Page 41 of Trapped With You

He was playing with the strands of my hair, his head on my shoulder. “Mhm. Sleepy.”

Both my parents were away for the weekend. Sometimespapáliked to plan romantic getaways formamáand whenever they were gone, it was my responsibility to put Emilio to bed.

Once we went through his night routine and I finished reading him a bedtime story, Emilio started dozing off, his hand fisting the material of my T-shirt like he didn’t want me to go. “Wove you, Ella…”

“I love you, too,” I said tenderly, kissing his forehead.

Once my little brother fell asleep, my phone pinged with Cade’s text just as I was leaving Emilio’s room.

I’m there in twenty. —Princepin

Sounds good??—Princess

My parents would lose their shit if they knew Cade was coming over.Alone. He had to sneak in because I didn’t trust any of the guards not to snitch on us.

Mamáandpapáadored Josh but remained wary of Cade. I noticed the fake smiles and suspicious glances they shot himwhenever we were all in the same room. They found it odd how Cade and Olivia plopped into the picture, and even odder how the Remingtons remained tight-lipped on the subject of their newest children.

People in our society were speculating. Vance and Julia remained unbothered, much to everyone’s chagrin.

I wished my parents could see Cade through my eyes. On the outside, he may seem cold and reserved, but on the inside, he was sweet with a lone wolf spirit. If they tried to get to know him, they’d realize how intelligent and kind he was. And how he had the best smile with the cutest dimples.

Cade trusted me and it filled me with so much pride that I got to learn this amazing, complex guy in a way the rest of the world did not. We talked a lot. In class. In between classes. After classes. We often studied together. He helped me with my math homework and I helped him with his art class projects. The banter and chemistry between us unfolded with ease. His energy balanced mine. He was the quiet, observant, to my feisty, energetic self.

We fit together so well, like two halves of one perfect whole.

After that shared moment on the bench in St. Victoria’s courtyard, Cade, true to his words, started picking me up for school every day at 7:00 a.m. We were seen roaming the hallways and walking to classes together, while ignoring all the inquisitive looks people threw our way. I got asked many times if we were an item. So did he. But we never confirmed or denied the rumours.

Last week during a hockey game, I was cheering from the bleachers after he scored a slapshot goal, when I noticed the girls from my team fanning themselves and talking about how hot number6—Cade—was.

Red hot jealousy bubbled in the pit of my stomach.

Therefore, I took it upon myself to stake my claim.

Now all the cheerleaders knew he wasmyboybest friend. If you wanted to flirt with him, you’d have to get through me first.

And I was one territorial bitch.

Cade was mine.

All. Fucking. Mine.

Back in my room, I dimmed the lights to create an ambiance, lit some candles to have my room smelling like warm vanilla, and changed into a matching baby blue ensemble: high-waisted miniskirt with a flare, knit bralette, and a small cardigan to ward off any chill.

We were supposed to watch a movie after he helped me with our latest math assignment. While this wasn’t a date per se, I still wanted to dress to impress.

In the middle of adding another coat of my lip gloss, I flinched when I heard a rattle against the doors leading into my Juliet-style balcony.

I peered over my shoulder and saw a dark silhouette.

The scream died in my throat when I realized it was Cade.

His fist rapped against the glass surface with impatience.

Oh my God.

He was supposed to text me when he arrived. What in the world was he thinking climbing up to my balcony?

I hurried towards him and wrenched open the doors.