The towel slipped from Yelena’s fingers with a quiet rustle, the sound barely audible over the hum of the motel’s old air conditioner. I couldn’t see her—she was behind me, and Claire’s body was pressed against my front—but I didn’t need to. The way Claire’s breath hitched, the way her eyes widened just slightly, the flush creeping up her neck—it told me everything.
Yelena moved, the mattress dipping as she settled in beside me, her bare skin brushing against my back. The heat of her radiated through the thin fabric of my shirt, her breath shallow, uneven.
Claire’s hands flew up, covering my eyes before I could even think of turning. "Jack, don’t you dare look back," she hissed, her voice sharp with warning.
Then she whirled on Yelena, her voice rising. "Yelena, what the fuck are you up to?!" she snapped, her fingers already grabbing the spare blanket from the foot of the bed and yanking it over Yelena with more force than necessary.
Yelena didn’t resist. She just lay there, her voice trembling as she glared up at Claire. "Why do you get to occupy Jack all to yourself?" she demanded, her words raw, her voice cracking like she was fighting back tears. "Don’t I like him too?"
Claire froze, the blanket still clutched in her hands. "What the fuck are you talking about?" she shot back, her voice a mix of confusion and frustration.
Yelena’s breath hitched, her fingers curling into the blanket Claire had just thrown over her. "You think I don’t see it?" she said, her voice trembling. "You get to be open with him. You get to touch him, kiss him, claim him—like it’s nothing. Like you don’t even have to think about it. But me?" Her voice broke, just for a second. "I have to hide. I have to wait. I have to—"
"Yelena—" Claire started, her voice softer now, but Yelena cut her off, her voice sharp with pain.
"I love him too," she whispered, her words raw, her fingers digging into the fabric like she was trying to ground herself. "And I’m tired of pretending I don’t."
The room fell silent.
Claire’s grip on the blanket loosened, her expression shifting from anger to something far more complicated—guilt, maybe. Or understanding. She glanced at me, her eyes searching mine, before turning back to Yelena.
"You..." she started, then stopped, her voice unsteady. "You never said anything."
Yelena let out a shaky laugh, her eyes glistening. "When was I supposed to?" she snapped, her voice bitter. "When you were too busy marking him as yours? When you were too busy acting like I didn’t exist?"
Claire’s face paled. "Yelena, I—"
"Just forget it," Yelena muttered, turning away, her voice muffled by the blanket.
Claire’s fingers tightened around the edge of the blanket as she pulled it away, her eyes searching mine with a mix of shock and hurt. "Did you know about it?" she asked, her voice trembling, her breath hitching as she waited for my answer.
I didn’t look away. I didn’t hesitate.
I nodded.
Claire’s expression faltered, her lips parting slightly as she processed my admission. "And you didn’t say anything?" she whispered, her voice breaking just slightly, her fingers tightening around the blanket.
I looked at her, my voice quiet but honest. "What was I supposed to say?" I replied, my voice rough. "I just like her."
Claire’s eyes flickered with a mix of hurt and confusion. "What about me?" she asked, her voice suddenly indifferent, almost cold. "Are you playing with me?"
Without hesitation, I sat up and turned to face her fully. My hand came down hard on her ass with a sharp smack, the sound echoing in the quiet room. Claire let out a surprised gasp, "Ah!" but before she could react, I pulled her into a tight hug, her body pressing against mine. She could hear my heartbeat, steady and strong beneath her ear.
"Don’t you know," I murmured, my voice low and filled with emotion, "that I love you?"
Claire’s breath hitched, her body relaxing against mine as my words sank in, but her voice was still trembling with emotion. "Jack..." she whispered, her fingers tightening in my shirt. Then, her voice turned sharper, her gaze flicking toward Yelena, who was still half-hidden beneath the blanket, her face glistening with tears.
"Yelena, tell me?" Claire demanded, her voice breaking. "When did you fall in love with her?" She turned on Yelena, her voice rising. "And you—don’t you know he’s my boyfriend? Why are you still after him?"
Yelena peeked her head out, her face streaked with tears, her eyes red and raw. "I... don’t know," she admitted, her voice trembling.
"To tell you the truth, when I first met him... I kind of liked teasing him. Playing jokes on him... like I do with you." She swallowed hard, her fingers twisting in the blanket. "But when I found out he was your boyfriend... I just couldn’t bring myself to say anything."
Her voice cracked, and she looked down, her shoulders shaking. "Then I thought... in that building... if I died with your enemies, maybe I wouldn’t have to face this feeling of being alone anymore. And you’d be happy with Jack afterward..."
Claire’s fingers trembled as she reached for Yelena, her voice breaking with raw emotion. "You fool..." she whispered, tears streaming down her face. "You could have died..."
Yelena’s breath hitched, her body shaking as she buried her face in her hands. "I know," she sobbed, her voice muffled. "But I didn’t care anymore. I just wanted the pain to stop."
I clenched my fists, my voice tight with a sudden, sharp ache. "Yelena..." My breath came out ragged, like the words were being torn from me.
"Do you have any idea what that would have done to us?" My voice cracked, my hand pressing against my chest as if I could physically push down the agony rising inside me. "If we’d lost you—" I cut myself off, my throat tightening. "I can’t even think about it."
Yelena’s breath hitched, her tears falling faster. "But when Jack came to save me... even though I told him not to..." Her voice was raw, her fingers clenching into fists. "Do you know what it felt like? Seeing him work so hard to pull me out of the debris... thinking we were gonna die... but he saved me."
She looked up, her eyes meeting Claire’s, her voice breaking. "So I couldn’t control myself... Even if you hate me... or want to kill me... I’m ready to take any punishment. But don’t blame Jack. It’s all my fault." She looked away, her voice barely a whisper. "I just... I felt jealous when I saw you with him..."