A/N: Hey, you guys! Yes, I'm alive, don't ask... I'm sorry it took me such a long time to update, but it's going to be like that from now on. I wanted to tell you I'm not done with this story yet, in case you were wondering, and I'm going to keep writing it. Unfortunately, university has got me like a zombie, all I have time for is classes, eat, sleep, repeat. I literally don't have a single spare minute, which upsets me as well, but I can't really do anything about it. So, I'm just gonna have to ask you to be patient with me and once again, thank you so much for all your support! :)))
Chapter 19.
When Mal, Ben and Carlos came back more than an hour later, they were greeted by the sight Mal had wished to stumble upon ever since her friend had confessed her feelings to her. Jay and Evie were sprawled together on Jay's bed watching the movie (or a new movie, Mal was too ecstatic to notice anything but the fact that her friends were alright again), with Evie's back pressed up against Jay's chest and his arms woven around her waist like a death grip. They were laughing at something just as the others were coming through the door and the three entered just in time to see Jay press a loving kiss to Evie's hair before she twisted around in his arms and craned her neck to brush her lips tenderly against his.
Mal had to fight very hard not to start bouncing up and down in glee, so she settled for turning to Ben, whose huge smile was present on his lips even as he kissed her. When she pulled away she bumped Carlos playfully with her shoulder and winked as the boy laughed and shook his head before heading for the other side of his room where he plopped down on his bed. Ben looped an arm around Mal's shoulders and the two of them approached the inflatable double matress lying on the floor, which the girls had originally brought to sleep on. Obviously, there would be an alteration in the sleeping arrangements, Mal thought with a grin.
„Hey, you guys. Sorry we took so long." The purple-haired girl greeted as if absolutely nothing was out of the ordinary. Ben and Carlos acted the same way.
„No problem." Jay replied, completely unphased by the fact that him and Evie were openly displaying the fact that they were together. „Ben, d'you get those documents through?" He asked, tightening his grip on Evie, as she leaned her head back and rested it on his shoulder, while fleetingly glancing at Ben for his answer.
„Yeah, it's all done." Ben threw over his shoulder with a brief glance and a smile before his eyes became glued to the screen.
Jay turned his head slightly to bury his nose in Evie's hair and nuzzled the side of her neck through the thick curtain of blue curls, which made her lean into him and sigh in content. She slightly wiggled until her body was lined up perfectly with Jay's and tucked her head underneath his chin with him resting his cheek on top of it.
Mal's shining eyes kept flickering to the couple discreetly, but the two were obviously too wrapped up in each other to notice anything other than the person whose embrace was around them at the present moment. The purple girl smiled again, content and finally calm about the situation, her chest feeling lighter, and she leaned her body against Ben's, looping his arm around her shoulders and pressing a kiss on the junction between his shoulder and neck. The king supressed a groan, his eyes sliding shut, before pulling Mal closer and tangling his legs with hers.
The night rolled by quickly and two movies later Carlos and Ben were snoring away with Mal also sleeping soundly on the latter's chest. Evie was dozing off, though she was not quite asleep yet, snuggled up into Jay, whose eyes were also drooping rather fast. However, any traces of sleep in him vanished as soon as his gaze accidentally fell upon Evie's hand, more specifically her wrist, which was resting on his chest. With everything that had happened, their conversation taking such an unexpected (but wonderful) turn, she hadn't answered his question as to how those marks had appeared on her pale skin. Jay felt anger bubbling inside him again, though it was a much calmer version now. With the girl wrapped up in his arms it was very hard to get properly mad. But he was going to get to the bottom of this.
„Princess?" He called softly, not wishing to startle her. His hand slowly came up to her wounded wrist and his fingers began ghosting over it absentmindedly as he spoke.
„Mhm?" Evie mumbled drowsily, half-asleep.
„You never told me how those appeared." Jay said, his fingertips drumming very, very lightly on the darkened patch of skin. In her dreamlike state, Evie felt like a bird was fluttering it's wings over her hand. It felt so nice. „Where did the bruises come from, love?" Jay pressed softly when he got no answer.
You know, they say there are two situations in which a person can be completely honest and speak the truth before he has the time to think about it, or about the consecuences which might follow, sometimes without even realising he has done it: when he's drunk and when his mind is clouded by sleep. And Evie was way too tired to think of anything at that moment, let alone take time to consider the fact that Jay might very possibly be put in jail for murdering Chad on the spot after hearing this.
„From Chad." The bluenette murmured, answering him honestly. Jay's jaw immediately clenched. Man, he knew it! He'd been certain that little piece of royal trash had messed with his girl. The notion made his chest tighten unpleasantly – Evie was with him now and he trusted her completely (well, he always had) but to be honest he still held a little grudge about what had gone down between her and Chad. It made him pull Evie to his chest in a very possessive manner and she nuzzled his neck lightly after feeling the movement.
„Chad…" Jay grumbled underneath his breath and it came out almost like a curse. At this point Evie was fighting the fatigue coming over her, because even through her sleepiness she could just feel there was something tense and unhappy about the boy at this very second. She didn't like it, he was supposed to be happy, always. She tried to stay awake and keep talking, hoping the conversation would somehow take turn for the better. Everything was hazy… She couldn't think straight, all she could do was say whatever popped into her head, so that's exactly what she did.
„Yeah, when he attacked me…" The bluenette said, drawing lazy cicles with her fingers on Jay's chest, inching up to his shoulder, her eyes still closed. Jay, of course, knew that already but something about the way she said attacked made him halt. He realized in his anger he never let her tell him what exactly had gone down between the two. Chad had jumped her, okay… And held her up against the wall… Jay fought a growl, but realized that that was all he had gotten from her – the rest of the information about their, uhm, naughty activities, had come from the prissy prince, who, let's face it, was not the most reliable of sources.
„Wait." Jay started, lowering his eyes to Evie's relaxed face. "What happened exactly?" The girl sighed at the question.
„I told you already." She whined a little, wishing to go to sleep already. It was hard to talk when you were almost unconscious. But nevermind, since it was Jay… „He attacked me in the hallway acting all creepy and weird, saying stuff about how he was better than you and how there was no one to save me from him, but I fought him off with my mirror…" Evie explained quickly with a little bit of pride slipping into the end of her statement. Jay had to know she wasn't no goddamn damsel in distress. Although, she had to admit, she did love it when he treated her like she needed him to protect her. She felt safe with him. And loved.
„He tried to hurt you…" Jay blinked, unable to comprehend how, just how he could've been this fucking stupid… How could he have ever doubted Evie? He felt like beating the shit out of himself. Nothing had happened between her and Chad, of course the creep had invented it. How could he let anger blind him to the point where he would believe Chad over Evie? Jay couldn't believe it… If he had just listened to her, asked her more thoroughly about it, let her explain… Man, he was so mad at himself.
And he was also mad at Chad. No, fuck that, he was absolutely livid with the bastard. Oh, he wasn't gonna live another day, that was for sure, Jay was ready to swear it on his mother's grave. He was gonna beat the shit out of him, just you wait, he was only hoping the punishment for murdering a royal wouldn't be too grave. Ah, screw it, even if it was, at least he'd enjoy it.
„It's in the past now." Evie sighed, opening her eyes just a slit to press a loving kiss to Jay's Adam's apple in order to stop him from worrying. She didn't want him to dwell on it. They were together, Chad hadn't managed to do anything serious, there was simply no point.
Jay exhaled through his nose and let his eyes slid shut as Evie's lips grazed his skin. Whatever would happen, it would happen tomorrow. Right now, he would be content with the beautiful girl in his arms, something he hadn't even known he craved until he had her there. With the bluenette settling her head more comfortably on his shoulder, they both drifted off to sleep immediately.