“Was that?” Jenny asked, having witnessed the whole exchange.
“Uh-huh.” I nodded, my stomach still tight with anger and betrayal.
“Ouff. Let’s hope we don’t run into her again tonight,” she whispered, for only me to hear.
“I really hope not,” I agreed, praying that everything tonight would go smoothly.
“Do you want to go dance?” I asked Hunter. He’d mainly been talking to his friends all night. The music was pumping and people were gathered on the dance floor, the party was in full swing.
“Nah, I’m good,” he dismissed me, fully invested in the conversation with his friends.
“Okay,” I said, feeling a little disappointed.
Jenny and Anne were out dancing on the dance floor and I decided to join them. I wasn’t going to sit around bored with Hunter and his friends all night. A few guys tried to pull me over to them as I walked by but I ignored them and continued towards my girls, until a pair of hands grabbed me rather roughly, with force, stopping me and pulling me towards them. I looked at my assailant in shock and found myself face-to-face with a pair of cold, icy blue eyes. Chris. I hadn’t seen him since that night at Duke’s, when Axel had gotten him to leave. He was clearly already drunk and he looked angry. I felt scared and didn’t know what to do, I looked to Hunter but he was lost in conversation with his buddies and probably hadn’t even realized I’d left and the girls were too busy dancing to even notice me. In a sea of people, I was alone and trapped.
“Leah,” Chris grinned smugly, his eyes fierce and malevolent.
“What do you want Chris?” I asked, trying to force myself out of his grasp, but he held me firmly in place.
“I told you, I wasn’t done with you,” he sneered. “You need to come back to me,” he continued.
“I’m dating someone else now, Chris,” I told him, still trying to pull away but getting nowhere. “And even if I wasn’t, you’re the last man on Earth I’d ever be with,” I told him through clenched teeth. He laughed at that.
“Where is this guy you’re dating?” he asked, looking around. “Either you’re lying to me or he doesn’t care about you enough, leaving you alone, when you’re looking as good as you do,” he said, moving closer to me and sniffing my neck. He sighed loudly and I wanted to puke. I tried harder to pull away. How I had ever thought that I had loved this man was beyond me.
“Let me go!” I cried out but he simply ignored me, his grip remaining firm. I felt my anxiety rising.
“Lee, when are you going to see we belong together, we had something good,” he said, roughly pulling me closer and lowering his face so that his putrid beer breath was burning my nostrils. I looked away to create some distance from his face but it didn’t help.
“Never, you cheating bastard,” I shouted at him. Chris only laughed at me and put one of his hands on my jaw, holding it firm as he tried to lower his face to my lips. I was about to start crying, I felt so distressed as I tried to jerk away. I felt something move behind me and then Chris’s hands released me as he went flying backwards.
“I warned you, you motherfucker. Touch her again and you’re done,” Axel’s voice rose, his sexy accent coming out thick. I stared in amazement as Axel held Chris by the back of a shirt and tossed him to the bouncer. “Kick him out of here, John,” he told the bouncer, he clearly knew pretty well. Axel returned to me and put one hand on my shoulder and the other on my chin so I’d look up at his eyes, his touch was gentle and his stance was protective. The opposite of Chris.
“Leah, are you okay?” he asked, worry clear in his eyes. I felt myself completely relax and let myself fall onto his chest, where I knew I was safe.
“I am now,” I told him, closing my eyes. I felt him release a deep breath as he put his arms around me, holding me there securely. We stood like that for a few seconds, in an intimate embrace, until I took a step back. “Thank you so much, Axel,” I started, looking up into his gorgeous green eyes. “I was really scared and I didn’t know what to do,” I admitted, shaking slightly at just the thought of Chris’s hands holding me roughly and trapping me.
“It’s okay. I’m here and I won’t let anything happen to you,” he said, his voice soothing me as he rubbed my bare back. “He’s been kicked out,” He told me “And I’m banning him from Duke’s as well,” Axel informed.
“You don’t have to do all that for me,” I said slightly in awe. Why was he going through all this trouble for me, after everything and how I’d left things between us and I hadn’t spoken to him in almost a month. Why was he coming to my rescue like my knight in shining armor?
“I do,” he said, smiling down softly at me. I felt all the knots in my stomach uncoil and butterflies flutter in their place. Axel stared down at me with so much affection, I felt myself going on my toes to reach his lips, like I had done so many times before. I stopped myself; shocked at what I’d nearly done, I was with Hunter. I couldn’t do this. I looked over to where Hunter was sitting and he still wasn’t looking at me, he was still lost in the same conversation, completely oblivious to me.
“You look incredibly beautiful,” Axel told me, his voice deep and husky. “Especially your lips, with that lip gloss,” he said in my ear, his voice raspy now. “They’re irresistible.” My face heated down to my neck in a blush and Axel chuckled. “I love doing that to you.” He chuckled some more. I rolled my eyes unable to keep the smile off of my face. “Do you want to maybe find a quiet place to talk?” he asked, his eyes hopeful. “I don’t like how we ended things between us and I need to explain a few things to you,” he told me, serious now.
I was about to nod and tell him yes, when a whiny voice called out.
“Axel baby, there you are.” I looked to see Ashley coming, she was wearing the shortest dress I’d ever seen with a plunging neckline, holding Axel’s shoulder with her neon pink manicured fingers.
“Ashley,” I said in horror, at being caught alone with Axel and that she was still with him. Axel looked from me to Ashley in the same horror.
“Lee?” she said back. “What are you doing here, Kiddo?” she asked, making me feel young and like a child. She then looked from me to Axel with anger. “I thought you told me you two were over,” she said disapprovingly and released Axel’s shoulder to cross her arms over her chest, making her boobs look even bigger. I felt shame and humiliation.
“We are,” I said quickly under her scrutiny, feeling self-conscious.
“Actually, I don’t think this is any of your business, Ashley. I’ve told you over and over that you and I are done,” Axel said harshly, a side he never used towards me. “Nothing will ever happen between us again,” he stated firmly and I released a breath that I hadn’t even realized I’d been holding. Ashley looked like a deer caught in a pair of headlights, she was so stunned.
“This is my business,” she stated, looking close to tears. “Leah is just a kid and you have no business with her,” she continued, making me angry now. I hated how young she and Jackie made me feel when I was only a few years younger than them and I had my life more sorted out than the both of them combined.
“Leah is far from a kid and she shows more maturity than you ever have,” he defended, making me feel good about myself. “Now go before you make an even bigger fool of yourself,” he told her and with that, she turned on her heels and left us, fleeing for the door. I felt bad for Ash, even though she’d seriously pissed me off. Axel took my hand gently in his and led me off the dance floor, into a quieter area at the back where I could actually hear myself think. He was about to speak but I held my hand up stopping him, I needed to do this first.
“Thank you,” I told him earnestly, “For defending me and sticking up for me, not once but twice tonight.” I smiled gratefully, he smiled back now.
“Always.” He smiled back.
“So, you know Ashley?” he stated unenthusiastically, clearly unhappy with this news.
I nodded. “She’s been my older sister Jackie’s best friend for
years,” I explained. The wheels turning in his head seemed to click and he grimaced. “I’ve wanted to apologize,” I told him quickly before he had the chance to say anything else.
“For what?” he questioned, his eyebrows crinkling up in confusion.
“For getting mad at you and how we ended things,” I explained, “I was upset and blew up at you at your work and it wasn’t fair. We never agreed to be exclusive and I was completely out of line,” I finished, my cheeks hot with embarrassment. He smiled down at me and stroked my flamed cheek with his thumb.
“Leah,” he said slowly, the sweet sound of his voice when he said my name made my knees weak and my heart flutter. “From the moment you came back into my life, you were the only one for me,” he said lovingly, his voice hushed as he continued to caress my cheek with his thumb. “There was no one else when I was with you, I tried to explain,” he continued, stealing my breath away.
“But,” I started, so confused. “Ashley said…” I started, not comprehending his words but wanting them more than anything to be true.
“Ashley,” he almost spat and removed his hand from my cheek, his posture no longer relaxed and now rigid and tense. “She lied,” he said, his voice full of anger and hate. Why would she lie to me? She had been like a sister to me, it didn’t make any sense.
“She said you two have been seeing each other for months and made it sound like you two were pretty serious,” I told him. His muscles pulsed beneath his shirt then.
“Ashley was a drunken one night stand, I had the mistake of making in the summer when I got back and I have regretted ever since,” he explained and I could see in his emerald eyes that he was telling me the truth. “She’s been stalking me for months, harassing me at work and showing up wherever I am. I can’t stand her and the only thing serious between us, is how close I am to getting a restraining order.” I was so shocked to hear this, after how Ashley had spoken about him all the time. I truly had believed they’d had a relationship similar to what I had with Axel.
“One night?” That was all it had been? Before me, I reminded myself and then felt my mouth drop at how badly I had treated him and how harshly I had accused him. We’d gotten quite close and I had completely disregarded what I’d gotten to know about his character.
“Oh my God,” I said, shocked to the core. “I am so truly sorry for everything I said and how I treated you. I’m actually a terrible person,” I apologized, feeling like a monster. Axel smiled down at me and stroked my cheek once more.
“It’s okay, you were right. I do have a bad history. And how were you supposed to know your sister’s best friend is a lying psycho stalker?” he chuckled, making light of the situation on my behalf.
“Still. I should have given you the benefit of the doubt and I’m so sorry Axel,” I apologized again.
“All that matters is that you know the truth now,” he said, brushing off how horrible I’d been to him. He lowered his head towards my lips and put his hand on my waist holding me gently.
“Axel,” I heard myself gasp out, my lungs not working properly with his warm body pressed so close to mine. He looked down at me, his beautiful forest green eyes filled with lust. “We can’t.” I grimaced, moving a fraction away but not having the strength to move anymore. He was like a magnet pulling me in and there was no real way to escape.
“Why not?” he questioned baffled. “You know now.”
“It’s not that,” I told him. “I have a boyfriend now, Hunter, and I’m not that kind of person,” I explained. I could tell my words hurt him and he physically flinched from them. Axel nodded slowly and let go of me, being the one to fully step back and create distance between us.
“I know you’re not Leah,” he said, his voice soft. “Where is he?” he asked his voice dull and lifeless.
“Hunter?” I questioned, he nodded simply in reply. “He’s at a table with his friends,” I answered, slightly embarrassed. Axel didn’t look impressed and neither was I but I wasn’t about to tell him that.
“Why are you with him Leah?” he asked, the pain evident in his voice but there was no malice, it was just a sincere question. He’d been honest with me all night, so I owed him that much.
“I wanted something serious, Axel,” I told him honestly. “It was never serious between us and Hunter liked me and wanted the same thing,” I explained simply.
“You never said anything,” he said stunned. “Why didn’t you talk to me about it?” he asked, looking hurt again.
“I wanted to but I was scared. I was going to talk to you about it when you got back from your trip. But then Ashley told me everything and with your reputation and all, I knew you weren’t the serious type.” My words hit him deep and I wished I wasn’t the one bringing him pain, after all he had done for me.
“You should have talked to me Leah,” he mumbled looking away, unable to look at me.
“Would it have mattered?” I asked, fearing the answer and wishing I’d never asked, knowing I wouldn’t like the answer either way.
“Leah, I wanted to be in a serious relationship with you the second you walked into my bar. But you set the terms and always got so spooked when it came to intimacy. I didn’t want to scare you away. When I got back, I was going to finally ask you to officially be my girlfriend but you started avoiding me and then everything blew up,” he told me.
My heart stopped for a second and my throat constricted as my eyes got blurry with moisture. He wanted me and I threw it all away because of lies and my own insecurities. I’d been so focused at keeping the walls up around my heart, so that no one could hurt me again, that I’d made it so I was the one who hurt myself. I think Axel could tell I was trying to hold my tears back because he stepped closer and pulled me into his chest in a tight hug.
“I came here tonight, hoping I’d find you and we could fix things and move forward,” he said into my hair. My body shook as I bit back a sob. God, I missed him and wanted him. I’d messed everything up so badly. Why was life so unfair? “I guess I’ll be happy just knowing that you know the truth and how I feel. Hunter is one lucky guy, if you’re happy with him I won’t try to come between you two. But know Leah, I’m here and I’ll always be here for you.” He kissed my forehead lightly, just once and lingered there, neither one of us moving. I didn’t want it to end. “I guess you should get back to him, he’s probably worried about where you are,” Axel said, letting go of me all too soon. He broke the connection and I nodded, my heart hurting. “Bye Leah,” he said and walked away, taking a piece of my heart with him.
I stood by myself for a moment, gathering my breathing and trying to get a hold of myself and not break down into a mess on the floor. After a few deep breaths, I made my way back to Hunter and his friends at the table. They all sat in the same places as when I had left, all still in deep conversation. I sat down and Hunter smiled at me briefly before focusing back on what was being said. He didn’t notice the tears hidden in my eyes and the fake smile plastered on my face. I looked to the dance floor and saw Jenny dancing with some guy and Anne grinding on another. It seemed all my friends were having a good night but me. I didn’t want to be a downer and ruin the night for everyone, so I decided to go to the bar and get one more drink before I headed off. I couldn’t leave this early without getting an earful from the girls and an interrogation, neither of which I could handle at the moment. I got my drink, a Cosmopolitan and was walking back to the table, when a flash of yellow stepped in front of me. Chelsea. She stood blocking my path, her eyes wide and sad like a puppy dog. I actually hadn’t thought my night could get any worse until this moment.
“I’m not trying to ruin your night,” she started. “I just wanted to say I’m so sorry about what I did with Chris. I have regretted it every day and I wish with all my heart I could take it back,” she told me. “I miss you Lee,” she said, looking ready to bawl. She wasn’t the only one.
“Chelsea,” I said slowly, “You hurt me, you were my best friend and you betrayed me in the
worst way. I was more hurt by what you did than that Chris had cheated on me. I lost you and I had no one,” I told her, needing to get the words off my chest. “I’m still not over what you did and I honestly may never be,” I told her. “Thank you for your apology but I can’t be your friend after what you did,” I finished. She nodded like she expected as much and walked away.
Wow, tonight had been a mess of an emotional roller coaster. I’d been hit at all angles and it was a wonder I was still standing. I made it back to the table and deflated into the chair. I chugged down my drink, awaiting the sweet numbing release of my senses and emotions. I needed to sleep after all of this emotional turmoil.
“Hunter,” I said, trying to capture his attention. He looked up at me, as if only really seeing me for the first time tonight.
“What’s up?” Hunter asked, finally focusing on me.
“I’m not feeling too great. I need to go home,” I told him. He didn’t even try to hide the disappointment from his face.
“It’s still early,” he said, looking at his watch, upset.
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