusion on one of his missions. He was close to San Francisco, so when he lost touch with his team, he came here, he didnt know we'd be here."

"And that's not dangerous?" She turned her head in my direction, curiosity starting to eat away at her brain, she pushed the glasses down to release her suspicious eyes.

"No, because he said he took care of it. Why are you asking about Rhys?" That caught me off guard, gaping.

"I... i almost bust his head off with a bat the night he came. I needed to know something and also maybe to apologize, I feel bad because I called him a thief in his house when, in fact, I looked like the thief instead."

She snorted at that.

"Trust me, I don't think he cares. My brother is his own person and he's got very thick skin, a girl like you couldn't possibly affect him like that."

I was speechless.

A girl like me?

I was offended.

What's a girl like me? Why could I not get under his skin? Did that dream never happen? Is that why he wasn't reacting in any way around me? Or did it happen, but a girl like me simply wasn't worth remembering?

We spent the rest of the afternoon sunbathing, me watching everyone swim and playing games, enjoying our last day on the beach before heading back to New York. By the time dinner rolled around, we were tired, so we settled on ordering takes outs, which arrived in record time, I was starving.

While Luc was in the shower, I decided to dish up for the both of us.

The sound of my ringing phone caught my attention.

"Hello, Mavie's." I answered subsciously without looking at the caller ID.

"Holà, princessa." Nausea came crushing in like waves, threatening to push out everything I ate today. As if in denial, I looked at the caller ID to confirm that, indeed, it was him.

I wanted to curse myself for being so reckless. I shouldn't have picked up that call.

The phone against my ear felt like a branding. Torture. I listened in silence, helplessly and when I got the chance, I hang up at the speed of lightning and threw the phone against the counter, harder than I'd intended, but I didn't care.

Taking a deepbreathe in, I gazed up to the ceiling as if hoping it could offer me some kind of comfort but I got nothing. Instead, I just wished the tears wouldn't leak out, work against gravity.

Please! I muttered under my breath.

"Who was that?" The breath of his voice was on my ear, I jumped,startled, and scurried back. Back against the counter behind me.

My heart in my throat, gray storm eyes on my teary blue eyes.

Now more than ever, I wanted to cry. Cry to the universe for putting me in this position.