𝐆𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 [𝟏𝟖+] ✔

9

Beeping. Really loud, head-bursting tones are ringing in my ears. I try to open my eyes, the sting from the bright lights causing me to instantly close them again. I groan, moving my hand up to run my knuckles over them, trying to ease the pain.

"Dan?" I hear Eric, and I hum in response, eyes still screwed shut. "Go get the nurse." I hear a chair scratch along the ground and I wince at the noise, listening to the footsteps getting quieter the further they get away from me.

I attempt to open my eyes once more and fail. "Wait, I'll turn this light off," he says, a clicking sound followed by the red glow from behind my eyelids changing to dark, easing the headache somewhat.

Slowly opening my eyes, they feel drier than dry, and Eric is leaning over me with a worried look. He's obviously not slept, the deep bags and messy hair clear evidence of that. "Are you feeling okay?" he asks, and I nod, groaning when I try to push myself up to a sitting position. He helps, grabbing my bicep and placing his other hand on my back. "Your dad has been waiting for you to wake up, but I'm not going to phone him, not until you explain to me what the fuck you were playing at."

Staring into his baby blues, I frown, and I know I should be running, but I'm just too tired. What if he hurts me? "Wait... how do I know this is real?"

"It's real, Dan."

I grab at the metal railing on the bed as my heart starts to race, instantly sweating, my breath hitching, remembering the ball of fire plummeting down on me, the air being ripped away from my lungs while everyone watched, Robbie spitting in my face... and Orla.

"Oh my God," I whisper through a quivering lip before my eyes meet his. "You need to take it off... the Neurock. Please, Eric."

He pushes against my shoulders as I try to get up, to run, anything to get out of this hell in my head. "Hey, calm the fuck down," he orders me, making me flinch as he reaches up, cupping my cheeks, and running his thumbs along my skin. "You need to find something to be in touch with reality... think. How will you know that this is real?"

Both times I've used the death-trap, I've been close with Eric, so if he kisses me now, then I know I'm completely screwed. He has his hands on me, and instead of me feeling a surge of desire, the need for him to touch me like I did before, I feel terrified of him, remembering the way he looked at me before shoving me out of the dome.

I take a deep breath, my heart threatening to blow through my chest cavity. "Kiss me," I say, watching his head jerk back, confused, and if anything, he looks pretty disgusted.

He releases his hold on my cheeks and raises his hands with wide eyes. "Woah. Why the fuck would I kiss you?"

Relief floods through me, and I slouch back on the bed with a sigh. "Thank God, I thought I was still in that horrible thing." I look around, finally registering that I'm in the medical building. "What happened?"

With a deep frown, Eric sits on the chair next to my bed, elbows leaning on his knees, his grey Nike shorts matching his black Nike top. "You lied, that's what happened. Do you know how much shit I'm in with your dad?"

"Sorry," I say, looking down at my fingers as I tangle them in the pink blanket from my bedroom. "But, why am I here?"

He scoffs. "You were in that thing for hours, Dan. You were nearly a goner."

My eyes widen at him, and I run my tongue along my dry lips. "Robbie was supposed to come home from work and take it off me. He didn't, did he?"

So, he didn't cheat on me?