Ethan dragged Maddie through the dimly lit corridors again. Maddie felt like she could sum up their interaction with just a few words. Dragging her. Carrying her like a sack of potatoes. Or Ethan telling her to stay away.
Maddie struggled to keep up. She dug her heels in to try and slow down Ethan, her shoes scraping against the floor. His hold on her wrist was firm no matter how hard she tried to pull her hand back.
"Ethan, for real, stop!" she huffed and yanked her hand back but he didn't even budge. He was like a human bulldozer.
"Nope," Ethan replied, his voice flat. "We're going."
Maddie twisted her wrist in his grip harder, trying to free herself. "I'm not going anywhere with you. I need to go back for Nina!"
Ethan finally stopped, turning to face her with an unreadable expression. But his eyes were dark with something that wasn't quite anger. "George will handle Nina."
Maddie squinted her eyes, staring intently at Ethan. "And why exactly does George get to be in charge of Nina's well-being? I'm her best friend. I'm the one she needs right now!"
Ethan sighed and pushed Maddie against the wall, locking her in between his arms. He stared into her eyes and said, "Maddie, you clearly don't know one iota about the real score between Nina and George."
Maddie frowned, her mind and heart racing. She tried to calm down as their closeness made her lose her senses. "Wait... what? What do you mean by 'the real score'? What's going on between them?"
She pushed him on the chest, but it only made her cheeks heat up. He didn't look like someone who was built like an Adonis, but his clothes were definitely hiding some impressive muscles.
Ethan raised an eyebrow, smirking as if he knew what was on her mind.
She pushed him harder this time, successfully shoving him away from her. Maddie fixed her hair to cover her embarrassment and brought back the topic to Nina and George. "What's the deal between those two?"
Ethan shrugged his shoulders. He wasn't going to bother explaining. "It's not my story to tell."
Maddie stared at him, her confusion growing by the second. This whole night had been one big, chaotic mess, and now Ethan was acting all cryptic and mysterious. What was even happening?
Before she could ask more questions Ethan did something that threw her off-kilter—he intertwined their fingers.
Maddie's brain short-circuited for a beat as she stared at their linked hands. "What are you—"
"Don't," Ethan said, his voice low. "If you want to get out of here in one piece, you do what I say. And if anyone asks, we're together. You're my girlfriend."
Maddie's eyes almost bulged out of her head. "What?!"
He didn't look at her and just pulled her. "You heard me. Just play along."
"Play along?" Maddie echoed, her voice rising in panic. "I can't just—what—how do you expect me to lie like that?"
Ethan gave her a look. One of those looks that said you don't have a choice. "Just be nice and go with it, Maddie."
Maddie tried to unlink their hands, but Ethan's grip was firm. He refused to budge, and arguing with him was as effective as arguing with a brick wall.
"This is insane," she hissed, glaring at him.
He gave her that irritatingly cool, confident smirk. "Welcome to my world."
They reached the open area, back into the crowded space where the race had been earlier. Most of the crowd had dispersed, but there were still clusters of people having discussions. They were waiting for something—or someone.
As soon as Ethan and Maddie appeared, all eyes seemed to zero in on them. Maddie could feel everyone's stares like physical pressure.
She could hear the whispers and the murmurs of confusion and curiosity. Who is she? Why is she holding Ethan's hand? Is that his girlfriend?
She rolled her eyes in consternation: What eye did they use to see if she was holding his hand?
Maddie's anxiety skyrocketed. She tried to pull her hand away again, but this time Ethan didn't just hold on; he pulled her closer. His arm snaked around her waist like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Ethan—" Maddie started, her voice a mix of panic and confusion.
"Behave," he murmured, his lips dangerously close to her ear. "Be a good girl."
A shiver ran down Maddie's spine. She wasn't sure if it was from his words or the way his voice dropped an octave, but either way, it left her flustered. What the hell was he doing? And more importantly, why was it working?
The guards from earlier spotted them, and Maddie's stomach dropped as they walked toward Ethan and her. They had that serious, no-nonsense look that always spelled trouble.
One of the guards, a tall guy with a permanent scowl, pointed at Maddie. "That's her. The girl from earlier. The one who—"
Ethan cut him off before he could finish, his voice smooth but commanding. "I'll take care of the mess. I'll handle everything, including any losses from tonight."
Maddie's head snapped up, her confusion reaching a new peak. Losses? What did that mean? What kind of "losses" were they talking about?
Just then, Ethan's arm tightened around her waist, pulling her even closer. Their skin rubbed against each other, sending a spine-tingling current on her skin.
She gasped softly, and their gazes locked—his eyes dark and intense, and hers was wide and panicked. For a split second, everything seemed to freeze. The noise, the crowd, and the craziness—it all faded into the background as she was caught in his stare.
"She's my girl," Ethan said, his voice steady, his eyes never leaving hers. "She got mad at me and decided to crash the party. It's my fault."
Maddie's mouth went dry. His girl? Her? She was pretty sure her brain was about to explode from the sheer absurdity of it all.
Before she could even process what was happening, a voice cut through the tension like a knife. "Wait, what? Ethan has a girlfriend?"
Maddie turned her head to see a girl who looked like she'd stepped straight out of a Barbie commercial: blonde hair, perfect makeup, designer clothes. She stared at them with wide eyes, her expression a mix of shock and disbelief. "Since when?"
"Yeah," another girl chimed in, her eyes narrowing as she looked Maddie up and down. "She doesn't look... famous."
Maddie could feel the judgment radiating off them in waves. It was like being in a high school cafeteria all over again, with the popular girls gossiping behind her back.
Blonde Barbie tilted her head, her expression turning smug. "I mean, no offense, but she's not exactly pretty either. And I've never seen her in any social gatherings. She's definitely not from a prominent family."
Maddie's jaw tightened, a flush creeping up her neck. She opened her mouth to say something, but Ethan beat her to it.
"Shut up, Brittany," he said, his voice cold and cutting. "No one asked for your opinion. Your breath stinks, I can smell even if we're tens of meters apart."
Brittany's face turned bright red, her mouth snapping shut as she looked away in embarrassment. Maddie felt a small sense of satisfaction from that. At least Ethan had her back—even if the girlfriend thing was fake.
Maddie finally found her voice and tried to speak up, "Look, I—"
Ethan squeezed her waist, cutting her off again. He leaned down, his mouth brushing against her ear as he whispered, "Don't say anything. You'll blow our cover."
Maddie's heart was racing, and her mind spun six ways to Sunday. This was way too much. She wasn't cut out for this kind of drama. Why did Ethan have to make her lie?
She felt like her body was on fire the more his warmth seeped into her. And why was he rubbing circles on her waist? She tried to stop his hand to no avail.
She hissed, "Stop it."
He didn't even bother to turn to her!
Ethan straightened up, his expression unreadable as he addressed the guards again. "I'll make sure everything is taken care of. But any punishment? I'll punish her myself."
His voice dropped to a low murmur as he said the punishment part, but it wasn't the words that sent a shockwave through Maddie—it was the way he leaned down, his lips brushing the curve of her neck like he was about to bite it.
Maddie froze, her breath catching in her throat. Her mind was screaming: What is happening?!
But her body didn't cooperate. All her coherent thoughts flew out of her mind, let alone her ability to speak.
The guards exchanged glances, one of them nodding. "Alright, Ethan. We'll leave it to you."
They turned and walked away, leaving Maddie and Ethan standing there in the middle of the crowd.
Maddie finally snapped out of her daze, pulling away from Ethan as best as she could, her voice shaking. "What do you mean you're punishing me? What kind of punishment? Is this about money? Because—because I don't have any! Where am I supposed to get money?"
She panicked; her crazy imagination went wild. Was Ethan about to charge her for the damages from the race? Was she going to owe him thousands of dollars?
Ethan didn't answer, and his lips curled into a smirk. He enjoyed watching her freak out. He leaned in again, his voice low and teasing. "Oh, Maddie. You'll find out soon enough."