AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I don’t know about that. Mostly I had plenty of seed money,” I say. “I could afford to take a loss for the first few years while I built up my clientele.”
“True,” he says. “You had a financial advantage not many young men have. But you used it well. You took hold of that opportunity and you ran with it.”
I take a pull from the flask. “True.”
“My point is,” he says, “if there’s something you want, you need to go after it. If Aubrey isn’t what you want, you’re better off ending it now, so at least you’ll be open to what’s going to make you happy.”
I had the flask back to him. “You know, I think you’re absolutely right.”
***
I invite Aubrey over the next day so we can talk in person. It’s obvious she’s knows something is up as soon as she walks in. I’m usually pretty good at hiding behind my wall, but today I don’t have the energy for it. I step aside when I answer the door, avoiding kissing her, and walk into the living room.
“What’s going on?” she says.
I sit down on the couch. “Why don’t you come sit?”
She eyes me with suspicion.
I might as well get it over with. “Aubrey, I’ve been thinking—”
“You’re breaking up with me, aren’t you?” she says. The hostility in her voice catches me off guard. Not that I expected her to be happy about it, but I wonder if she’s about to loose more venom than I’m prepared for.
“Honestly? Yes.”
Her eyes narrow. “You fucker.”
Really? “I’m sorry, Aubrey. You’re a great girl. But this isn’t working for me.”
“What isn’t working?” she asks. “We have fun together. We have great chemistry. What the fuck else do you need?”
I need Kylie.“Look, I know you think I’m the asshole here, and usually you’d be right. But this is the least asshole thing I can possibly do for you.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” she asks. “Like you’re doing what’s best for me?”
“It’s better than pretending,” I say.
She gets up and wanders to the window, her arms crossed. “This is about Kylie, isn’t it?”
Fuck.“What are you talking about?”
“Don’t play stupid, Braxton.”
I let out a breath. I don’t want the first time I say this aloud to be in the middle of a breakup, but there’s no point in lying to her now. “Yes. It’s about Kylie.”
“You know, when you told me your best friend was a woman, every alarm I have went off. You were so adamant about it, but I figured what the hell. I’d make sure you wanted me, regardless of how you felt about her. But no matter how fucking hard I worked, no matter what I did, you never looked at me the way you look at her.”
“I’m sorry, Aubrey,” I say. “I wanted to give us a real shot. That’s the truth. But I just can’t.”
She grabs her purse and walks toward the door. “You’re going to wind up alone, you know that, right? Because whatever crush you’re nursing for her, it’s never going to happen. How long have you been letting her sabotage your life? If it hasn’t happened by now, it never will. Besides, who in their right mind would break up with a guy like Derek Marshall? Even you can’t compete with that.”
She walks out the door and slams it shut behind her.
Well, at least that was over quickly.
My first thought is to text Kylie and tell her I broke up with Aubrey. I don’t think it will make a goddamn bit of difference, but I want her to know. But randomly texting her with my relationship status update might come across as odd. I don’t usually make a big deal out of any break up—I just tell her the next time I see her. Maybe I’ll text Selene, and make a vague Facebook post, and hope the news gets back to Kylie.
I’m surprised at how light I feel. I didn’t realize how much Aubrey was weighing me down until now. Although what she said when she left still echoes through my mind. I did not like hearing that, mostly because I’m afraid it’s true.
I did want to make it work with Aubrey. But living a lie isn’t any better than all the shallow sex I was chasing before. It’s not even that her love of my credit card was insulting—which it was. I don’t love her, and it’s not an issue of needing time. I won’t ever love Aubrey.
There’s only one woman I’ll ever love.
I have no intention of going back to the womanizing I was doing before. The next time I fuck someone, it’s going to be Kylie. That’s simply the way it’s going to be. I don’t care how long I have to wait. I won’t interfere with her relationship. I won’t sabotage what she has with Derek, and if that goes the distance, I’ll have to find a way to live with it.
But as soon as she’s single, I’ll be there.
