Chapter 8 Good Boy
1190 Words
Cheryl's POV:
In the middle of the crowded room, I spotted Eric, his lips locked in an intense kiss with a curvy woman.
Her top was completely gone, and Eric's hands were all over her, molding her chest in every possible shape.
Her sparkling blue dress barely covered her, and her whole backside was nearly exposed.
It was obvious they were in a hurry to get to the point.
This was the "faithful" boy Ian always bragged about. Though, in some twisted way, Ian was right.
Eric was obviously a faithful player.
I pulled out my phone, deciding to return the favor and snap a picture of this scene.
The shutter sound caught Eric's attention. He shot me an annoyed look.
Our eyes met, and I gave him a teasing smile, not backing down.
When he saw it was me, his expression turned playful. "Should I stop my little sis from getting all hot and bothered over her stepbrother's body? Can't get enough?"
So confident, as always.
I casually responded, "I'm just gathering material for a sketch, nothing to get worked up about."
He thought for a moment before his face darkened, his voice suddenly commanding. "Delete it."
When I didn't respond, Eric shoved the woman off him and stood up, clearly preparing to take my phone from me.
I took a couple of steps back, taunting him. "So, looks like my stepbrother's all show, no substance? Don't worry. I'm not sending it to your dad."
At the mention of "dad," his eyes darkened, his brows furrowing in fury.
His fists clenched as he started towards me. But before I could leave, a man stepped in between us. It was the same guy who had brought me to this "exclusive party" and found Eric earlier.
He tried to de-escalate the situation. "Eric, chill. We're here to have a good time."
Eric's gaze lingered on me for a moment but softened as he put on his "gentleman" act in front of others.
The people around us started greeting the guy, and I realized he was Zack, the son of the estate owner.
Zack handed Eric a drink. "Do me a favor. Drink up, and we'll just forget this, alright?"
I studied him, noting how different he was from Eric.
While Zack wore a bold, runway-inspired outfit, he spoke with surprising poise and charm.
Eric hesitated but eventually took the drink, tossing it back. The liquor traced down his lips, slid along his sharp jawline, and disappeared into his throat.
I unconsciously swallowed as I watched.
When I snapped out of it, I cursed myself silently, 'What the hell am I doing?! I'm an idiot.'
The woman behind Eric staggered over and impatiently wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in for another kiss.
Her blue nails flashed through his hair as she kissed him deeper, and Eric's hand slid under her loosely hanging blue dress.
A wave of nausea hit me.
I'd seen this before. I knew exactly what kind of person Eric was. I should have been used to it by now.
But whether it was shame or just pure disgust, seeing their lips locked made me uncomfortable.
*****
Zack, ever the gentleman, placed his hand gently on my back and guided me away from the scene, leading me towards the bar. We found a quiet spot in the corner, and after exchanging a few casual words, my phone buzzed.
It was a notification from i********:.
As I opened it, my breath caught in my chest.
The picture was of my crush, the guy I'd been flirting with for the past six months.
He was holding a bouquet of roses, smiling that warm smile of his, and standing next to a girl who was shyly looking down with a smile of her own.
The caption seemed to stab at me like a knife, "So grateful she said yes to my confession—this is the happiest moment of my life."
He had said he would come visit me sometime soon, and I thought that was when he'd ask me to be his girlfriend.
Instead, just a few days later, here he was with someone else.
I couldn't stand to look at it anymore and quickly closed the app. I wasn't even that into him, but the sting of being betrayed, the humiliation and frustration—it was more than I could handle.
"Zack, can you do me a favor?" I turned to him.
"I'm not sure what you need, but I'm happy to help," Zack said, swirling his drink.
I was satisfied with his answer, not bothering with any further small talk. I walked right up to him and threw my arms around his neck.
He was surprised at first, but quickly wrapped his arms around my waist, his hand casually drifting down to my backside.
A wave of discomfort hit me. I slapped his hand away, giving him a firm warning not to move, before pulling his chin down and kissing him.
His eyes widened in shock before he melted into the kiss.
I pulled out my phone and snapped a photo of the moment, asking, "Mind if I post this on i********:?"
He agreed, and as I uploaded the picture, I felt him lean into me, his breath warm against my ear as he whispered, "Sweetie, has anyone ever told you how cute you are?"
"Oh, really? Thanks for the compliment," I said, tilting my head to avoid his breath against my ear, giving him a polite but uninterested response. Truthfully, I had no interest in him. I just needed someone to play along with my little act.
I thought that would be the end of it, but Zack clearly had other plans.
He invited me to see the collection in his room, and I hesitated for a moment. Rachel always told me to protect myself, but why should I be any different from Eric? Why should he get to enjoy everything while I was left holding back?
Suddenly, I wanted to find out what it was like. I wanted to understand what made Eric so completely lost in these kinds of moments.
Zack was thrilled I hadn't turned him down. He took my hand and eagerly started talking about his horses as we made our way towards his room.
But then, out of nowhere, a figure appeared in our path. It was Eric.
What the hell was he doing here? Wasn't he busy with that woman?
"Go home," Eric growled, clearly a bit drunk, his voice laced with anger. "Cheryl, you don't belong here."
His words were like a knife to my pride.
'Yeah, I don't belong here. And I never wanted to be here.'
I locked eyes with him, my voice low but sharp. "I don't need their approval. I can leave whenever I want. I'm free to choose. Can you choose? Can you really walk away from them?"
I took a step closer, almost right up to him. "Poor Eric, hiding behind your mask. Go home and be your daddy's good boy."
For a moment, his breath hitched, and then he raised his hand.
- Writer
