“Did I miss dinner?” His glazed-over eyes wandered to the opposite side of the room. “Who’s this?” he asked with his arm extended and finger pointing towards Justin. Ava turned away; she couldn’t bear to look at him. His drunken posturing was hard to watch.
Scott moved forward and placed his hand on Brandon’s shoulder. “Come on, bro. Let me walk you out.”
Brandon forced himself out of Scott’s grasp and stepped closer to Justin. “I asked you a question. Who the fuck are you?”
Justin’s jaw tightened and a sheath of redness blanketed his face. Ava stepped in between them before he exploded. “Brandon, you need to leave!”
“Oh…” He laughed at his private inside joke. “That’s the flower guy!”
“Flower guy?” Ava heard Justin questioned underneath his breath. She turned towards him. “Just ignore him, please.”
That’s when she felt the grip of Brandon’s hand on her arm and in one motion, he swung her around. “What the hell are you doing with this guy?”
“Hey! Get your hands off her!” yelled Justin, moving in between her and Brandon. Justin pressed his hands against Brandon’s chest, shoving him with such force he stumbled onto a table. That’s when Scott jumped in to intervene.
The whole night had become a disaster. Ava placed her hand over her face as she fought back tears. Tess rushed over and placed her arms around her. “Don’t worry. Scott will get him to leave.”
“Why is he acting this way?” asked Ava.
Before either could come up with an answer, Justin rushed over. “Are you okay?”
“No, I want to leave.”
“Ava!” yelled Brandon. “Ava!”
She turned to face him. “Can you please leave?”
“I’ll go if we talk alone first.”
“Absolutely not!” yelled Justin.
“Dude, I don’t even know who the fuck you are!”
Justin moved an inch away from Brandon’s face. “I’m the man who gives her what she needs, and you’re the loser she wants nothing to do with.” He poked his finger into Brandon’s chest.
“Oh, yeah.” Brandon pushed up the sleeves on his shirt and cocked his head to the side. “We’ll see about that mother…”
“Okay, guys,” said Scott, stepping in between them once again. “This has gone far enough.”
Before she knew it, everyone was yelling at each other with Tess on the sidelines looking helpless. Ava stood with her jaw clenched as she shook her head at the disgusting turn of the night’s events. With her hands placed firmly by her side, she balled them into a fist. “STOP IT!!!” Quietness suddenly blanketed the room with all eyes on her. “Everyone, please stop,” she said in a voice slightly above a whisper. She grabbed Justin’s hand and pulled him aside. “Can you give me a moment to speak with him?”
“He’s drunk,” he spat. “I’m not leaving you alone with him.”
With her fingers splayed she placed her hand in Brandon’s face, halting any response from him. “Justin, don’t worry I can handle myself. Allow us fifteen minutes to talk.”
“Come on guys,” began Tess, “let’s give them privacy.”
Justin eyed Brandon. “If you hurt her…”
“He won’t,” said Ava.
Justin didn’t offer another word of protest, instead, he exited the room with Tess and Scott. Once she and Brandon were alone, she moved closer to him. “What were you thinking coming here drunk?”
“What are you thinking running around with that wannabe playboy?”
The smell of alcohol invaded her nose like a pungent odor in the air. “I already told you who I spend my time with is none of your business.”
“How can you act like we didn’t love each other? Or we didn’t spend the last three years together.” The tears that formed in the corner of his eyes didn’t surprise Ava. When Brandon overindulged with alcohol, he becomes an emotional drunk. “I loved you so much I wanted you to be my wife. Doesn’t that mean anything?”
Witnessing his pain, caused tears to well in her eyes. She has never seen him this way. He always appeared to have handled their breakup fine. Maybe it was knowing she’d moved on that has hit him hard. “Brandon now is not the time to rehash the reasons we didn’t work out.”
“It’s the perfect time.”
She knows how it felt to be the injured party of a relationship. You believe you’ve done everything right and ignorant of any problems. Then out of nowhere, you’re blindsided by a breakup. She had no words to ease his pain. She could only listen.
“Did you ever love me?” he asked.
“You know I did.” She wiped a falling tear.
He inched closer and reached for her hand. She didn’t pull away. “This guy will hurt you. I know his type. Smooth talking, throwing cash around, fancy cars.”
“You’re wrong,” she said.
He shook his head with his lips tight. “I’m not and when he does, I’ll be there to catch you.”
“Times up!” Justin burst into the room, causing Ava to break eye contact with Brandon and release her hand from his. She turned away to grab her purse. “Can you take me home? I’m ready to go.”
“My pleasure.” He sneered at Brandon.
Ava said goodbye to Tess and Scott and walked out the door without another word to Brandon.
∞∞∞
“What was that I just witnessed?” asked Justin as soon as he shut the driver’s side door. He turned over the car’s engine and placed it in drive.
Ava stared out of the window. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“I do.”
“I understand you may have questions, but can we table it until tomorrow? I would like to get my car and go home.”
“Ava, we need to talk about what just happened.”
She ignored him the full ten-minute ride to his house. Although she didn’t condone Brandon’s behavior, she didn’t appreciate Justin provoking a fight with him. After he parked the car, he exited and ran to the passenger side. “I’m going home. I’ll call you in the morning,” she said when he opened the door.
“Come in for five minutes.” His eyes begged for her to stay. “You shouldn’t leave until we talk.”
“Five minutes, no more!” She followed him inside, and the moment the door closed he didn’t waste a single second.
“Can you try to see this from my perspective?” he asked. “We accepted your friends’ dinner invitation knowing the probability of your ex-boyfriend being there. That I have no problem with.” He threw his keys on the entryway table and removed his jacket. “But, when he arrived drunk and belligerent, you asked me for privacy to speak with him alone.”
Ava faced Justin with her arms crossed and eyes narrowed. “I saw nothing wrong with how handled him.”
He raked his hand through his hair and grimaced. “Be honest. Do you still have feelings for this guy?”
“Once again, I do not have romantic feelings for Brandon.”
“What did he say to you after I left?”
“Nothing, really.” She shrugged. “He’s still not over our breakup.”
Justin silently walked over to the bar cart in the sitting room and poured himself a drink. She watched as he swallowed the cognac and poured another one.
“No one expected him to arrive in that condition,” she continued. “It wasn’t my intention to anger you by speaking to him alone. All I wanted to do was de-escalate the situation.”
Justin turned towards her. “Going forward, I believe it’s wise to decline any invite from your friends, if Brandon is on the guest list.”
“I agree.”
“His behavior is too unpredictable, and violent.”
She shook her head in disagreement. “I have nothing to fear from Brandon.”
“How can you say that? This guy is full of hurt and rage.”
Ava’s eyes drifted away from Justin. She wanted this conversation to end. With both guys warning her against the other, it had become beyond annoying.
“Your scrutiny is on Brandon’s behavior, but let’s talk about yours. Why act like an overprotective boyfriend when we both know that’s not what you are?”
“What’s wrong with wanting to protect you?”
She pinched her lips together and shook her head. “Justin, I understand why you felt the need to step in. Brandon was out of control. However, you do not have the right to tell me not to speak with him. And you certainly can’t get mad if I choose to do so.”
He rubbed his forehead and sat on chair. He clasped his hands together with his gaze towards the floor. She stood across the room with her posture balanced against the wall.
“I saw a drunk guy and you with tears in your eyes. My natural reaction is to protect you. Is that wrong?”
“No.” She kept her distance across the room. “I don’t want to talk about Brandon anymore. I need to know what we’re doing. We spend all our free time together, yet we never talk about what any of it means.”
He lifted his head and looked in her direction. “I thought I made my intentions clear.”
“Not really, Justin. What’s clear is your plan to leave Atlanta.”
“What do you want me to say? We both knew the situation before we started seeing each other.”
“I know, but I assumed because of the time we’ve spent together something had changed.”
“Ava, having sex does not make us a couple.”
“Wow! No one said anything about being a couple.” She scoffed and dabbed the wetness from the corner of her eye. “I should go.”
Justin moved across the room and grabbed her arm before she could exit. “Wait. I’m sorry. I want you to stay.”
Ava glared into his eyes. “That’s the problem, Justin. We can’t always have what we want.”
She forced her arm from his grasp. She retrieved her purse from the entryway table and proceeded to the door. Ava wanted him to stop her and say the words she’s been dying to hear. Instead, he allowed her to walk out the door without a single word uttered between them.
Chapter Thirteen
The next day after Ava concluded her meeting with Nina, Tess stopped by her office to discuss the previous night’s events. When she arrived, she had two to-go boxes from a pizzeria. Each with a slice of pizza enclosed.
“You know, we could’ve met after work,” said Ava, taking a bite into the pepperoni pizza.
“I needed an excuse to get out of the house. Working from home is a lonely job,” said Tess.
“Anytime I’m here you’re welcomed to stop by.”
“And Nina won’t object?”
“No, she’s transferring to the west coast and wants to recommend me as her replacement.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, that’s what we were meeting about. I declined, because I want to break away from the corporate life and start a lending firm.”
“What did she say when you turned down her offer?”
Ava wiped her mouth with a napkin. “She’s putting my name in as her replacement, anyway. She suggested I remain open to an offer.”
“She sees something in you. Don’t be too quick to say no. Anyway, how’s Justin?”
Ava sighed and rolled her eyes. “We got into a huge argument. It started with his displeasure that I spoke with Brandon alone.”
“I got that feeling. Justin was furious when he was in the room with Scott and me. He tried to leave, but Scott stopped him several times before relenting.”
“He burst in right after Brandon warned me to stay away from him. Brandon believes Justin will hurt me.”
“Is that what he said?”
Ava nodded her head. “And that he’ll be there for me when he does.”
“He still loves you.”
“That’s the problem. He refuses to let go.” Ava took the last bite of her pizza and placed the container in the trash beside her desk. “It’s a mess because I now have Justin warning me against Brandon.”
“What woman wouldn’t love two men fighting over her?”
Ava shot her a look. “Seriously, Tess. Because Brandon was drunk, Justin now believes he’s some sort of danger to society. I will always care for Brandon because he was there for me during one of the most traumatic times in my life.”
Tess scrunched her nose. “That stalker freak.”
“My entire life had turned upside down. I had to leave my job and practically go into hiding. During that whole ordeal Brandon was by my side. It was a time in my life Justin can never fully understand. For that reason, it’s best if we keep those two away from each other.”
“Does he know?”
“Who?”
“Justin. Does he know what happened to you?”
“He does.” Ava fell silent and thought about her conversation with Justin the night before. He hasn’t call, and she hasn’t reached out to him either. A tap to her arm brought her out of her daze.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” asked Tess.
“Nothing.” Ava shook her head. “Being caught in the middle of Justin and Brandon reminded me of how intense our relationship was.”
“You two were fighting a common enemy.”
“Phillip Ramsey,” she said laced in a veil of hatred.
“He’s the real reason you two ended. After the threat left, you guys didn’t know how to resume a normal life. Being drawn together under danger can be intoxicating, but like any drug once the high wears off normal life seems dull.”
“Maybe.” Ava shivered like there was a sudden draft. “Let’s change the subject. I’m over talking about the past.”
“Okay, what about the future? Let’s have dinner again, but not at our house. Wouldn’t want to risk a repeat.”
Ava frowned. “Another dinner will have to wait. As of last night, my relationship with Justin is up in the air.”
Tess eyed her strangely. “Because of Brandon?”
“Let’s just say, I had questions he couldn’t answer. We’ll talk more about it another time.”
Tess glanced at her phone. “Time to hit the road.” She reached for her purse. “How does a little retail therapy sound this weekend?”
“I think I’ll chill and catch up on some reading.”
“If you change your mind, let me know.”
“I will.” Ava remained seated behind her desk as Tess waved goodbye and closed her office door. Once alone, she rested her elbows on her desk, covering her face with the palm of her hands. Justin’s face crept into her mind. Did I push too hard? Demanding he gave their relationship a title. Ava’s eyes shifted towards her phone as its ringtone filled the quiet room. Justin! Her heart leaped. She waited until the third ring to avoid appearing eager.
“Hello.”
“Hi, beautiful…”
Her cheeks flushed. She loved when he called her that. “I didn’t expect to hear from you.”
“I’m needed out of town until the end of next week. I would like for us to talk when I return.”
He sounded deflated, like he carried the world’s responsibilities on his shoulders.
“Sure, we can get together,” she said.
“Good, we’ll talk then.”
When Ava arrived home, parked in front of her house was a familiar black SUV. What is he doing here? She stepped out onto the driveway and Brandon met her halfway. “Hey Ava,” he said. His eyes swept the ground.
“What are you doing here?” Not wanting a repeat of their last encounter, she kept at least a five-foot distance between them.
“I came to apologize for last night. I needed to tell you in person I was completely out of line.”
Ava stood silent and took notice of his remorseful demeanor. He was like a mischievous boy waiting for redemption. “Come in.”
Ava set her purse and keys down on the entryway table, as Brandon closed the door behind him. She led him into the living room. Brandon sat on the sofa, while her body embraced the wall.
“After you left, I had a long discussion about acceptance with Scott,” he said. “He help
ed me see it’s time to accept our relationship is over and move on.”
“Can you do that?”
“Do I have a choice? It’s clear you have, and it’s time I do the same.”
She couldn’t believe her ears. All she ever wanted was a peaceful ending to their relationship. Unlike other couples who breakup and never speak to each other again, they can’t because of who they have in common. “Our relationship didn’t work out, but I will never regret our time together. You were there for me more than anyone in my life,” she said.
“Don’t let me off the hook so easily. I put work before our relationship instead of balancing the two. You never said anything, but I knew you weren’t happy.”
“You did?”
“My job is to read people, and I saw the light in your eyes disappeared long before I proposed. I ignored it and asked you to marry me, anyway.”
“I should have been honest and admitted how I felt.”
He grimaced and looked away. “It’s all in the past.”
“Brandon, you are a great guy, one of the best, and sometimes the people you believe are meant for you aren’t. My wish is for you to find someone who makes you happy.”
“I thought I already had.” He looked at her with pained eyes. “For now, we need to stay out of each other’s orbit.”
“I agree.”
Brandon stood and stepped beside her. “I still think that guy is not good enough for you.”
“Brandon! You said you would accept my relationship.”
“I have. However, it doesn’t change how I feel about him.” He stroked her arm. “If you ever need anything, no matter how minor, call me. I’ll see myself out.”
Chapter Fourteen
Instead of sitting home alone over the weekend, Ava flew her mother, Evelyn, in from Orlando to keep her company. They are more than mother and daughter; their relationship is more like best friends. They speak on the phone every other day, and video chat once a week. And she always has an opinion about Ava’s personal life.
Her parents married right after high school and spent thirty-five years together. She’d often said that after being in a controlling relationship, she now felt free to do as she pleased. After the death of her father, her mother vowed to never marry again.
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