Fight Men Not Love

Chapter Nine

"Phoenix?" I heard Dominic call me softly.

"What did I do?" Yvonne inquired quickly.

"Take the knife, Yvonne," Dominic said. From my peripheral vision, I saw her rush to grab the knife and put it away. I let out a shaky breath.

"The knife is gone, Phoenix," Dominic tells me softly. "No one's going to hurt you, okay?" His voice was calm and it brought about a sense of comfort. I nodded lowly and looked down.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know. I swear. I'll be careful next time," Yvonne apologized quickly.

Willing myself to calm down, I sat down again and I think I heard them let out a sigh. With shaky hands, I picked up the fork and stabbed the food on my plate, the constant ache in my stomach forcing me to eat.

I knew the ache wouldn't go away until I had something to drink. I couldn't exactly demand alcohol here. I wouldn't dare ask them for it as well. I don't want them to know about my addiction. It's embarrassing and I hope I can get it under control before they notice.

There was an eerily silent moment as we all ate. I could feel their eyes on me, but I kept my face down. Yvonne cleared her throat a while later.

"Your hair looks really nice, Phoenix," she said. I looked up at her and she was smiling softly. I looked back down and ate the food quietly.

"I don't understand why it's mandatory for business people to be married in order to run the business," I heard Dominic point out in frustration.

"Well, I could list a few things. It means you're not grounded. Bachelors stink 'trouble'. People don't want to associate themselves with people who aren't looking to settle down. It gives off a negative impression on you. It basically means, you can rebel on them without hesitation because you're a free man without something or someone to ground you. I think that's about it," Yvonne explained to Dominic.

"Do I look rebellious to you?" Dominic quirked a brow at her. "It's my f*****g business, okay? I own this s**t. Why are they telling me what to do, instead of the other way around?" He huffed out.

"Well, you gave them the authority to dictate your life. And you're 29. I think it's time you settled down, don't you think?"

"No, I don't think it's fair that you're forcing s**t on me. I don't have a f*****g girlfriend, remember? And what are the odds that they're already playing matchmaker with some other business heiress or something?" Yvonne giggled.

"You poor soul. If you can't get a girlfriend, then maybe you should let them choose one for you. I mean, you need to get laid. You're too uptight," she teased him.

"No, I don't want to get laid. Not everything is about s*x, okay? What happened to...I don't know, falling in love and building trust and s**t? Did that suddenly lose value because of s*x?" I gaped at him, quite shocked at his words. I caught sight of Yvonne and quickly looked down, my face heating up.

"Well, if you find the right person, then it's going to happen, baby boy," Yvonne said.

"Don't f*****g call me that," Dominic grumbled under his breath. "This is just unnecessary. Now I have to marry someone I don't know," he was clearly unhappy about that.

I stood up and went to the sink. "Don't worry girl. I'll wash that for you," Yvonne said to me. Reluctant, I left the plate and walked out. "Hey Phoenix?" I stopped and turned to her. "About what we talked about this morning, do you still want to go to shopping?" She asked me, a hopeful look on her face.

I know I said I was willing to put myself out there, but that was too soon. I could care less about the stupid clothes.

"I don't want to go out," I said quietly.

"Roger that," she said casually. "That's okay. Maybe I could take some measurements and then I'll get them for you. Sounds good?" I nodded, liking the idea more than having to go out and face thousands of men who'll most likely be dead in my head. I've started randomly creating scenarios in my head, of men dying in different ways. "Okay,"

I walked back to my room, eager to get to bed and away from these people I hardly knew.

I was in pain and I couldn't do anything about it, except curled into a ball on the bed. Whimpers flew out of my lips and I was sweating profusely.

I sat up and dragged myself to take the pills, hoping they'd help. They'd given me painkillers along with the supplements and I took them for the first time today.

I laid down and waited for the effects to kick in. I grabbed my phone and plugged in headphones to kill time. The music distracted me and I managed to ignore the ache in my throat.

After a lot of breathing exercises and giving myself endless pep talks, I laid down and started singing along to one of my favorite songs on my playlist. I scrolled through t****k, finding my account again and watched endless videos to kill time.

I bit my lip, coming across the last video of Beckett and I. I blinked away the tears and opened i********:. I had so many messages from him and my heart picked up speed as I read them. Tears wet the bed when I realized that despite how we left things, he was nowhere near mad at me. If anything, he was worried.

He'd made it his priority to wish me a happy birthday every year and tell me he got me gifts. He'd wished me a Merry Christmas and told me about his day once in a while. He'd even mentioned how his dads almost got divorced but now they were okay.

I was such a horrible person. I wanted to call him right now. I don't know if I was allowed to though. Dominic may come across as harmless, but I couldn't take my chances.

I saw movement from my peripheral vision and yelped, almost falling off the bed. I hadn't seen him come in. I yanked the headphones off.

"I'm sorry. I knocked but you didn't answer," he said quickly, his eyes apologetic. "I didn't mean to scare you. I was just checking to see if you needed anything. I'm going to sleep now," he let me know.

I moved to quickly wipe my face, averting my gaze. The frown on his face was clearly for the tears in my face. "You okay?" He asked me gently. I nodded, looking down. "If...if there's anything bothering you, don't hesitate to talk to me. Or maybe Yvonne. We're here to listen," he said softly.

I didn't know what to do. I hardly spoke to him and I was still warming up to him.

"Well, if you get hungry during the night, there's leftover food in the oven and snacks. You'll find them in the cabinets, okay?" I nodded. "Goodnight," he tells me turning to leave.

"M-Mr Sullivan," I called out quietly. He probably wouldn't hear me. To my luck, he did and he turned to me. I stood up quietly, averting my eyes.

"Yes?" He urged me on.

"W-well, can I call my f-friend?" I asked softly, unsure. I was walking on thin ice; trying my luck.

"Of course, Phoenix. You can," he rushed out. Surprised, I looked up at him. He offered me a warm smile and it made me feel at ease. "You really don't need to ask permission from me to do anything, okay? You're free now and you do what you want to do," he tells me quietly.

"T-thank you," I said softly, lowering my gaze.

"Of course," he said before turning to leave.

"M-my name is..." I breathed out, watching his back for a second before he turned. "Evelyn. Evelyn Benedict," I tell him. He smiled brightly at me and for a second, I stared.

"And you can call me Dominic, Evelyn," he said his smile unwavering. I nodded, my lips twitching slightly. "Have a goodnight. You know where to find my room if you need anything," he said before walking out.

I let out a breath of relief and slumped into bed. Why was that so nerve wrecking? My face was feeling hot. I really hope he didn't notice that. I dismissed the awkward feelings and gripped my phone. I had to call Beckett.

I tried his old number but it doesn't exist anymore. That was that. It was about 9 at night or so. He's most likely awake at this time.

I tried i********:.

Me : Hey Beckett

How plain. My heart pounded as I waited for a response. He was online 24 minutes ago. Hopefully, he'll see the message.

I waited and waited but nothing came. I sighed, giving up. He'll see it the morning, I guess. I laid in bed for hours, listening to music, occasionally switching to watching videos on Tik Tok because I couldn't sleep. Beckett hasn't seen the message and it was midnight. I'd hoped he'd see it somehow.

I tossed and turned in my bed, feeling tired but sleep wasn't coming. My phone dinged with an incoming message. I leaped up and grabbed it. My smile widened when another message popped up. And another.

That's definitely Beckett.

Becky?: Evelyn?!?

Becky?: Is that really you?

Becky?: Oh my f*****g God, I've got to be dreaming.

Becky?: Hey b***h!!? Answer my f*****g texts.

I giggled, tears streaming down my face.

Me: It's me Becky.

Becky?: I don't f*****g believe it.?

Me: I'll send you my number.

It didn't even take a second and he video called me. I answered and his face showed up in my screen. He literally gawked at me. I take his facial features. He's still the same old to be exact. Tanned skin, sharp jawline and thin lips. His azure eyes shone under the light. In place of the brown curls he used to have, was silver hair, the roots darker.

He looked to be shirtless and was laying in bed.

"Evelyn?!" He shrieked, sitting up. I smiled at him, tears flowing uncontrollably.

"Hi," my voice came out so weak, it made him frown. My smile faltered and he cussed under his breath. I bit my quivering lip in an attempt to stop the sobs bubbling up in my chest.

"Oh Evie, what happened?" He asked softly. I moved to wipe the tears from my eyes, shaking my head. I hate getting him worked up over everything, but I just got so emotional from seeing his face after a very long time.

"Nothing," I whispered.

"You're crying because I look too sexy?" He said and I laughed. "Is it Avel?" He asked then. I nodded, not trusting my voice. I saw him close his eyes.

"I should have seen this," he said to himself. "I should have known that he's the wrong guy for you," I shook my head. He's not to blame. f**k, he tried to warn me, but I was too blinded by the idea of being wanted. I ended our friendship because of that monster.

"I'm so sorry, Becky," I apologized quietly.

"Hey, don't do that. You have nothing to apologize for, okay? You wouldn't have known," he said quickly. "f**k, now you're making me cry," he said blinking. "We're okay, alright?" I nodded, smiling. "We're okay. Can I see you? Where are you right now?" He asked me.

"Uhm..." how do I tell him what went down the last 3 years? He'd be so mad and probably disgusted by me. I was disgusted by me. "I'm safe," I tell him. His brows furrowed at that. "I'll tell you everything when I see you," I rushed out, seeing the confusion on his face.

"Okay, but I want to see you. I'll drive to you. Tell me where you are," he pressed.

"Well, I don't really know where I am," I admitted shamefully.

"What?!" He shot up, eyes wide. "Evelyn, that better be a joke," he said.

"Well, a friend of mine sent me to this place and I didn't get the address, so..." I shrugged. "The owner of the house is already sleeping,"

"That sounds sketchy as f**k. I don't know if I'm sleeping anytime soon," he sighed. I giggled at that.

"I'm fine Becky. I promise," I tell him. "I'll ask the address in the morning,"

"Okay," he said, though I can tell he's still worried about my safety. "What have you been up to lately, ignoring me?" He said. I cringed at that.

"Uh, nothing much," I murmured. "I wasn't ignoring you, Beckett," I said softly. "It wasn't by choice,"

"I feel like there's more to what you're telling me, Evie," he pointed out. I could only nod at that.

He let it go and instead, he told me about what he's been doing. He'd started his modeling career when he was just 22, after I left. He also graduated in University. He did photography. That was his passion. He took good photos as well.

He'd use me as his muse, majority of the time. I hated it but at the same time, I enjoyed it. We'd end up making some sort of makeshift photo studio and I'd change clothes and do makeup, then he'd direct me on how to pose.

The photos were bomb.

He'd also take photos of random stuff, like a rainy day through the foggy window, or a pot of flowers or even the back forest in his home. It was amazing, it was like dreamland.

There was also a stream there. His dads picked the best place for him.

I don't know how long we talked but it went on for hours until it became light outside. I laughed like there's no tomorrow. Becky hasn't changed one bit. He told me about his love life and he made it so dramatic and I couldn't stop laughing. He'd even f**k the Art lecturer, apparently, and they were almost caught in the act.

He told me about this guy that we used to know, Matteo, who he had a crush on. Until he realized that he's from a gangster family and it scared the s**t out of us. He never spoke of him again. Apparently, he reached out to Becky and asked him. Becky caved even though he was s**t scared of him. They had a moment but that was it.

It was so nice speaking to my best friend. It was like we never separated. We clicked like no other and it was the best feeling. I'll never take advantage of our friendship.

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UNEDITED