Dante's Possession - Book cover

Dante's Possession

Ivy White

Chapter 4

HAZEL

“Back off, Dante!” I yell, asserting myself. He releases his grip on me.

He steps back, clicking his tongue in disapproval. I fold my arms defensively, and he raises his hands in surrender, promising not to touch me. He stops at the doorway, shaking his head.

“Enough! Hazel, here’s a tip. Be honest and don’t lead me on if you’re not interested.” He turns around, bracing himself against the doorframe.

“I’d never hurt you, Hazel. Not in a million fucking years. Just so you know. And if you don’t want to see me, stay away from my house. I live here.”

He leaves the room, and I’m left staring at the open doorway. I pick up my glass of water, taking a small sip.

Chloe walks in, glancing over her shoulder to see where Dante went. Why does she always show up after the argument is over?

“Why the long face?” she asks, looking over her shoulder again.

I shrug, and we head out for our night at the clubs.

THE NEXT DAY

I wake up, covering my ears to block out the grating sound of Dante’s singing. The bright light stings my eyes, and I close them, wondering why I drank so much last night.

I sit up, squinting at my crumpled dress. It’s true what they say about the difference between how you look before a night out and the morning after.

I feel sick, and my dress isn’t helping. It reeks of stale booze and cigarettes. And I don’t even smoke.

I can only imagine what my face and hair look like. Probably like I spent the night with a guy, but at least I made it home in one piece.

I get out of bed, my head spinning, and muster the courage to do the walk of shame to the bathroom.

I know it’s not my finest moment as I look at my reflection in the mirror. I’m a mess!

I open the door slowly, dart out of the guest room, and sprint down the hall to the bathroom, hoping to avoid Dante. I slam the door behind me, pee, brush my teeth, and wash my face.

I drag a brush through my tangled hair, leaning forward to see my sickly complexion in the mirror. My eyes look like a panda’s, with dark circles underneath, my skin is pale, and it feels rough.

I pull my moisturizer out of my bag, slather it on my face, and mentally kick myself for not removing my makeup last night. But I can’t even remember walking home, let alone taking off my makeup.

I plug the bathtub drain, turn on the tap, and wait for the water to heat up before adding my muscle-relaxant soak. I place my razor on the edge of the tub.

It’s funny because you’d think I live here. But Annette always tells me to make myself at home.

I even tried to give her a lot of money a few years ago, but she refused, saying she was offended.

Now I treat her home like my own, and even though I could move in, I’d feel too bold to do it. I’m so grateful for everything Annette has done for me.

Chloe has told me to move in many times and has been there for me when I needed support. She’s my best friend, and that’s one of the reasons I can’t give Dante a chance.

He’s Chloe’s brother, and he’s six years older than me. She’d freak out, and so would Annette, because they see me as his little sister.

But the tension between us is more than sibling love. It’s been sexual tension and desire since I was sixteen.

He’s always protected me when I needed it, but yesterday he got closer than ever before, and I think I liked it. That’s why I told him to back off.

I’ve never been in that situation before, so when he got close, I chose to run.

I get in the bath before getting ready to see Chloe, thinking about my argument with Dante last night.

The way he pulled my hair back and got so close to me. The mix of security, adrenaline, and confusion made me question everything about us.

After I wash, I pick up the razor and pull the plug, watching my hairs swirl down the drain. I rinse out the tub, breathing in the warm air.

The room is steamy, and the air smells like strawberries and mint, a mix of cool and warm.

I look at the dress on the floor, annoyed that I forgot to bring a change of clothes. I roll my eyes, wrap my hair in a blue towel, and find a long top on the side.

It’s clean, and I know it’s a risk, but I can’t put on my dress from last night. I throw on the top, open the door, and sprint to my room, slamming the door behind me, panting.

I rummage through my drawers, find a yellow summer dress and a royal-blue underwear set that I left here last time.

I put them on, fold the top, and put it back in the bathroom. I knock on Chloe’s door to see if she’s awake. I need to tell her that the black dress she let me borrow is in the bathroom.

“Chloe, are you up?” I call, but there’s no answer. I put on my Converse in the guest room, grab my keys, and leave the house, not saying a word to Dante, who’s cooking downstairs.

I’ll come back later when he’s at work so I don’t have to deal with him. I go to my shed and lie on my bed, happily and comfortably reading a book.

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