Caught in the Middle, Clearly Jaded [best book clubs .TXT] 📗

me a place to stay for a while, until I get back on my feet.” I finished hastily.
“Yea, well if sleeping in the same bed with you is just a friendly thing, I’m next.” Paul said once more making the tension in the room rise.
“If you don’t shut up I’m going to kill you, Paul.” Gavin said through clinched teeth.
Mace glared at Gavin, “You slept with her?”
Gavin scoffed, “No of course not, I wouldn’t… I mean, I didn’t…”
“I’m right here, ya know?” I said holding up my hand making everyone turn again towards me. “I had a nightmare is all, he just slept beside me, that’s it, nothing happened.”
“So your single?” Paul asked hopeful.
“Paul, Shut it!” This came from Silas who had been quiet through the whole exchange until now.
Paul’s face dropped, he looked like a puppy that had just been scolded with his tail between his legs.
“Well, you can stay here for as long as you want.” Mace said making me look back at him, “I want you to live here, permanently.”
I glanced at Gavin who was staring at me intently, I didn’t know how this was going to work. How did the gangster who was keeping me prisoner happen to be best friends with my brother? Now to make matters worse, I had just been asked to live in the same house with him.
“Ok.” I said softly, “For now, until I get back on my feet.”
Mace nodded and gave me another hug, “It’s so good to see you Jules. I’ve missed you.”
I smiled, “I’ve missed you too.” My voice cracked.
He pulled back and looked at everyone, “I’ve got to go to work, but I take it you guys can manage to make her feel at home.” He glared at Paul when he said this making Paul smile sheepishly at him. Then he turned his glare on Gavin, “And since you know her so well already, you can take her shopping to get her some clothes, you can take my check book, get her whatever she wants.”
“Mace, I can’t…” I started but he put a finger to my lips hushing me.
“Money is not a problem here, besides, I doubt you want to wear that outfit everyday. Go get some clothes, make sure you get a couple of dresses too.”
I blanched, “Dresses?” I asked and I knew my face had gone completely white.
It had been forever since I’d worn a dress, my every day attire consisted of jeans, t-shirts, and sweatshirts.
He smiled at me amused, “Of course, you need to look your best, especially for the community ball coming up.”
I stood there confused, what the hell was a community ball? Before I could ask he pulled me into another quick hug, kissed me on the cheek, and was out the door with Emily right behind him.
As soon as they went out the door Paul came over to me stopping inches away from my face. I blushed as I glanced up at him.
“It’s ok, you can kiss me if you want.” He said a big grin on his face.
Before I could say anything, Gavin pulled Paul back by the neck of the shirt, “Stay away from her Paul, or else.” He said his voice taking on an edge of a threat, but still managed to keep it friendly.
“ohhhh, What are you gonna do Gav? Kill me?” He said mocking.
Gavin glared at him and I flinched because I knew Gavin would do just that, but these were his friends. He wouldn’t do that to his friends would he?
Chapter 6
We were at the mall, I had been to about 50 different stores, all of them Gavin picked out. I of course would have been content on going to Hot Topic, or one of the discount stores.
Right now at the moment I was in the dressing room looking at myself in this black dress that Gavin had helped me pick out.
“Let me see.” I heard Gavin outside the dressing room.
“No.”
“Julia, it can’t be that bad, just let me see.” He said annoyance in his voice.
I sighed and timidly opened the door sticking my head out.
“I can’t do this.” I said blushing as his icy blue eyes met mine.
He smirked and before I knew what was happening he pushed open the door pushing me back.
I quickly looked at the floor holding my hands in front of me. When he didn’t say anything I nervously looked up at him.
He was staring at me wide eyed, when he noticed I was looking at him he quickly changed his expression.
“You look…” He paused searching for the words, “It looks great.”
I smiled up at him, “Really?”
He nodded, “Get changed and bring the dress.” He exited the dressing area closing the door behind him.
After I changed my clothes I met him at the cashier, we paid for the clothes and walked to the car.
“You wanna stop and eat somewhere?” He glanced over at me. We were both carrying bags of clothes for me that consisted of; underwear, jeans, t-shirts, shorts, tank tops, and a couple of dresses.
I shrugged my shoulders, “You’ve done enough, we can go back to the house and eat.” I said not really wanting to call it home just yet.
“Come on, I know this great place.” He said leading me away from the parking garage.
We stopped in front of a small café in front of the mall. We quickly got a seat placing the bags at our feet.
The waiter came a few seconds later, “Hello, what can I get you?” She asked looking straight at Gavin, making sure to ignore me.
“I’ll have a coke,” He said not even paying attention to her. When she didn’t turn to me he smirked at me, “What would you like Jules?” He asked using my nickname making me blush.
“The same.” I whispered.
The waitress nodded and walked away with our order.
“Do you always get hit on when you go out?” As soon as the words left my mouth I regretted them because he smirked at me.
“Why, you jealous?”
I felt my cheeks get red so I looked down at the table, “No… I… well I…”
He started laughing cutting me off. I glanced up at him to see a twinkle in his eye, “You really are something.”
Before I could ask him what he meant by that the waitress came back with our drinks making sure that she gave Gavin a full frontal of her breasts as she leaned over.
“What can I get you to eat?” She asked making sure to ignore me once again.
“We’ll both have the special.” He said making sure to keep his eyes on me as he handed the menus to the waitress.
She walked away clearly disappointed that he wasn’t giving in to her seducing ways.
I started laughing as soon as she walked away, “That was comical.”
Gavin tilted his head at me, “What’s so funny?”
I shook my head taking a sip of my coke, “Nothing.”
I placed my coke back on the table, as silence engulfed us.
“Gav!” I heard someone yell and a petite girl with pixie brown hair came up to us practically gushing. “Where have you been?” She asked as she took a seat on his lap.
Gavin rolled his eyes obviously annoyed.
She pouted at him when she didn’t get an answer, “How come you never called me back?” She leered at me, “After that wonderful night we had in my hot tub…”
Before she could say anything else he pushed her off of him so she had to stand.
“Look, to tell you the truth I don’t even remember your name.” He said truthfully making her face blaze red, “And if you can’t tell, I’m here with my girlfriend, so I’d really appreciate it if you would leave us alone.”
After that was said she stood there for a second and the unexpected happened. She picked up my coke that I had been drinking and poured it in his lap causing him to jump up quickly.
“What the?...” Gavin yelled just as the girl walked away with a huff.
I sat there flabbergasted not sure what to do or say, so I just picked up a few napkins and handed them to him.
He snatched them from my hand and rapidly began dabbing at his pants.
“I’ll go tell the waitress we need the food to go.” I said quickly and walked towards the kitchen. After locating and telling the waitress I went back to the table to see Gavin sitting there once again, but still dabbing his pants with napkins.
“What a bitch.” He said vehemently as I took my seat.
When I didn’t agree or say anything he glanced up at me, an expectant look on his face. I glanced away and looked around the room at all the people were sitting at the other tables; a couple there, a family of four there, a single person there, and so on.
“What you don’t agree?” He asked making me whip my head back towards him.
“Well..I… I mean…” I stuttered.
“Just tell me what you think.” He snapped making me flinch, the Gavin I had met coming out to face me.
“Well,” I said sitting up straighter, I was going to tell him the truth, it wasn’t like he could do anything to me in a crowded room full of people anyways. “I think she had every right to do what she did.”
He opened his mouth to say something as he glared at me, but I held up a hand cutting him off, “That girl really liked you, and you had sex with her in her hot tub.” I blushed looking down at the table, we were getting into some really intimate things. After a second I look back up at him, making my eyes meet his. “Yet, you brush her off like she is nothing, and then tell her you don’t even remember her name?” I asked making sure he heard the disdain in my voice, “You threw her away like she was a piece of trash, used trash.”
Gavin seemed to process my words for a second, but before he could say anything the waitress came back with our to-go boxes.
Gavin paid for the meal and we walked to the car silently, but it wasn’t an awkward silence because I knew he was thinking about what I had said to him. Maybe there is a chance that Gavin will change, I thought to myself.
Well at least a small chance.
Wait, was it me? Or did he call me his girlfriend?
I groaned inwardly to myself, things were just getting more and more complicated. The worst part, you ask?
I'm starting to like my kidnapper.
Chapter 7
As we pulled up into the driveway there is an old beat up red truck in the drive way and I’m wondering who it could be when Gavin curses.
“How in the hell did he find out where I am?” He says to himself and I feel my pulse spike. Did this have to do with