by Unknown
“Sometimes you’re wise beyond your years, Lucas,” I chuckle.
“I didn’t used to be until you came along, Em. You made me see things in a new light,” he says.
I look up and see him smiling sweetly behind me. I’m guessing he’s referring to Leslie. Lucky bitch, I inwardly chuckle.
“Do you want anything to eat or drink, sweetheart?” Lucas asks nicely.
“Not right now but thanks, Lucas. My stomach is in knots right now. I’ll make sure to grab something before work.”
“Are you sure you’re up for that?” Lucas asks, his face etched in concern.
“No but I have to be. It’s not like I can just stay home. I’ll just end up stressing even more and wallowing in self-pity,” I say matter-of-fact.
He nods his head at me, obviously understanding my logic.
“I’ll leave you alone to rest and think about things. Call me as soon as you leave for work. I have to be there early, so I can’t walk with you,” he says apologetically. “Unless you don’t feel safe enough. You can come in early with me if you want.”
“No, I’ll be okay. I’ll just take some pepper spray or something. Maybe a small shiv for backup protection,” I say, cracking a dark smile.
Hey, I may be scared of what Marcus might do to me but I still have a sense of humor about the whole thing. He may have taken my sense of security, at least what was left of it, but not my bad jokes.
“If you’re sure…” he says worriedly.
I nod my head, adamant by my decision. I may regret this but I’m a stubborn bitch right now. I could just blame it on the pregnancy, but that’s just classic me.
“Okay, Em,” Lucas says kissing my forehead.
I smile at him, watching him and Leslie as they retreat from my room.
I close my eyes, sighing for dramatic effect.
Shit, Emma. What have you got yourself into? I think to myself over and over again. My depressing thoughts keeping me company before work.
A few hours later, I’m ready as I’ll ever be. Lucas said he had to come in to the bar early today, so here I am, walking across the street all alone. I’m glad I broke down and got on board with some pepper spray or what I like to call ‘cock block with a kick’ spray.
I look over at Leo’s, the last person I expected to see gracing the entrance of the bar.
Really? You have got to be kidding me?! As if I didn’t have enough stress in my life.
“She just got here. I’ll talk to you later,” I hear Jessica say into her phone as I get closer.
Um, that’s fucking weird. Who is she talking to and why would she be talking about me to the person on the other end of the line?
I notice that she’s donning a skin tight, white dress, her chest piece proudly displayed above her huge tits.
Wow, is she going to a night club later because I’m pretty sure there aren’t any in town. Ha, she’s probably going to a shift at the strip club. Yeah, that sounds more like her style.
I try to take the high road and ignore her, making my way into the bar with no such luck. This bitch has obviously been anxiously planning a confrontation. Okay, Jessica, I’ll try to play nice but if you go too far, it’s so on bitch.
“You think you can ignore me? Fucking look at me, you whore!” she snarls at me.
I sigh, realizing that she wants a fight. Well, I’m not here to disappoint. I’ll play her game and beat her at it too.
“What the fuck do you want, Jessica?! There is nothing that you need to say to me, so bye!” I say sidestepping her as I wave sarcastically.
She grabs my arm roughly, making me face her once again. Damn, for a skinny bitch, she sure has strength. I wonder what drug she’s on right now that gives her Hulk-like abilities.
“I know what you want, Emma. You think you’ve fooled Aiden but not me. He’s my husband and everything that he has belongs to me. Don’t fucking think that just because he’s back in town you can worm your way back into his life,” she spits out.
Aiden’s back in town? What? Why didn’t he tell me or call me to say that he was here? She’s either lying or he doesn’t want me to know that he’s back. I roll my eyes in aggravation. I really don’t need this right now.
“Look, I have no idea what you’re talking about but our relationship is none of your business. To be honest, I’m pretty much confused and disgusted that he ever married you. You’re white trash and you don’t have one caring bone in your entire body. I may have fucked Aiden while you two were still married, but believe me, if I knew he was legally married to you, I wouldn’t have touched him with a ten foot pole.”
“I don’t care that you fucked him! Do you honestly think that I’m jealous? I wouldn’t even want him to touch me ever again. He’s not a real man, especially since he lost his hand. I could barely stand the sight of him and those disgusting scars well before the crash,” she says nastily.
Wow, it’s one thing to insult me but insulting Aiden is an entirely different matter. I’m fucking pissed that she could even think, let alone say, something that hurtful. Who the fuck does she think she is?
“I dare you to say one more thing bad about him, Jessica. I fucking dare you, bitch,” I say.
“You think you scare me? I wouldn’t be threatening me if I were you, Emma,” she smirks.
“Oh, yeah, and why’s that?” I say amused.
“Because I know why you left Arizona,” she says as I pale. “Google can be really helpful when you need to find out about someone. I wonder if Aiden knows the real reason why you left…”
“Oh, I’m guessing he doesn’t by your reaction. What if somebody were to tell him? Do you think he would go down there and defend you? I think we both know he would. Wouldn’t it be unfortunate if he ended up in jail because of it too?” she says laughing.
This woman is insane. She knows the reason I moved here and now she thinks I’ll cower in fear of her.
“Congratulations! You managed to research me on Google. I’m sure it was a major inconvenience for you. You seem like a busy girl. Were you in between blowjobs and lines of coke when you looked me up?” I say smartly.
I know I just sealed me fate by insulting her, but I just don’t give a fuck anymore. I can’t live in fear of what people might find out.
Her face turns into a mask of hatred. I’m guessing I hit below the belt on that one, pun most definitely intended.
“You fucking cunt!” she yells practically like a battle cry.
She lifts her hand up towards my face and before she tries to slap me, I grab her forearm harshly.
“Feisty much? I may have let you hit me before, but that was just a freebie. Fucking try anything else and I will fight back, Jessica. You think you have me wrapped around your little finger? Well, you don’t! I’m not some guy with a dick between his legs that will answer to you and be manipulated. That shit might have worked with Aiden, but not with me, sweetie,” I spit out, seriously fed up with her.
Okay, I probably shouldn’t resort to violence, but hey, what the hell?
I shove her away from me and she stumbles on her hooker shoes, falling right on her backside.
“Fucking sucks being knocked on your ass when you least expect it, huh? Payback is a bitch,” I snort.
She’s fuming, trying to get herself up off the ground. I laugh, very proud of myself. Will she retaliate? Yeah, I’m sure she will eventually but I won’t be around long enough for her to do that. As soon as I can, I’m leaving town and going back to Arizona. Street brawls with psycho bitches are not something a pregnant woman should have to deal with. Thanks, but no thanks!
“You think you’ll get away with this? Just wait, Emma,” she says, her eyes darkening.
“Yeah, yeah, you really intimidate me, Jessica,” I say not impressed.
“Maybe I’m not the one you should be scared of. You have more enemies than friends here. This is my town, not yours. Just remember that the next time you cross me. Not that there will be a next time,” she smirks
.
“Whatever,” I say to her cryptic statement.
I walk around her as she starts to get up, finally able to open the door to the bar.
“I can’t wait until you fall, Emma. It will be fun to watch. I almost feel sorry for you,” she smirks, walking away.
Her last words send a shiver up my spine. What could she possibly do to me? Yeah, she has dirt on me but not much else. I shrug, thinking that she’s just blowing hot air up her own ass. Cocky bitch.
I walk inside the bar and notice that the back of room near the pool tables has band equipment scattered around. An acoustic guitar with an amp, some microphones, and a small drum set adorn the makeshift stage. Hmm…that’s interesting. I didn’t know that Leo had live bands play here. This could be an interesting night.
I make my way over to the bar and notice Lucas making drinks and Leslie serving them along with food to tables.
I clock in, making my way over to the bar to help out. Lucas asks me to take over so he can go to the back to help with an incoming shipment. I silently agree, making sure to be as helpful as possible tonight.
I look over at the stage, a bottle of vodka in my hand. I see two young guys with shaggy hair and one young woman with platinum white hair go over to the instruments. I’m guessing this is the live band for tonight.
One of the guys straps on an acoustic guitar and the other gets on drums. The woman goes over to one of the microphones, an almost angelic look about her. They all have an indie, almost modern hippie kind of vibe.
“How’s everybody doing tonight?” the guy with the guitar says into the mic.
People in the bar don’t really respond because let’s face it, it’s a sports bar, not a dive bar where the next it musicians are discovered. Yeah, these guys are going to have a hard time impressing and capturing these patrons’ attention.
“We’re Things We Lost in the Fire, and if you couldn’t tell, we come all the way from England,” he smirks. “I’d like to thank a friend for taking a chance on us and bringing us all the way out here. You guys may have heard of him,” he says smiling. “I’m proud to say that he will be joining us tonight.”
“C’mon up here, bloke,” he smiles, looking to the side of the makeshift stage.
I look over and notice Aiden walk over to one of the microphone. What the hell? How did I not notice him before now?
The woman at the other microphone smiles coyly at him, and I clench the bottle in my hand. That better be a ‘we’re only friends, and I totally don’t want to fuck you’ smile going on between them.
“We’re going to play a few covers for you and then some originals. I hope you like it,” Aiden says shyly into the mic.
“This one’s Ho Hey by The Lumineers,” the blonde woman says into the microphone.
Damn her and those seductive vocal chords. It’s sultry and English. Double fuck!
Aiden starts off with vocals, his voice caressing every word. It’s so smooth and mesmerizing. She joins in at the chorus, fusing her voice to his perfectly. If this were American Idol and she and I were competitors, she would whoop my ass, hands down. I’m nothing compared to her. Her vocal range is nearly unbeatable.
I pour a few drinks to customers, keeping a close eye on Aiden. He hasn’t looked over at me once. Is something going on that I don’t know about? Is he ignoring me on purpose?
As I ponder his attitude towards me, they finish the song, ending it with a round of applause and whistles. Okay, so maybe I was wrong about the crowd. They sure seemed to love that performance. Who could blame them? You’d have to be deaf or just not appreciate music to have disliked that.
“Thank you,” Blondie says into the microphone.
“This next one is Eavesdrop by The Civil Wars,” Aiden says glancing at his singing partner.
She begins singing, her gaze solely on Aiden. I clench my fingers by my sides, not liking her blatant interest in him. They look so good together. She’s light where he’s dark.
He joins in at the chorus and I finally am able to grasp the meaning of the song. It’s about not wanting things to end and saying that it’s over. Shit, this is either a message to me from Aiden or a huge coincidence. Every word, every fucking line reminds me of him pleading with me to never give up on us.
I look over at him and see how engrossed he is in the other singer. They look like they’re singing to each other. I see something in his eyes that I haven’t seen in a while. I see adoration and…love.
It’s like it’s just the two of them there and nobody else is in the room. I know that feeling. I’ve been right where she is. Now I’m on the sidelines, watching him have those looks with someone else.
My heart feels like it’s been split in two, torn right fucking down the middle. This is worse than when I found out he was still married to Jessica. He didn’t look like he loved her. He looked like he despised her at least. I was more angry than hurt by his actions but this time…he’s wrecked me.
I feel my heartbeat pick up, beating rapidly against my shirt. If it pounded any harder, it would burst right out of my chest.
Dear God, I can’t take this. I can’t go on seeing him like this. I thought he wanted me to wait for him. When did he decide that he didn’t want to wait for me? Because seeing him and this woman sure has opened my eyes. Is he doing this to torment me? Or is he so wrapped in her he doesn’t even notice I’m alive?
I’ve got to get out of here. I need air, for fuck’s sake!
I walk around the bar, not bother telling anybody that I’m going out back. I don’t want their pity or questions. I just need space.
I try to walk calmly to the door, not trying to draw attention to myself. I know my body is subtly shaking, unable to control the emotions flowing through me.
I keep my eyes trained in front of me, my movement taut and awkward. I feel the tears making their appearance and I finally bolt when I reach the back door. I flip it open, shutting it roughly behind me. I sag next the dumpster, in the same exact spot where Aiden practically mauled me three weeks ago. Oh, and don’t forget the same spot where he impregnated you too, Emma. That’s equally important.
I chuckle at the irony of the situation. The place that I seek refuge is the same place that altered my life forever.
My tears flow freely now as I slump down against the brick wall. I bury my head in my hands, wanting the pain to dissipate. This will all just be a bad memory one day, Emma. You’ll look back and laugh at how dramatic and silly you’re behaving. It’s just unfortunate that day isn’t right fucking now.
I hear the door fly open, and I twist my head away from it, not wanting to be seen like this. Pathetic, broken, alone.
“Em, what the hell?”
Of course it’s Lucas. He’s always there to pick up the pieces. He always sees me at my worst. This must be like deja-vu for him.
He kneels down in front of me, prying my hands away from my face. He looks into my eyes, probably recognizing the betrayal and pain in them.
“Why, Lucas? Why did he do that to me?” I ask.
He shakes his head back in forth like he knows exactly what I’m referring to. Nice. I’m not the only one who noticed Aiden’s interest in that woman and his disinterest in me.
“I don’t know, Em. I don’t know why he does the things he does. All I know is that you don’t deserve that. He’s not worth it, sweetheart. When will you realize that? I can’t keep seeing you like this. He’s fucking destroying you and this is the last thing you need right now,” he bites off.
Well, at least Lucas cares about me still. Wish I could say the same for Aiden.
He grasps my hands in his, bringing us both to a standing position. I wrap my arms around his back, relishing in his kind-heartedness. He kisses my forehead as the door bursts open yet again. I look over Lucas’s shoulder into a pair of furious, green eyes. They pierce me, accuse me.
“You couldn’t even wait three weeks could you? It was him all along, wasn’t it, Emma?” Aiden snarls at me.
/> Lucas shelters me behind him, whirling his body toward Aiden.
“You don’t fucking get it, do you, man?” Lucas chuckles harshly.
Aiden looks at him, confusion and hatred marring his face. He frowns, his eyebrow twitching slightly.
“I don’t need to fucking get it. I have two eyes and see exactly what’s been going on this entire time. I thought you could fix me but I was so fucking wrong. You broke me, Emma,” he whispers.
I’m still hiding behind Lucas, gripping his arms. I’m so hurt right now I have no idea what to say. How can Aiden be talking like this when I just saw him inside with another woman?
“Aiden, what…” I croak out.
“No, there’s nothing you can say. I’ve been blind but not anymore. I wish you both the best of luck and nothing but happiness,” he snarls.
“Aiden, that’s enough! You don’t under…” Lucas says as Aiden ignores him, going back inside.
I cry out, not fully comprehending just what happened. Did he just walk away from me? From us, forever? Nothing is making sense. I have to go to him. Things just got way out of hand.
“Fuck, I have to talk to him. I don’t know what just happened,” I say frantically, going around Lucas.
I feel him gently grab my wrist, preventing me from going after Aiden.
“Em, let him cool off for a bit. He’s irrational right now and you don’t need that,” he says calmly.
“But, Lucas, I….”
“No, think about this. You’re pregnant and you need to chill out. Think of the baby, Em,” he says.
I sigh, my lower lip trembling. He’s right. Fucking Lucas is right, yet again.
I look up at him, hating that fact that everything he just said makes total sense. I should just let Aiden have some time to think about things and then I’ll call or text him later. I still need to tell him about the pregnancy and the fact that I’m moving back home.
“Wait, are you…” Lucas says his eyes widening.
“Am I what?” I ask still trembling.
“You’re in love with him, aren’t you, Em?” he asks, the truth finally dawning on him.