Page 2 of His Bittersweet Regret

“Where did your ball and chain go?” Brix asked me when I made my way back over to him after walking Opal out.

“What the hell is your problem with my girlfriend?”

“Aww, come on little brother, you know we don’t have a problem with Opal.”

“Really? Could have fooled me. She left here feeling unwell.”

“What’s her tummy ache got to do with me?”

“Maybe nothing, but the tears in her eyes definitely seemed to be a problem that maybe you caused.”

Brix threw his hand up as if to wave away my words. “I can’t help that your little high school crush is sensitive. It wasn’t even me that made her that way.”

“Yeah? Then who?”

Brixton laughed as our brother – his twin – Bastion stood there watching us banter back and forth. “Well, little brother, she was being schooled by Miss Cassy Andros about that longing look you were throwing to Tandra.”

“Who the hell is Tandra?” I asked, seriously not having a clue. “And why would Opal ever be ruffled by anything Cassy had to say? She knows what her agenda is and that it will never happen in this lifetime.”

“Tandra was the cute, blond fairy-like girl you were just hanging out with while your soon-to-be-wife stood over here with Cassy in her ear, pointing out that longing look on your face.”

I got ready to deny it, but Bastion stopped me. “Don’t bother denying it. We all saw how interested you were, man. Opal included.” He tacked on the last as I glanced back toward the door. My stomach clenched as I thought about Opal leaving after thinking that I might be interested in someone else.

Why had she done that? As much as I wanted to deny it, what they were saying was true. I might not have known the girl’s name, but she had been fascinating in a way other women hadn’t been for me in a long time. I rubbed my hand across the center of my chest, trying to ease the discomfort there.

Did she think I wanted to stay for the other woman – for Tandra? I hoped not.

“Hey man! Been looking for you.” My best friend, Cramer – who I’d called Crayfish since we were in grade school – called out while slapping my back.

“Been standing right here for a while.”

“Yeah, I know. I was going to talk to you earlier, but saw that you were finally interested in someone other than Opal and wanted to leave you to it.” That aching pang hit my chest again – dead center. Did everyone in the whole party notice? “Don’t get your nuts all bunched, man. Don’t think anyone else realized.”

“Wrong!” Bastion called out before he walked away to go grab another drink. Brixton sniggered and followed in his twin’s wake.

“Damn, the twins caught you too, huh?”

“Worse,” I admitted while allowing my head to hang heavily on my shoulders. “Apparently, Cassy had to go running her mouth to Opal again and she managed to point it out.”

“Damn, what did your woman have to say?”

“Not much. She said she wasn’t feeling well and left. That was before I knew that Cassy pointed out that I was talking to Tandra and ran her mouth about it.”

Cramer laughed, and not for the first time, I kind of wanted to punch the asshole in the face. “Seriously? She didn’t even want to force you home or stick around to make sure you didn’t follow through?”

That question might have been what was gnawing at my chest. She simply left and didn’t seem worried about leaving me behind either.

“What if she’s the one getting sick of you, and this is her way of setting you up to take the fall?” Cramer surmised. “Oh shit! Seriously! Imagine if she was the one to leave your ass in the dust after all these years. Maybe she finally saw the writing on the wall and figured it was time.”

I punched the bastard that time. “What the fuck man? I asked you before to stop talking about Opal like that. Why is everyone so against the two of us being happy together?”

“We’re not, dude. We’ve all told you before, we think you just need to take a break from her to go fishing for a while. There are tons of other women in this vast sea. The fact that you noticed one tonight speaks volumes. You two settled down early, it’s not natural.”

“My parents met in high school. They’re still together.”

“Remember that time we overheard them yelling out in the garage about your dad’s secretary?” he asked, eyebrow cocked up in a questioning gesture. My heart sank. We had overheard that argument a few years ago. My parents were still together, but their marriage had been on rocky ground for a while there, and if I were being honest, it still wasn’t back to normal.

“I just want what’s best for you. I know it would kill you if you ever stepped out on Opal while you were together. Look at your dad, man. He’s been miserable ever since we heard them fighting, maybe before. He’s had to scrape and claw to keep your mom and I don’t think he even stuck his dick in the secretary, it was more like a sexless relationship where he carried his marital problems to her and she thanked him for it with hugs and comfort he wasn’t getting at home.”

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