Page 61 of Knocked up By the Minotaur

“You shut your dirty mouth and go… chew on grass!”

Oli straightens, his brows descending, and takes one step forward. Brad immediately stumbles back and away, a flash of panic on his face before it’s wiped away with a sneer, and he turns and hurries towards me.

“Come on, pookie,” he says as he reaches for me with a flourish, and a small stumble in his step. “Let’s go home.”

“Don’t you bring me into this,” I hiss, scrunching into myself as the cameras follow his progression towards me. “I told you I never wanted to see your face again.”

“But, my love!” he cries gallantly, having never once called me something so normal as ‘my love’ in his life. “I need you! You are the air I breath, I’ll do anything to get you back!”

“If you loved me, you wouldn’t do this to me.” At the far edges of the crowd, I see a few security guards begin to close in, and I hope to god this’ll be over soon. “You don’t love anyone but yourself.” I lower my voice even further, but it only seems to make him raise his own more as he shouts back.

“It’s because I love you that I’m doing this! You abandoned me in my time of need, and even though you’ve whored yourself out to this beast just to get back at me, I can forgive you!Don’t you see, Gracie?” He reaches forward and grabs my hand, and oh god, oh god, why is this happening. “I forgive you.”

“I don’t care,” I snap, snatching my hand back from him as the last of my nerves break, and I stand to face him. “I don’t need your forgiveness, you need mine. And I don’t give it. I will never forgive you for using me, for cheating on me, for taking complete advantage. You are not the one that I love, Bradley fucking Smith.”

Shock zips down my spine at the implications of my own words, which spilled out of me without thought. Did I really as good as say that I loved…

But I don’t have time to contemplate it, as an ugly look smears across Brad’s splotchy face and he lunges forward, grabbing at my forearm and digging his fingers painfully into my skin.

“You stupid fucking slut,” he spits out angrily. I wince in pain, but I see security make it to the dance floor, so I don’t try to pull free from his hold, in case one of us falls on Ella behind me. “That farm animal will never—”

He doesn’t finish his sentence. Suddenly Olistaire is there, and Brad is ripped backwards by the arm that had been clutching mine. He has just enough time to register shock and fear on his face, before Oli pulls back and punches him straight in the jaw.

Brad crumples to the floor like a ragdoll.

“I warned you, if you ever spoke to Grace like that again, it would be the last thing you’d say before you hit the floor.”

My mouth hangs open as I, and every other guest around me, stares in utter silence.

For a long second Brad remains motionless, but then he groans, and when his eyes flutter open, he immediately begins scrambling away.

Oli raises a hand to stop security from apprehending him, and then crouches and grabs the man by the collar, hauling him up to face me. He struggles pathetically to get away, but Oli remains perfectly still, holding him with ease despite Brad’s drunken flails.

“Apologize to my mate,” Oli says calmly, voice still mild and eyes still burning as they flick between Brad and me. “Do it, and I won’t file charges against you.”

“You can’t do that,” Brad snarls, still struggling and trying to lash out. “You have no grounds for charges! Help! Somebody help, I’m being attacked for no reason!”

Oli leans closer, and Brad shrinks. “How about forcing entry onto private property without an invitation, to start?”

“I’m here as a plus one—”

“Did Grace invite you into her home when you barged in and stole her electronics?”

My eyes widen. Is he talking about Lucas’s missing Switch, which Oli replaced with his own money?

“Theft,” Oli continues quietly, dangerously. “Forced entry. Intimidation. Stalking. Harassment. Would you like me to continue?”

“Grace,” Brad pleads, “get him off me, he’s crazy—”

“Apologize,” Oli snaps, and Brad immediately winces and drops his head.

“I’m sorry, Grace! Okay? I’m sorry!”

“When I let go of you,” Oli says slowly. “You’re going to leave, and neither of us will ever see your face again. Do you understand?”

“Okay, okay!”

Oli sighs and lets him go, and I don’t even see if the security guards get him or not. I can’t stop looking at Oli.

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