Lust in Ecstasy: Love, Lies and Revenge
Chapter 52: Misplaced Priorities.

Chapter 52: Misplaced Priorities.

Faith took a step back, quickly adjusting her top, while I ran a hand through my hair, exhaling.

Abby’s eyes flickered between us, her lips pressing into a thin line. "What the hell is going on here?"

"It’s not what it looks like," Faith blurted out, though even she didn’t sound convinced.

Abby scoffed. "Really? ’Cause it looks like you two were about to devour each other."

Silence settled between us. Faith looked down, chewing on her lip, and I met Abby’s gaze, trying to gauge just how mad she was.

"You know what?" Abby finally said, shaking her head. "I don’t even care."

She turned on her heel and walked away.

Faith let out a breath, looking at me. "I should go after her."

I nodded, rubbing my temples. "Yeah."

She hesitated for a moment before leaving the kitchen. I leaned back against the counter, staring at the ceiling.

Shit.

---

I stayed in the kitchen for a while, running a hand down my face. That didn’t go how I thought it would.

I should’ve expected something like this, though. It was only a matter of time before everything got messy. I might’ve began testing my luck at this point. What if she told someone? Esther? Joyce? Or worse. Daniel. Yeah, I might be in trouble.

I grabbed a glass of water and took a slow sip, trying to drown out the thoughts racing through my head.

A few minutes passed before I heard footsteps returning. Faith.

She walked in, arms crossed, looking more frustrated than before.

"So... she’s pissed," she said flatly.

"Yeah, no shit."

Faith sighed, brushing her hair back. "I tried to explain, but she wasn’t having it. She said she doesn’t care, but we both know that’s a lie."

I set my glass down. "What do you want me to do?"

Faith shook her head. "Nothing. This isn’t your mess to fix. I’ll handle it."

I watched her, trying to read what she wasn’t saying.

"Do you think she’ll tell someone?" I asked.

Faith’s expression shifted, a flicker of offense crossing her face. "Is that going to be a problem? What do you mean?"

I exhaled, rubbing my face. "You know exactly what I mean. Until recently, my life in this house has been pathetic. Imagine what’ll happen if your sisters find out about this."

I could already picture Joyce’s smug grin, her practically bouncing with excitement at having something to hold over me. And if she ran her mouth—because she would—this whole thing would get messier than it already was.

Faith’s lips pressed together like she was holding back a response, but I had to ask the real question weighing on me.

"Do you regret it?"

She blinked, caught off guard. "What?"

"The kiss," I said, tilting my head. "Do you regret it?"

Her gaze flickered away for a moment, a light blush creeping onto her cheeks. When she looked back, something unreadable lingered in her eyes.

"No," she admitted softly. "But that doesn’t mean it was a good idea."

I let out a low chuckle, nodding. "Should’ve thought about that before making a move on me."

She scoffed. "Oh, please. You responded."

Her voice was barely above a whisper, but the weight of her words hung between us. Another heavy silence settled in.

"I should go," she said after a while.

I didn’t stop her. I just watched as she turned and walked out.

As soon as she was gone, I exhaled, leaning back against the counter and rubbing my temples.

This was getting complicated. Too complicated.

I needed to get ahead of it before things spiraled even further. And if there was one person who thrived in cleaning up messy situations, it was Eric.

Without wasting another second, I grabbed my phone and dialed his number.

The call barely rang twice before he picked up.

"Yo, what’s up?"

I let out a slow breath, already bracing myself. "I think I might have a problem."

"I’m on my way to your place now," I added.

"Uhhh, Right. Right... Be expecting you,"

Hurrying to my room, I changed into a fresh set of clothes—just a hoodie and joggers. Something simple.

Eric’s place was about a fifteen-minute walk, so I stuffed my hands into my hoodie pockets and headed out. My mind buzzed with different scenarios, none of them reassuring.

I had bigger things to focus on, yet here I was, caught up in... well, girls.

I could already hear Eric’s voice in my head, his amused smirk as he roasted me for having wildly misplaced priorities. And honestly? He wouldn’t be wrong.

The walk to Eric’s felt longer than usual. Maybe because my head was all over the place. By the time I reached his place, I barely had to knock before the door swung open.

Eric stood there, shirtless, sweat glistening on his skin like he’d just finished working out. His brows lifted the second he saw me.

"Well, well," he drawled, leaning against the doorframe. "Didn’t expect to see you here so early. So... What happened, you realized I’m the only one that can help your pathetic life?"

I rolled my eyes, brushing past him into the house. "Yeah, yeah. You done stroking your ego?"

"Never." He shut the door and followed me inside. "So? What’s up?"

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "It’s... complicated."

Eric smirked. "Aren’t your problems always?" He plopped onto the couch, grabbing a bottle of water from the table. "Lemme guess. It’s about a girl."

I hesitated for half a second, and that was all he needed. His grin widened.

"Knew it," he laughed. "Man, you are so predictable."

I slumped into the chair across from him, rubbing my temples. "It’s not just about a girl."

Eric took a sip of water, cleaning the sweat off his body with a small body tower. "Oh? So multiple girls then?"

I shot him a glare. He just laughed harder.

"Alright, alright," he said, waving me off. "Spill. What did you do this time?"

I hesitated before speaking, my eyes scanning the room as if the words I was about to say might somehow be written on the walls.