CHAPTER 663: 663-TOO CROWDED

Helanie:

"Bye," I said softly to Norman, hoping for a hug, but he remained uptight. Typical him, but I still loved him.

Maximus was so angry that he didn’t even stay to say goodbye. He said if he did, he would ride the back of the car or cling to the tires just to come with us. As for Norman, he finally broke his cold stance and wrapped one arm around me in a hug. But it was a very sad little hug. Still, I clung to his chest, my face pressed against it, breathing in his scent.

"You’re so rude," I said, pulling away from the hug and hitting him lightly on the chest, annoyed.

"You are too," he said, pushing me gently toward the car, still looking annoyed.

"Bye, asshole," I stuck my tongue out before getting in the car, and he groaned at me.

Emmet had already run into the car like he was scared someone might stop him. Once I was in the back seat with Emmet, I raised my head and saw Azura standing by the living room window, watching us leave. I didn’t even know if Emmet had given her a hug or anything.

Soon the car started, and we hit the road. I couldn’t forget Norman’s angry face, it felt strange.

"What’s going on between you and your brothers?" I asked Emmet, who had one arm resting against the window and the other extended behind my back.

He looked relaxed until I asked that question.

"I don’t know. But you noticed it too, huh?" he asked, removing his hand from behind my back so he could turn a little in his seat.

"I thought you guys had decided that your fated mates would be with you," he reminded me of the conversation he had with Maximus, where his brother had explained the deal.

"Which is why I want to know what’s going on," I nodded.

"I have no clue. There hasn’t been any argument that would make me think something happened. I would’ve thought it wasn’t serious if it was just Maximus, but Norman being involved makes me wonder if I did something really messed up. He’s not the type to be unfair, especially not with his brothers."

There was a small, sad sigh that slipped from Emmet’s lips, and it made me realize how much his brothers’ coldness was affecting him.

"We’ll figure it out soon," I reassured him, even though I wasn’t sure myself what it could be. Every time I tried asking Norman or Maximus, they’d just say the same thing that it was getting crowded. I didn’t believe that excuse one bit.

Halfway through the ride, Emmet turned around fully, giving me his back and then laying down, almost making me jump when his head landed in my lap. Thankfully, it was an SUV, but even then, his legs didn’t fit. He bent one leg on the seat and stretched the other out of the window. It was a deserted road anyway. But his head in my lap, that’s what made me shy away.

"So they got to be with you," he started, almost whispering the words to himself.

"What?" I heard it, but I was so surprised by his sudden action that I couldn’t find the right words to say.

"But you shouldn’t think about it. You have someone waiting for you at home," I said in almost one breath before he got intimate with me and then had to stop midway. That would’ve been awkward.

Well, I guess it wasn’t less awkward when I said that, because he stopped, his face clearly showing he didn’t like hearing it.

He slowly got up from my lap and fixed his hair, looking out the window again.

"You know, I don’t want to keep hearing that. She’s a whole person. She was given a second chance for herself, not for me."

The way he said it was a hint in itself that he really didn’t like me bringing her up.

"But it’s true that she’s here for you. At least that’s what she says. Don’t you think your attention toward me is just because you’re marked to me now? Because the Emmet I remember, the one I first met, he used to get drunk, missing and wanting Azura, while he walked around the passage," I reminded him.

I had to. I didn’t want him escalating things with me, only to later remember that he actually loved her and not me. That would break me.

"Sure, that’s what I told everyone. I used to drink because I was guilty. I felt guilty."

He turned to me, and this time, he wasn’t as calm as he usually was.

"Guilty for what? I thought you blamed Norman for her murder?"

The minute I said that, he jerked his head so fast, like he was trying to make sure he heard me right.

"I blamed Norman? Who told you that?" he narrowed his eyes, his voice sharp.

"It was when you forgot about us," I remembered. "Back when you forgot and were attacking Maximus."

The more I spoke, the more confused he looked. Not just confused but shocked, and maybe even disgusted.

"I attacked Maximus? Okay, sure, maybe because I forgot, and when I forget, I usually don’t know who’s a friend or who’s out to get me. But what did I accuse Norman of?" he asked, looking so impatient to know the whole thing.

"Emmet, you said it was Norman who murdered her," I said the exact line. "You said Maximus attacked her, and Norman was supposed to take her to the hospital. But instead, he dumped her in the well."

I remembered that part and then I put two and two together. It was something Norman had told me about the night Emmet had accused him.

But from the way Emmet looked now, he didn’t believe it.

"It’s probably because you didn’t remember—" I stopped talking when he let out a sharp grunt.

"I forgot everything and everyone, but I remembered an incident from years ago and accused my brother of something I’ve never even thought about in my life? Something’s not right."

He clenched his jaw and turned his face away. And I agreed with him until I said something out loud and reminded myself of the truth.

"Isn’t it obvious that you only remember Azura when you forget everyone else?"

My comment made him clench his fists, but he didn’t turn around to look at me once after that.