We Fight, We Fall

by Nicole Callesto

We arrive outside of Leo’s, and Aiden gets down out of the truck. He walks over to my door, helping me out of it. I could really get used to this treatment. He pulls me towards him, wrapping his arms around my back. God, he feels so amazing.

  “Ok, baby. Have fun at work and if anything bad happens, you call me, ok? I’ll be over here in a heartbeat. I just have to go over to the music store and pick up a new record player that I ordered,” he says looking into my eyes. I know my face looks bitter, knowing that he will probably run into one red-haired skank.

  “If I didn’t know any better Emma, I’d say that you don’t look too happy with me going over there,” he says smirking. Uh, you got that right!

  “Yeah, well, just make sure you get what you need and leave. The employees there seem a little too friendly and accommodating for my taste,” I say in a snarky tone. He smiles even wider at my comment. I’m glad you find my jealousy so amusing, Aiden.

  “Don’t worry, baby. I’ll make sure to leave as soon as I can,” he says kissing my forehead. “I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of this side of you, Emma. So territorial,” he says chuckling.

  “Yeah, yeah,” I mutter, embarrassed by my feelings of jealousy. Ugh, I hate being that kind of girlfriend. But who could really blame me with Aiden being the kind of man he is. Attractive, masculine, and sweet men are practically extinct, and women are out on the hunt for them.

  He stops smiling, and his eyes blacken. He reaches his hand up to my face, touching my lower lip. He leans down towards me, sucking my lower lip into his mouth. I moan, and he bites my lip lightly. I press my body tightly against his, getting as close as I possibly can. We devour each other’s’ mouths, trying to catch our breath. I know that we’re on the side of the street and people can probably see us, but I really don’t give a shit. If anything, they get a free show; no refreshments included.

  He pulls back away from me and I groan, missing the contact of his body already. Something about needing to be at work is pushed to the back of my mind. All I can think about is finishing that kiss. It was one of total ownership, and I loved every second of it. I feel like we reached a new level in our relationship, because he’s never kissed me that way before. He looks down into my eyes, keeping his hands splayed on my hips.

  “Emma, I’m yours baby. Just remember that I will always be yours, no matter what. I can’t even imagine being with anyone else, because no one has ever made me feel this way before. I don’t think that anybody else remotely could. I….fuck, I just want you to know that,” he says seriously. Um, wow. I really like the fact that he’s mine.

  “I’m yours too, Aiden,” I say. God, there is so much more I want to say to him. I’m just worried that things are moving too fast, and his feelings are just getting muddled. I know that I love him, but does he love me? We barely know each other, but what I do know of him I love completely. I could see myself spending the rest of my life with this man. He’s pretty much spoiled my chances of ever being with anybody else. I feel like I would just compare every other guy to him. Nobody could quite measure up to his level.

  He smiles at me and kisses me again. I snap myself out of my daze, realizing that I need to haul my ass into work. “Um, I should probably go into work now. You know, have to bring home the bacon and what not,” I say jokingly.

  He laughs. “Ok, Emma. I’ll see you later.” I grudgingly pull away from him and as I walk away, I feel a light slap on my ass. I pivot my head, looking over my shoulder and see him with his hands in his pockets. Devious bastard!

  “What?!” he asks innocently. I laugh and shake my head at him. I get inside the doorway of the bar and see Aiden getting into his truck. He’s smiling and looking really happy. Yes! I was the one who made him feel that way. Good job, Emma.

  I walk into the building and see Leo and Lucas behind the bar. I go over to them, ready for the night to start.

  “Hey guys. How’s it going?” I say. I look over at Lucas and notice that he looks a little irritated. Shit, I hope nothing bad happened before I got here.

  “It’s going good, Emma. Pretty slow day, so it’s been laid back. How was your day off?” Leo asks me. Lucas looks over, finally acknowledging my presence. Gee, what crawled up and bit his ass?! I miss the flirty, carefree Lucas. At least I know where I stand with that version of him.

  “Um, it was good and bad actually. I kind of wanted to talk to you later about it, if it’s ok?” I say to him. Leo looks at me concerned, and Lucas becomes just as interested.

  “Yeah, that’s no problem. I hope everything is okay with you,” Leo says.

  “I’m probably just being overly paranoid or something, so I wouldn’t worry too much about it,” I say to him. I know I’m not overreacting about the whole Marcus fiasco, but I just don’t want to worry anybody.

  “Ok, when your shift ends we can talk all about it,” he says to me. “Lucas, can you show Emma what stuff she needs to unpack and stock?” he asks Lucas. Lucas nods at him, and Leo walks to the back.

  “Hey, is everything ok?” I ask Lucas. He looks over at me with sad eyes, his forehead creased.

  “Yeah, I’m cool. Just some personal stuff, but I’ll be fine,” he says to me. “So do you want to tell me what you want to talk to my dad about?” he asks intrigued. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to tell him about Marcus. Hell, maybe he knows more about the guy than Aiden does. A little dirt on him could be useful.

  “You know how we had those guys give me hard time the other night?” I ask him. I see his jaw clench. Damn, he looks mad. He just nods at me.

  “Well, one of the guys came into Aiden’s house yesterday, unexpected. I was in the kitchen, and Aiden was in the other room showering. I heard the front door slam, and I looked over and saw him standing there just staring at me. I freaked the fuck out and grabbed a knife to protect myself with. I screamed for Aiden, and he came running out,” I say remembering how petrified I was. I look over at Lucas. The word enraged doesn’t do him justice.

  “So then what happened?” he asks me.

  “Aiden finds me with a knife in my hand and the guy in the living room. He said that it was just his mechanic, Marcus. He supposedly finished fixing Aiden’s truck and dropped it off at the house. Aiden had to take me in the other room just to get me to calm down,” I say to him.

  “Did Aiden know that he was coming by?” he asks. Shit, I hope he’s not blaming this whole thing on Aiden.

  “No. Marcus claimed that he lost Aiden’s number, so he didn’t warn him that he was coming over. He just walked right into the house unannounced. He said that he knocked, but I know for a fact that that never happened. When I started freaking out, he said nothing. Just stared at me, like he did the other night when he was in here. It’s like he hates me with a passion. I saw something in his eyes that I’ve never seen before,” I say.

  “Fucking asshole!” he says angrily. He comes closer to me, and I look up at him startled. He wraps his arms around me, crushing me to him. Um, ok. I pat him on the back, trying to placate him.

  “It’s ok, Lucas. Nothing more happened,” I say to him.

  “If he had hurt you, I swear…,” he says breathing into my hair. I appreciate his concern and protectiveness, but I feel like this hug runs deeper than that. I pull gently away from him, wanting some space, trying to not hurt his feelings in the process.

  He looks down at me, hurt clouding his eyes. “I saw you and Aiden outside.” I look at him confused. What? I try to clear my head and realize what he’s talking about. Oh, he means just a little while ago. Um, this is awkward. I’m sure my face is slightly tarnished with embarrassment. It’s one thing, making out with your boyfriend in public. It’s an entire other matter by someone bringing it up later.

  “It made me fucking mad. I get that he’s your boyfriend, and you like him but….I just think that you can do better,” he says to me. Whoa, shit just got real. Does he mean better as in him?

  “If anybody can do better, it’s Aiden. I’m not the easiest girlfriend to deal with,
trust me,” I say, trying to brush aside the comment that he made. I’m mad, but at the same time, I know that his jealousy is what’s triggering his opinion of Aiden. Lucas thinks he likes me, but if he knew all of the baggage that I drag around with me, he wouldn’t be able to handle it. Lucas is young and needs a girl who is easy going and less high maintenance. That girl’s not me.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about. You’re awesome, Em. If you couldn’t tell already, I really like you. I think that we would be good together,” he says shyly. God, this is a whole new side to Lucas. I look at him not knowing what else to say. He caught me by surprise, admitting his feelings to me. I know that he had a crush on me, but I didn’t realize that he wants to take Aiden’s place.

  “I’m not giving up on you. I’ll just have to steal you away from him somehow. Could be fun actually,” he says, the old, flirty Lucas rising miraculously from the dead. I’m still at a loss for words.

  “I won’t try anything more with you. I just wanted you to know where I stand. I can be just friends with you if that’s what you want, but I want more. I want all of you actually,” he says seductively. Jesus Christ! Did he take truth serum or something? What the fuck?!

  “Lucas, you’re a really great guy, and I like you very much as my friend and co-worker. But I’m with Aiden, like really with Aiden, and things are getting serious between us. I’m not a cheater, and I don’t want you to think that there can be more between us when there can’t be,” I say to him, trying to be apologetic yet firm.

  “I can respect that. Like I said, I won’t try to pressure you or anything. I’m just letting you know how I feel about you. I’ll be your friend,” he says, making me feel relieved, “but sooner or later, I’ll get what I want. And what I want is to be inside of you, Emma. Don’t tell me that you haven’t thought about us together; me fucking the shit out of you, while you claw my back with your fingernails. All I can think about is how good you would fucking taste on my tongue,” he says finally, and I suck in a deep breath.

  Holy shit! If I was single and not in love with Aiden, I would definitely take him up on his offer. A guy that oozes confidence and tells me exactly what he wants from me used to be my downfall. I couldn’t get my panties off quick enough. But unfortunately for him, my feelings run deep for Aiden and no other man interests me any longer. I don’t respond to Lucas, and I think that he takes the subtle hint.

  “Ok. Let’s go to the back and restock the bar,” he says smiling, his easygoing demeanor returning. God, I hope it stays this way. He starts walking to the back, and I follow him trying to grasp everything that I just heard. Now I’m really regretting coming into work. Damn, Aiden was right; should’ve just played hooky tonight.

  *******************

  Lucas and I are back to being casual and friendly to each other as the night progresses. I catch him staring at me a few times and just shrug it off. I mean, what else can I do? I could tell that he was trying to keep to his word by backing off of me. At the same time, his usual charm is amped up just a little bit.

  All of my customers are pleasant and leave decent tips for it being such a dead night. To my relief, Lucas is super busy during my break, handling an incoming inventory order and stocking it. I was worried that we would have to take a break together, and it would be really awkward. God, I just want this night to end so I can go home to Aiden.

  I make my way outside for my much needed downtime and pull out a cigarette, lighting the tip up. I need some serious fucking nicotine due to the little Lucas revelation. I sit down on the curb of the street, trying to relax my body. All of the recent festivities that have been going on in my oh-so-complicated life have worn me down to the bone.

  I don’t know why, but some unknown force urges me to look across the street. I stare straight into two black, cold eyes and feel a shiver slink up my spine. Shit!

  I see Marcus staring severe daggers at me, with his hands clenched by his sides. I pause, mid puff on my cigarette, and just observe at him. He notices my frozen state and smiles. Not a nice smile, mind you, but a fucking nefarious one. What kind of vendetta does this guy have against me?! I’m pretty fed up with his intimidation tactics. I take another drag of my cigarette and grin back at him. I take my free hand, waving it in the air and give him the finger. Yeah, you may scare me motherfucker, but I’m not letting you know that.

  He looks at me one last time, still smiling, and walks down the street away from me. Jesus Christ! There’s something going on with that guy and for some reason, he’s set his sights on me. I have a feeling that sooner rather than later, I will find out what the fuck is going on. I crush my cigarette on the ground and go inside to finish the remainder of my break. Marcus pretty much ruined my ‘me’ time. Asshole!

  I walk inside the bar, still a little shaken from that wonderful encounter. I sit down at one of the back tables trying to soothe my nerves. I look up, as Leo starts walking towards me, a troubled look etched on his face. Oh no, what’s the matter now? He sits down in the seat adjacent to me.

  “Emma, Lucas told me what happed yesterday at Aiden’s place. I don’t know too much about that Marcus guy, only that he’s grown up and lived here his entire life. He pretty much keeps to himself,” he says frowning.

  “Yeah, I just met him the other night when you kicked out those guys for bothering me. It’s like he hates me or something, even though I haven’t done anything to him,” I say.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure that you’re safe here. He won’t be allowed anywhere near the bar on my watch. I made a promise to Aiden, and I sure as hell will keep it,” he says confidently.

  “Um, I actually saw him across the street outside when I was on my break. He kind of gave me the stink eye,” I say trying to not make a big deal about it. Leo rubs his temples, looking stressed out. Tell me about it buddy. I’m stressed the fuck out too.

  “I’ve never really talked to the guy, but being a bartender, I observe people. I’ve always felt a peculiar vibe from him. He never bothered anybody that I know of, but he does hang around some rough and rowdy guys,” he says.

  “Yeah, he’s been Aiden’s mechanic for a while, and he’s never had any bad encounters with him. I think he’s just a total misogynist,” I say to Leo. I think its way more than that, but I keep that thought to myself. I really have no proof otherwise.

  “Well, you probably should just watch yourself if you go outside. I really don’t want you alone at any time, or Aiden would kill me,” he says seriously.

  “Don’t worry, Leo. I won’t put myself in any bad situation. I know that you, Lucas, and Aiden have my back, so I’m not too worried about the whole Marcus situation,” I say.

  He nods at me, looking a little better than when we first started chatting. I feel bad bringing all of this drama into his life and his bar. In all fairness though, I never asked to be harassed by creepy dudes. I’m just one privileged bitch, I guess.

  “Ok, Emma. I’m getting back to work, and your break is almost over,” he says getting up and winking at me. Good ol’ Leo. He’s like the father I never had. I smile at him and say, “Okay, boss.” He chuckles and walks to the kitchen. I reluctantly get up from my cozy seat and head over to the bar to help out Lucas. Who, I notice, has been unassumingly looking over at me and his dad.

  I get over to him and smile. “Thanks for talking to your dad about Marcus. I kind of didn’t want to repeat the entire story over again. I’m glad that you’re looking out for me. You’re a good friend, Lucas,” I say honestly. He smiles at me but looks a little sad. Ugh, he’s probably upset because I said he was my buddy. Sorry Lucas, but it is what it is.

  “I’ll always be here for you, Em,” he says, bumping the side of his body into mine. Oh good, we’re getting back to the friendly banter. Phew!

  “Ok, I’m going to go and assist my neglected customers. If you need anything, let me know,” I say to him. He looks over at me with a devilish smirk on his face.

  “Oh, I’m pretty sure yo
u know exactly what I want, Em,” he says seductively. Oh, shit! I guess I spoke too soon. I shake my head in exasperation and walk over to one of my tables to greet a customer. Please God, let this night come to its conclusion already!

  Chapter 13

  Before I know it my shift is done, and I see Aiden walk in the front door with a heated expression on his face. Okay universe, what the fuck is with you today? Are you trying to give me another panic attack?! Everywhere I turn, somebody is mad or stressed because of me.

  I walk over to him, and he envelops me in his arms. I wrap myself around his broad back, inhaling his wonderful scent. God, I fucking love this man.

  “Aiden, what’s wrong?” I ask him concerned.

  “Marcus,” he says looking down at me. Geez, he’s fucking forbidding when he’s this infuriated.

  “What the hell do you mean?” I ask. Shit, I hope nothing serious happened involving him.

  “Not here. We’ll talk at home. Are you ready to go?” he asks with a tight voice.

  “Um, yeah,” I say. Dammit! I really want to know what went down between the two of them. I wave over at the bar to Leo and an irritated Lucas.

  “Bye guys. I’ll see you tomorrow!” I say in a strained voice. Lucas just nods at me, a glimpse of longing flickering across his face. Shit, please don’t see that Aiden!

  “Goodnight, Emma,” Leo says, giving Aiden a knowing look. Hmmm, I wonder what Leo knows that I don’t.

  I turn towards Aiden again, and he gently enfolds my hand in his. I feel the tension radiating from his body. I follow him to the truck, and he helps me inside. He walks over to his side and starts the roaring engine. His hands grab the wheel in a death-like grip, and we pull away from the bar.

  “Okay. Explain please,” I say to him. Let’s get this shit over with already. I look over to him and notice that he’s trying to relax. He moves his neck to the side, cracking it from the swift movement. Damn, he’s tense as fuck!

  “Well, after I picked up my record player, I paid an impromptu visit to Marcus’s garage. I confronted him about yesterday, including his encounter with you at the bar, and he claims that you two have met before,” he says angrily. I look over at him, my eyes bugging out of my head. I’ve never met him! Not to my knowledge that is. Before I can reply, he starts talking again.