Zenon's Game Chapter 329

"Zenon," I tried to reach out to him but stopped myself.

Touching him was probably not what he needed right now. I don't know what he needed, and I didn't know why my instinct was to keep apologizing. It's my body, I shouldn't be apologizing.

"It's ok, Candy," he said, looking over at me.

I gazed at him, sitting shirtless on the ground with his hand resting over his raised knee. He was leaning against the couch, his hair all messed up after I had run my hand through it. The outline of his abs were chiseled down his lower stomach and his black boxers peeked out over his jeans.

I wish I could capture this moment of him. I never wanted to forget the way he looked right now. The flames of the fire started to grow weaker.

"Come here," he told me.

I crawled over to him, not feeling self-conscious about my nearly na*k*ed self. I only had my underwear on, but I felt so comfortable. He's done that to me. Zenon raised his arm and I slid into the gap, resting my head on his hard chest, while his arm lowered around my shoulder. We sat, mostly na*k*ed, in silence, in front of the fireplace.

Zenon's head slowly rested over mine. My ear was pressed against his chest, and I could hear the slowing pace of his heartbeat. He was falling asleep.

"I love you," I whispered quietly, when I thought he was asleep.

But he stirred, "I love you."

I gently held onto him and tugged him down onto the soft, fuzzy carpet. He was a strong guy, and it wasn't an easy move.

"You're cute and all, but I need you to help me a little here," I whispered.

He smirked but moved for me. After he lay down, I pulled the blankets off the beige couch and wrapped them over him. I was looking forward to sleeping in the living room tonight. The house was warm now that the heating was up and running, but there was something that felt so romantic about lying together like this.

I lay down next to him and got under the blanket beside him. He turned to face me, and his face looked so peaceful next to me. With eyes still closed, he extended his arm to pull me close to him.

I rested my hand around him, slowly tracing my fingers up and down his bare back. I felt his muscles relax and I smiled, liking how he reacted to my touch. I lowered my hand down to his jeans and back up again. After tickling his skin, I rested my hand down on his a*s*s and felt something in his back pocket. It was a tube.

I pulled my hand away quickly, not wanting to pry but at the same time, wondering what a tube was doing in his pockets. I didn't think tube shaped wallets were a thing.

Zenon stirred at my sudden movement and opened his blue eyes, "What happened?"

"Nothing. You, uh, have stuff in your pockets. Maybe you want to sleep without-"

I didn't expect Zenon to react the way he did. He went from half-asleep to wide awake. His hand reached down to his back pocket.

He sat up, and the blanket fell to his waist. I quickly covered the blanket over me as his movement had pulled it off. I was not feeling so comfortable anymore. There was a scary look in his eyes.

"Did you see what it was?" he asked me.

"No."

Now I wish I had.

He didn't explain anything. He just got up and walked away from me. The empty space he left behind felt cold. He raised his hands through his hair and started to pace nervously.

"I don't know what the right thing to do is," he confessed, "I don't want to freak you out but... I probably should've told you."

"Told me what?" I asked before telling him, "You know when you say you don't want to freak me out, that really freaks me out."

Zenon stopped pacing and faced me directly. He was standing in front of me while I was still sitting on the ground. I didn't like the height difference between us, so I clambered up to my feet, pulling the blanket up with me so it covered my na-ke-d-ness.

"We're meant to be more open with each other," I reminded him.

He sighed and then cursed. In one motion, he pulled out a small orange tube from his back pocket and handed it to me.

I didn't take it. I just stared at it. "Are you taking pills?"

Please tell me this is vitamin C.

I reached out and my fingers clasped around his. I wanted him to feel my touch before I took this away from him. I didn't know what bomb he was about to drop on me, but it sounded like a big one.

"Candy," he said quietly, but his expression was serious. "Remember the night we found your necklace? Someone left it on Bryce's car. It was in this tube."

Oh no.

I felt joy escape my body. The blackmailer was everywhere. Even in the jake house, so far away from home, the daunting image of the blackmailer was with us.

I stared down at the orange tube and realized that it was a prescription bottle. It had a white cap and white printed label on it.

"Look at who it's prescribed to," Zenon told me.

I turned the tube in my hands until I found what he wanted me to see. The name printed in black text.

A name I never expected to see in my lifetime.

I exhaled, "Axel."