The Perfect Spiral (by Ashley Constantine) novel Chapter 19

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“Just say you feel the way that I feel! I’m feeling sexual! You’re feeling sexual!….”

I woke up to the sound of the two fuck buddies outside singing badly along to that song. They just had to play that song, didn’t they? I groaned out loud, causing me to sit up and Knox to join me.

“Shut the fuck up, you two!” we screamed out to them through the door.

Silence.

Thank God! Then we both heard rapid footsteps approaching my room and the doorknob jiggling like crazy.

“Alex! Open the fuck up now!!”

Kyle? What the hell? He sounded furious, as if I had insulted him. Knox looked at me as if he’d seen a ghost. What the hell is going

on!

“Alex!!! For fuck’s sake! I will break the door down! NOW OPEN!” he barked.

“Kyle, relax, it’s just Knox! It was either the bed or the couch!” Andy tried to reason with him, unsuccessfully, I might add.

Oh shit! I forgot he doesn’t know about the whole sleeping arrangements. I looked at Knox and mouthed for him to lie down on the

floor.

He quietly jumped out of the bed onto the floor, making it look like he’d slept there the entire night. I threw a pillow down at him. “Ouch,” he whispered, glaring at me.

He was hurt by a pillow? Seriously! Wuss!

“Alex!”

“Give me a second, Kyle, Jesus!”

“No, open up now!” he demanded, banging loudly on the door.

Knox caught my attention. “What the-” he began, lifting his arm to reveal my thong wrapped around it. Shit! I felt the heat rise up my neck and onto my cheeks from the embarrassment.

I swung my legs over the bed, grabbed my panties from Knox-who was grinning widely-and unlocked the door, only to have it swing wildly open in my face.

Well, the hulk was out of his cage.

Kyle stormed over to Knox, who was lying on the floor, grabbed him by the shoulders, and pulled him up. Knox knew all too well what was about to happen, but he looked angry too.

They both squared up to each other, breathing heavily. Andy and I stood there, glancing back and forth between them and each other, as if we were looking for answers.

“Jeez, Kyle, why don’t you climb up on the building and bang on your chest while you’re at it,” I commented, my voice dripping with

sarcasm.

“Did you fuck my sister, Knox?”

There it is… the awkwardness has come out to play. Way to go, Kyle! Best brother in the world.

I raised an eyebrow at him, but he was staring dangerously at Knox, who was matching his stare. Buttle of the dipshits. Let it begin.

“What makes you think that, Kyle? Jesus, he slept on the floor the entire night! But you wouldn’t know that because you were too busy drinking from the fountain of Andy.

So tell me, you two, you still feeling sexual?” I boldly inquired.

Kyle snapped his head to me while Knox laughed under his breath. “Fuck! You heard us?” he looked to Andy, who was standing there like a deer in headlights. Knox and I nodded.

Kyle looked back to Knox and said, “You better not have touched or looked at my sister like that! I swear to god, man!”

Knox rolled his eyes.

“Dude, you think I would do that? You know I would never do that to her. I’m a gentleman, I would at least take her out on a date

first.”

“Yeah, so ch-Wait, what?” Did that just actually come out of his mouth? That’ll never happen. I looked over at him, a smirk plastered on his smug face.

Well, two can play that game, Carter!

“Like I’d ever go on a date with you, Carter! You couldn’t handle this!” I pointed to myself and walked by them, grabbing Andy’s hand on the way out of my bedroom and taking her to the kitchen.

I turned off the stupid sexual song that was blasting through the speakers and looked to see what they were cooking. All I saw was boiling water. Are they attempting to make my scrambled eggs? Hah!

Emerging from my room, the two boys were clad in nothing but their underwear, while Andy and I were comfortably dressed in our pajama tops–my jersey doubling as sleepwear.

I sighed, feeling the weight of sleep still clinging to my eyelids. “I think I’ll head back to bed. Didn’t get enough sleep last night, thanks to those two.” As I turned to retreat to my room, an arm snaked around my waist, halting my progress.

“Where do you think you’re going, baby doll?” Knox’s voice was teasing, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

“Back to bed. I’m not ready to play nice with those two yet.” I tried to wriggle out of his grasp, but he held me firm, pulling me back

towards him.

“Oh no, you don’t. You’re not leaving me alone with those two. Come on.” With a swift movement, he scooped me up, slinging me

over his shoulder with ease.

“Knox, put me down now! I swear, I’ll vomit on you,” I threatened, my words muffled against his back.

“Vomit away, baby doll-” He punctuated his sentence with a sharp smack to my exposed backside. “You’ve got a great ass, baby doll! Who knew?” His breath tickled my skin, causing a shiver to run down my spine. I growled at him, loud and clear.

“Did you just growl at me?” He sounded genuinely surprised, as if he couldn’t believe I’d growled at him.

“Yes, I did. So put me down, Knox. Now!”

“If I knew I’d get these sexy views and sounds from you, I would’ve thrown you over my shoulder a long time ago, baby doll!”

This was getting weird. I smacked his bare back, hoping he’d get the message and put me down.

“Ooh, kinky,” he teased. I could practically hear the smirk in his voice.

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We entered the kitchen, me still draped over his shoulder. Kyle groaned loudly. “Put her down, Knox. I don’t need to see my sister’s half-naked ass in the air!”

Andy just laughed, while Knox lowered me to the ground. I shot him a glare, which he returned with a blown kiss. I caught it, walked over to the sink, and tossed it in, turning on the garbage disposal without breaking eye contact.

He clutched his chest in mock pain. “That cuts deep, baby doll.” I responded with a raised middle finger and a smug smile. Noticing the kitchen door was unlocked and wide open, I saw my chance to escape.

I bolted towards the door, hearing a chair scrape across the floor behind me. I didn’t need to turn around to know it was Knox.

“Oh no, you don’t!” His voice was close behind me, and then I felt his arm wrap around my waist, pulling me back against his chest.

“Oof!”

Once again, I found myself lifted off the ground, Knox’s arms tight around me as he carried me back to the counter where Kyle and Andy were preparing breakfast.

He sat down, still holding me, leaving me no choice but to sit on his lap. “Just for that, you’re going to sit on my lap until we’re done eating this lovely breakfast Kyle and Andy have made us.”

I glared at him, but he just grinned, his chin resting on my shoulder. He gave my ass another soft smack, quiet enough that Kyle didn’t hear. If Kyle had been paying attention, he would’ve put Knox through the wall.

Despite my numerous attempts to escape his grasp, I remained trapped on his lap until breakfast was over. We then drove the boys back to their hotel rooms and I took them to the airport.

I was so tired that I had to wear my glasses. I’d thrown on a three-quarter-sleeve-length shirt, black skinny jeans, and my Vans. My hair was in a low, messy bun, and I’d applied minimal makeup. I wasn’t in the mood to impress anyone.

But Knox seemed to find my disheveled appearance endearing, calling me ‘cute’ and ‘adorable’ every five seconds. Couldn’t he just let me have an off day without drawing attention to it?

Andy and Kyle went to find luggage carts while I popped the trunk so they could retrieve their bags. I was helping Knox with the suitcases when he stopped me.

“I got it, baby doll. Don’t want you hurting your pretty little self now, do we?” He was teasing, but his words held a hint of sincerity.

I watched him lift the bags out of the trunk, his muscles flexing under his shirt. He’d worn that top on purpose.

“Are you checking me out, baby doll?” His voice snapped me out of my daze. I looked at him over the rim of my glasses and scoffed.

“You wish, dipshit.”

“You should wear your glasses more often. They suit you.”

“Okay? I only wear them for reading, using the computer, college, and when my eyes are tired. Like right now, thanks to those two.” I pointed at Andy and Kyle, who were still messing around with the luggage carts.

Knox’s hands were suddenly on my arms, his touch gentle. He was looking at me with a soft smile. “I’m going to miss you, baby doll,”

he said, his voice low and serious.

“Hah! No, you’re not. You-“I was cut off as he pressed his lips to my forehead. What was he doing?

“Yes, I will.”

“Uh… Are you okay? Is something wrong?” I asked, suddenly worried. His behavior was reminiscent of our time at the airport in Georgia-the way he looked at me, the kiss on my cheek, the way he spoke. It was all too familiar.

“Perfect,” he murmured, his fingers tracing a gentle path along my arms. The silence between us was thick, but not uncomfortable. It was a strange sensation, one I wasn’t sure I liked.

Suddenly, the sharp click of a camera shutter sliced through the quiet. Startled, I turned my head, searching for the source of the sound. My eyes widened as I spotted the paparazzi lurking in the shadows. Knox, still standing close, hadn’t moved.

“Knox,” I warned, “the paparazzi are here.” His head snapped around, following my gaze, and panic flashed across his face.

“Shit!” He whistled sharply, signaling to Kyle and Andy to hurry. Grabbing my arm, he practically shoved me into the driver’s seat of the car. The distant screams of the paparazzi and fans echoed in my ears.

“Baby doll, listen to me, okay? Whatever you hear or read, it’s not true. They might come after you, but just ignore it. Give it time to

die down.”

I laughed, trying to lighten the mood. “Knox, I’ll be fine. I’m stronger than you think.” His smile in response was so warm, so genuine, it made my heart flutter. Damn it.

“I know you’re strong, baby doll. One of the strongest people I know. But please, just listen to what I said! Please!” His voice was barely audible over the growing noise. He pressed a quick kiss to my forehead before pulling away.

Well, that’s not going to help, now is it?

“I’ll call you when I land, and I will miss you, despite what you might think. I always do.” He grabbed his bag and followed Kyle into the airport.

I closed the car door just as the paparazzi began to swarm. I reached over the seat to pull Andy into the car, catching one last glimpse of Knox over her head. I mouthed, Go, I’ll be fine, offering him a reassuring smile. He nodded and disappeared into the airport with Kyle.

Andy slammed the car door shut and I honked the horn, trying to clear a path through the crowd. The paparazzi pounded on the windows, shouting for my attention. Andy joined in, screaming, “Move!” as we finally managed to speed away.

Back at our apartment, we decided to cook dinner together. Andy turned on the TV, but I knew she was just curious to see if we’d made

the news.

“Has Knox Carter found himself a new girl? Judging by the pictures, it looks to be true. He has been seen kissing this mysterious girl, and I’m sorry to say, ladies, it looks like they’re in love.” I rolled my eyes and snorted.

“Turn it off, Andy!… Holy shit!” Photos of us at the football game, the nightclub, and the airport flashed across the screen. Even the photo of Knox kissing my cheek in Georgia was there.

FUCK!

Now it looks bad!

“Woah! When was that?” Andy asked, shocked.

“When I was coming home from Savannah.” I replied, my attention still glued to the TV.

“Sources say that they have been together for a while, that she is his childhood sweetheart and she is the reason why he never committed to any girl he has gone on dates with. She is the younger sister of his best friend, Kyle Thompson, and I think it’s pretty clear that he looks loved up with her. Super hot couple! She better prepare for the wrath of his female fans and ex-flings.”

The blonde-haired anchor informed the viewers, oblivious to the fact that I was one of them. Ahhhhh! He owes me big time! My phone buzzed in my pocket, but I didn’t take my eyes off the screen as I answered it.

“Hello?”

“So you moved on to Knox? I fucking knew there was something going on between you two when we were going out! Alex, you made me feel bad for cheating on you when you guys were going behind my back the whole time I was with you!”

I regretted picking up the phone without checking the caller ID. Who did he think he was? This little bitch couldn’t talk to me like that!

“Drew, there is nothing and there never was anything going on between me and Knox! Fucking hell, this is all gossip! You know I didn’t like him like that, ever! You should feel fucking bad for cheating on me because you did, I never cheated on you EVER so don’t you dare play that card! I gave you my heart, you son of a bitch! You’re the one who ripped it to shreds! To be honest, I don’t owe you any kind of explanation! People are going from photos that are being taken out of context!” I was getting worked up, my words tumbling out faster and faster.

“You two look pretty cozy to me, Al—”

“Fuck off, Drew, don’t call me again! Go back to your whores and leave me alone!” I hung up, not wanting to hear another word from

his awful mouth.

I was about to put my phone down when it rang again. This time, it was my mom. Shit!

“Hi, Mom!”

“Alex, sweetheart! I have Delilah and Knox on the phone too! We’re so delighted you finally made it official between you two!”

Hah! Good one, Mom!

“Woah, woah, woah! Hold your horses there, Mother Dearest. The whole thing has been blown out of context. I can assure you Knox and I are NOT together! Knox, help me out here?!”