Keeping Her

by Alexis Noelle

  I take a drink of the beer in front of me clenching my jaw and trying to make myself stay in this chair and not go after them.

  “Brian, what the hell was that?” I look up and see them all looking at me like I’ve got two fucking heads.

  “That? That was fucking Jules.” I take another drink of the beer as I see the realization set in.

  “The girl you never stopped talking about?” “The bitch that fucked you over?” “That chick that married the asshole?” Questions are coming at me like wild fire but I don’t feel like answering any of them.

  “The girl that has moved on with her life, and that’s exactly what the fuck I’m gonna do too,” I say with an irritated tone letting them know the conversation about Jules is over. “I’ll be back”

  I get up and head toward the bathroom needing to walk a little and shake off some of the tension. When I turn down the hallway where the bathrooms are I see Jules coming out of the women’s room.

  “Will you stop following me? It isn’t funny, Brian!” she yells in a whispered tone.

  “Hey, princess, I know you think the world begins and fucking ends with you but I just need to take a piss.” Her cheeks flush and I smile at the effect I have on her.

  “I’m just supposed to think this is a coincidence? You come into my shop, show up at Lacey’s office, and then you’re buying the house across the street from me?” Her hands are on her hips and I have to admit that she still looks sexy when she gets pissed off. It’s why our fights never lasted long when we were together. I couldn’t resist her like this.

  I take a step forward so that we’re so close that an inch more and we would be touching. “I don’t know what to tell you other than you better get used to seeing me around ‘cause I ain’t going anywhere.” I grasp her chin between my forefinger and my thumb. “Now why don’t you go back to Dan the Douche and stop accusing me of shit.” I take advantage of her frozen state and place a kiss on her cheek enjoying the feeling of my lips on her skin again. I pull away and then walk past her toward the bathroom.

  “Why did you come back?” she asks, her voice so low that I almost miss the words.

  “Guess that’s for me to know and you to drive yourself crazy over.” I step into the bathroom leaving her out there in the hallway. I know I’m acting like an asshole but I can’t control it. I am still as in love with her as I was the day she broke my heart. I’m acting like this because even after preparing myself, seeing her is fucking killing me, especially seeing her with that asshole. I take a deep breath to calm myself down hoping that she isn’t out there when I leave.

  Then I see the last person I expected to, Dan. He takes a step toward me and looks as if he is about to say something. “Listen, dick, I advise you to fucking walk away right now.”

  I walk past him slamming my shoulder into his as I pass. “You need to leave Julia alone.” I can tell he is trying to sound tough but the little rich boy inside is shining through.

  I immediately stop walking and turn around to face him. My hand darts out and slams him against the wall causing him to flinch. “You will not tell me what to fucking do. I still remember you as the nerdy little shit you used to be before you became this hot shot CEO. I will do what I want. When I want. And with whomever the fuck I want to. She was mine first.”

  I walk away before I decide to bury my fist in his face.

  When I get back to the table, I mumble something about needing to leave and barely say goodbye to anyone.

  The entire drive back to the hotel my hands are clutching the wheel so tight my knuckles are turning white. I can’t believe that asshole thought he was going to warn me away from Jules. Who the fuck does he think he is? I don’t give a shit what he wants, I’d never listen to his punk ass. Hell, I wouldn’t let him throw water on me if I was on fire.

  When I pull up to the run down hotel, I sit in my car not wanting to go in. I want to go back to that damn restaurant, grab Jules, and hold her hostage until she apologizes and says she wants me as much as I want her. Realizing how psychotic that sounds, I make the better decision to get out of my car and go into my room.

  I look around at the room wishing I was like the other guys. They all had something or someone to come back to. Girlfriends, family, homes. All I have is what I carry in my suitcase. I would rather have nothing than have my family though. My mother was a pill addicted waste of space and my father was an abusive asshole. The day I got out of that house was the best fucking day of my life.

  A small part of me had hoped that I would see Jules, she would apologize, and ask me to take her back. I left hoping eventually I would have something that we never were, a family.

  A family with Jules.

  I guess it’s back to square one.

  Chapter Five

  Julia

  I sit at dinner and my hands are still shaking from my encounter with Brian. Mostly I’m just mad that he’s making himself a constant presence in my life and goes out of his way to get to me. While I got over my feelings for him, I don’t think that they ever actually went away. When you lose someone you love, someone who was a part of you, that part just gets buried under everything else. Your experiences after that just mask their presence and push it down deeper into your consciousness until you are able put them out of your thoughts. Now that Brian is back, those memories are no longer buried, they’re back full force and torturing every minute of my life.

  I can’t stop thinking about the way that he used to look at me before he told me he loved me, like I was the only person he could see. The day we first met, and his playful attitude are playing through my mind. The last night we were together is haunting me.

  Dan comes back to the table and once he sits down I can see the irritation and anger on his face. This is so rare for him that it stops me in my tracks. “What happened?” Once I had come back to the table he could tell something had shaken me up. I told him that Brian was back and without going into tons of detail that he was basically trying to piss me off every hour of the day.

  “Nothing abnormal, just him acting like the asshole he is.” I flinch at the term and am really surprised at the way that Dan is acting. I think one of the things that made me take the leap with him is that he is so completely different from Brian. The anger and attitude that Brian possesses always pissed me off and Dan had none of those qualities. “I think it’s best if you try to avoid him, Julia. He seems like he came back with a huge chip on his shoulder. I don’t want you to get involved with his over the top BS.”

  I know he’s right and that I should stay away from Brian, but I don’t think it’s going to be that easy. “Let’s stop talking about him.” Maybe if we do I’ll stop thinking about him. “How was work today?” Dan started his own financial company when we got out of college and it has done extremely well.

  “It was fine, just hectic.” He really doesn’t talk about his work much but he never has. I can honestly that I wouldn’t be really interested in it either. Numbers and business make my head hurt which is why it also helps that Dan is capable of managing the business end of my shop. “Has Brian said anything to you, Julia? Anything that is upsetting? I am trying to understand why after all this time he has just decided to come back and is still focusing on you.”

  “Well, that is definitely the question of the day. Yes, he has said upsetting stuff but that’s his MO. Brian has always known how to make me mad. As far as why he came back, I have no clue. He hasn’t said anything to me about it. I really don’t want this to ruin our night though.” I look at him almost begging him to let this topic drop and to just move on with the night.

  “I don’t want it to ruin our night either and luckily he left.” I nod and look over at the table where I first saw him. When I do, I see the faces of four men all fixed on me. Each one of them seems to be silently judging me and it makes me just as mad as Brian did.

  The rest of dinner is pretty uneventful and that is perfectly fine with me. When we get home the lights in the house across
the street are on. There is no possible way that he already bought it.

  “Did they finally sell the house?” Dan asks me as we walk up to the door.

  “Um, I guess so.” I really don’t want to drop that bombshell right now.

  “What the fuck?” I look over at Dan to see what happened. “He bought it?” His voice is so full of disbelief and anger. I turn to see Brian walking out of the now dark house.

  Dan looks at me and I laugh out of nervousness. “Didn’t I tell you that?” I try to sound completely innocent but fail miserably.

  “This is so fucked up.” He walks past me and into the house. Brian being here is definitely causing Dan stress and is bringing out a side of him I haven’t seen in all the years we’ve been together. Before I know what I am doing I start to walk across the street.

  “You can’t buy this house!” I yell from the end of the driveway.

  He smirks and laughs before turning back to his car and opening the door.

  “I mean it, Brian! You need to stay away from me and stay out of my life!” I feel bad for the last comment but I shouldn’t, it was his choice to not be in my life in the first place.

  “Let me set something straight for you. I used to let your sexy little ass boss me around when we were together ‘cause it got my dick hard.” I gasp at his gravely tone and the words slowly seeping from his mouth. “Now that shit is over. I will do what I want, when I want, and the only thing your little tantrums are gonna make me do is enjoy it even more.”

  My mouth drops open and I try to think of something to say. I have nothing though. How do you even respond to that?

  He laughs at me again only making my blood boil even more. “You gonna move or are we having a staring contest? If we are, I’ll win ‘cause you are still a hot piece of ass to look at.” His eyes slowly trail up my body as if he is memorizing every inch.

  I let out a screech of frustration before turning around and stomping into the house. I know he won and I think that might be pissing me off more than what he said to me. Brian always had the upper hand when we argued and he still does now.

  The only issue is at least he cared about me before.

  Now he’s just doing it to hurt me.

  Chapter Six

  Brian

  Two weeks later

  I walk out of the realtor’s office with a key in my hand to my house. It feels so good to be able to have something like this, somewhere to call home which is something I’ve never really had. It’s a good thing that I have done nothing with my money for years. Between all of my deployments and bonuses I was able to buy the house outright which helped to speed up the closing process. If I would have had to take out a loan I would have been stuck in that shitty hotel room for another month.

  I don’t really have much to move or to put in the house. Today I’m supposed to be going to pick out furniture and shit but I honestly hate shopping. My mind goes to Jules and how I always imagined her being the one to decorate our house and make it feel like a home. I visualize what our house would have looked like all the time. It pisses me off seeing her around town and knowing that she is with Dan. I never envisioned a life that didn’t have her in it and now that I’m trying to build one it fucking sucks.

  The guys and I are meeting at the bar tonight. We get together at least once a week. They all grilled me about Jules after that day in the restaurant. None of them really got anything out of me, I am definitely not the pour your heart out kind of a guy. I have been through enough that I have learned how to bury shit quickly. As much as those guys are my brothers none of them really know me. The only person who knows every inch of my soul is the girl who decided I wasn’t good enough.

  I choose to blow off furniture shopping and just go into a store and get a recliner and a bed. Something simple that I can pay for and leave. I don’t need much more than that, at this point I’m ready to just hire someone to come in and take care of all that shit for me.

  ***

  I have spent all day buying stuff for the house and I am so sick of being in stores and around people. I can’t stand the human population as it is and today was just way too much interaction for me. My plan of only buying a couple things basically went to shit. Between getting stupid little things I needed and going grocery shopping I’m ready to get drunk tonight.

  As I drive to the bar, I pass Jules’ shop. Sitting at the stoplight, I can see her through the front window. The sign on the window says closed and she is alone cleaning tables and spinning around dancing. I can’t help but smile as I watch her.

  Before I know what I’m doing, I pull over and park in front of the shop. She looks up as I walk toward the door staring at me through the glass. I don’t bother knocking I just look at her in anticipation of her opening the door. She doesn’t move though, she just stands there looking at me and it’s like we’re both frozen in time.

  “Open the door, Jules,” I say, pleading with her to let me in.

  Her feet move almost unconsciously as she walks toward the door but before her hand reaches the doorknob she freezes.

  “Open the door, Jules.” My voice is harder than last time, my frustration setting in. Her eyes meet mine and her teeth clamp down on her bottom lip. I’m mesmerized as I watch them drag over it and I ache to be able to do that to her.

  “I can’t.” It’s all she says, but it’s all I need to hear.

  “Fuck that,” I say and I watch as she flinches from my reply. “You won’t.” I move to walk away but turn back to face her. “You might think you’re act is fucking convincing but I see right through it. You feel it just as much as I do, Jules. I don’t give a shit about that pussy that you call a husband. You know that no matter how much you try to convince yourself that you want him, you can’t get me out of your head.”

  I go to my car forcing myself to keep walking and not break down that fucking door. If she wants to pretend that she’s happy then let her be fucking miserable. I get into my car and speed away not caring about the screeching sound my tires make.

  When I get to the bar, the guys are already there laughing and drinking. I sit down next to Mason, grabbing the beer they ordered for me but not bothering to say a word.

  “Let me guess, another encounter with the she-devil?” Hunter asks from the other side of me.

  I look over at him basically letting him know not to fuck with me.

  “Enough said, dude. Maybe you need to just forget about her and lose yourself in someone else. You haven’t been laid in a while and that shit will fuck up your mind. I need a chick like every other day to keep me sane.” Hunter has always been a damn man-whore. I swear he must have like two-hundred kids floating around all over the world.

  “You know that hot pussy isn’t the answer to every problem right?” As I say the words I can’t help but think what the hell happened to me.

  “Maybe you think that because it’s been too long since you had some.” He gets up and walks over to a group of girls at the other end of the bar.

  “Brian, you can’t let this chick keep fucking up your head. Either fuck her again or forget her,” Mason says before turning away from me not waiting for a reply.

  “Brian, this is Melody.” Hunter is standing in front of me with a blonde who looks like she is best friends with her plastic surgeon. She is wearing a tiny shirt that barely covers her big tits and I’m pretty sure if I stuck my hand under the little skirt she is wearing she wouldn’t have any underwear on. My eyes scan her body and my dick starts to get hard. Maybe it has been too long. Maybe a good fuck will get Jules out of my system.

  “Hey, sexy.” She slurs her words and I can tell that she has definitely been here much longer than I have.

  I give Hunter a nod thanking him for his contribution and snake my arm around her waist. When I pull her closer to me, she stumbles and falls onto my chest. Her hands grip the shirt I’m wearing and I capture her mouth in mine. She immediately reacts straightening herself and grinding her pussy against me. This one is defin
itely a hole in one.

  I pull away from her mouth, stand up, and lead her out of the bar. When we get to my car I open the door for her.

  “Where are we going?” She looks at me as she is holding onto the door and arching an eyebrow at me.

  “I’m taking you home, then I’m gonna fuck your brains out.”

  She smiles at me before getting into the car. The drive to my house is quick and Melody has her hands on my dick the whole time. I have to give it to the girl, she is definitely a good distraction.

  When we get to the house, I get out and walk over to her side of the car. Once the door is open, she is on me. Her mouth latching onto my neck. I close the door and slam her back against the car. I slide my hand under her skirt, find her bare pussy, and force two of my fingers into her, eliciting a loud yelp. This one is definitely gonna be a screamer. Her hand slides down my pants, working my dick as my fingers slide in and out of her pussy. When I press down onto her clit, she screams and comes all over my hand.

  “You ready for more?” I look at her in her orgasmic state.

  “Hell yea, baby.” She pushes off of the car and walks toward my door. A light across the street catches my eye and I see Jules staring out of her upstairs window.

  Was she watching us?

  I smile at her.

  If she wants a show I’ll give her one.

  Chapter Seven

  Julia

  Hearing someone scream outside, I went to the window, never imagining seeing Brian with some blonde bimbo pressed up against his car. When he came by the shop tonight I wanted to let him in but I couldn’t. I can’t go down that road with him again. Not only am I married to a great guy, but I am not willing to allow my heart to get crushed again.

  He must see my bedroom light on because he looks up and when our eyes meet he smiles. Shit, I’m caught. They head into the house and I’m not going to lie to myself and say it doesn’t hurt to see him with someone else. It shouldn’t. I shouldn’t care. But I do.