AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Zander: Later, bye
Me: K, bye
I pursed my lips. I felt so bad about lying to Zander. But I needed to talk Brennan to drop the charges.
The café door opened and Brennan strutted inside. He was sporting a purplish bruise on his right cheek and a band-aid was high on his forehead. Clad in his regular attire, dark brown khaki pants and red polo shirt, he looked worn out.
I waved my hand in the air; he walked straight onto my table.
“Hi,” I said.
“To what or rather to whom, do I owe this pleasure?” I couldn’t see his eyes because he kept his sunglasses on. His mouth was definitely turned into a smirk.
Underneath the table, I was wringing my hands. I was fighting the urge to smack his arrogant face and plop his head into the coffee cup that I was drinking.
I stated, “I think you know why I’m here.”
He shrugged his shoulders, “For your boy toy? No, Sedona. I am not dropping the charges. He attacked me like an animal!” His jaw clenched.
“We were friends, Brennan. At one point in time, we were friends. You know you started this,” I was trying to get through his stubborn, crazy, thick head, “You and Kieran were close. What I’m trying to say is, ‘please don’t do this.’ Don’t do this to me. Don’t do this to Zander. You’re hurting me.”
His lips remained in a tight line.
“I liked you. When we dated, I honestly liked you. But you broke my trust.” The words in my mouth were not coming out fast enough to describe the turmoil I was feeling. “It’s been over between us for a while now. I don’t know why you’re still thinking that I’m coming back to you. I’m not. I’ve forgiven you for what you did. It’s just that we’re not ever getting back together, Brennan.”
He removed his sunglasses, his brown eyes were dark, almost black, as he spoke in tight, clipped tones, “It’s because of Zander, isn’t it? If he wasn’t around, maybe, you could have given me another chance.”
I shook my head, “No, Brennan. It’s not because of Zander. Even if Zander wasn’t in the picture, I still wouldn’t be getting back with you.”
Exasperation showed on his face, his brows furrowed and he winced when he accidentally touched his bruised cheek.
“Why Sedona? Why couldn’t you give me another chance?”
His hand was on the table. I reached out and held it. He didn’t flinch away. We were, after all, friends once. He was my first boyfriend. Together, we had some good memories.
“It’s because you broke my trust. I can’t go back to that place where we once were. I was hoping we could be friends. But you kept pushing and started acting crazy and now this. I don’t feel safe with you. I feel like you’re going to explode on me and I don’t know why. It’s scary, Brennan,” I said sadly, my voice breaking.
For a long time, he stared at me, memorizing the lines of my face. His eyes were expressionless. His voice was filled with raw emotion when he found his words, “I’m sorry, Sed. I am. I’m sorry for making you scared. I…I don’t,” he was struggling to speak, “I’ve never been like this. With you, I saw a future. I messed it all up with that one-time fling. It’s been really hard for me to accept that fact. And Kieran, he hasn’t spoken to me. We used to hang, you know. We were cool. I saw him one or two times at events and it was like he never even saw me.”
This was the Brennan I knew, the person I’ve known since high school. He might be arrogant but he cared for other people’s feelings. I held on to his hand and he placed both of his hands on mine.
“I can’t speak for Kieran. He has his own mind and does what he wants. Maybe, if you gave him time, he’ll come around. You guys were friends before so maybe he’ll come around,” I said. After all the events that have transpired, I highly doubted that Kieran will ever come around.
His eyes dawned with understanding as I continued speaking, “Maybe we can friends again. Just not right now. I wish you all the best, Brennan. But please, you have to stop this.”
He looked at me and asked, “Did you ever notice why Kieran didn’t hang around when we were together?”
I nodded.
Brennan sighed, “He knew. I think he knew that I would hurt you or do something to fuck it up but I also think he wanted you to be happy.”
“But,” my voice barely a whisper, “Kieran can’t predict that you would cheat on me.”
He raised his eyebrow, “Couldn’t he? He knew I was a player in high school. I had to practically beg him for your number. He asked me to stay away. And when I didn’t, when I couldn’t, he just said that he would leave it up to you. The minute we started becoming more, he stayed away. Sedona, I chose you over my friendship with Kieran.”
His admission stunned me.
“You chose me?” I stammered a little.
