Page 31 of A Simple Love

My ears perk up as I hear a familiar voice answer the question just asked by a voice that is vaguely familiar.

“Yeah, said she knew it wasn’t right. Whatever, man. It’s her loss.” Ben’s voice replies, and suddenly I’m completely sober. “She’s missing out on everything I have to offer her, especially this,” he gestures to his dick as I turn around to watch Ben talking to some guy I’ve only seen a handful of times. What a fucking prick.

“You never got that far with her?” The guy fires back.

Ben huffs. “Fuck no. Little Miss Goody-Two-Shoes probably still wears a chastity belt. Vic was never going to put out, so at least I’m not wasting my time anymore. She’s probably a dead fish in bed anyway.”

And I snap. I plunder the ground beneath me as I cross the bar in record time, cock my first back, and knock Ben to the ground in one swift hit to his face.

“What the fuck?” He shouts as he lies on the ground, clutching his face, a red mark quickly developing along his jaw.

“What the fuck? Are you fucking serious? How DARE you talk about Victoria that way, you fucking asshole!” I’m seething, my fists still clenched by my side. Ben attempts to stand as his buddy from before helps him up. He solidifies his stance in front of me, ready for a fight this time and I plan on giving him one.

“She’s not worth my time anymore,” he declares, his eyes never leaving mine. “Victoria was nothing but a cock-tease. She would never give it up, and honestly, I don’t know what the fuss was all about. The more I got to know her, the less interested I became. You can have her, Mike. I’ve wasted enough time on her already. I need to get my dick wet again.”

“You son of a bitch! You’ve been lying to her face this whole time? She deserves better than you anyway, motherfucker!”

“What? Like you? A hammer-slinging, red-neck living, drunk for a daddy, reckless boy who can’t seem to make anything of himself?” His words don’t even register in my brain, because before he’s done speaking, I’m swinging my fist again, this time plummeting to the ground on top of him, punishing his face with my hands.

Ben fires back from underneath me, connecting a hit with my cheek, the stinging probably hurting far less than it would had I not had those three Jack and Cokes. I meet every swing of his with a hit of mine, his face turning red and bruised beneath me before I feel strong hands hook under my arms, prying me off of him.

“Mike! Knock it the fuck off, man!” Brian, the co-owner of the bar, has me locked in his arms, mine thrown up in the air in a forced surrender. I’m not a small guy by any means, but Brian rivals the Hulk with his size.

“Okay, I’m done!” I shout as Brian keeps his tight hold on me. “Fuck this guy! He’s not worth it.” I just my chin towards Ben as I shove Brian off of me, my hands coming to rest by my side, my chest still rising and falling in heavy breaths from the exertion. I grab my wallet from my back pocket, throw a few bills on the counter, and slam down the rest of my water before grabbing my keys and turning for the front door. I don’t even look back to see the damage I’ve done to Ben’s face, because I know I definitely got in more shots than he did. Fuck that guy. And fuck tonight.

When I reach my truck, I climb in and rest my forehead on my steering wheel before I notice a blinking light coming from the seat next to me. My phone. I left it in here when I arrived. Swiping across the screen, I see several texts from Dean and Tyler, making sure I’m okay after the way I left the hospital, and one from Victoria. I click on the message and regret instantly overcomes me.

Vic: Hey, sorry about earlier. Ben was only with me because he offered me a ride. But I’m ready to have our talk. Can you pick me up in about an hour at my house? We can go somewhere quiet. Let me know.

Shit, she sent that two hours ago. Everything in my gut is telling me I’m not in the right state of mind to have this conversation with her. Even though I’m taking a risk, I feel this is the right decision. I leave her message unanswered, not sure of how to respond anyway after everything I’ve felt in the last several hours. I’ve gone from feeling hope at the prospect of moving forward with Vic, pure joy holding my nephew, unrelenting disgust and confusion at Vic showing up to the hospital with Ben, drunken numbness trying to dull the pain, and all-out rage as I pummeled Ben’s face. My mind is all over the place, and definitely not in the right space to handle talking to her right now.

I reply to my brother, letting him know I’m alright, but Ben’s face isn’t, before I fire up my engine and make the drive back home. Tomorrow is a new day, but my world will never be the same. When did my life become such a mess? When did this journey with Victoria become far less than simple?

Chapter 19

Victoria

I wake up with a pool of drool on my pillow, wiping the excess from my face with my forearm as I groggily open my eyes, starting my day before my alarm ever sounds. I must have gone out hard when I finally shut my mind off long enough to sleep. Last night toyed with my conscience, a tornado of emotions swirled through me in a matter of hours.

Ben picked me up and took me to the hospital to visit Pauline and the baby. Axel is so adorable, and my friend was beyond elated. Watching her and Dean with their son was emotional and amazing. I can’t wait to have that someday. But arriving with Ben proved to backfire as soon as I noticed Mike’s reaction. I knew that running into him was a possibility, but I can only imagine what must have been going through his mind when he saw us show up together. He stormed out so quickly, and I was so immersed in Axel that I didn’t follow him. I figured I could explain myself when we talked, and he would understand. But after I sent him a text, hopeful that we could finally have our long overdue conversation and never got a reply, I worried I was too late. He completely ignored me and stood me up again.

The sting of his rejection this time hurts ten times worse than it did five years ago because now I know what it feels like to be with him. I need to talk to him and assure him that Ben is out of the picture because after we left the hospital and he drove me home, I told him I couldn’t see him anymore. I didn’t elaborate on the fact that I chose Mike, but I think he knew. Ben grew up with us and has witnessed our connection for years. He had to have known the fight he was entering when he asked me out in the first place, challenging years of history and unrequited feelings. He seemed to understand my decision though, took it like a gentleman, and we agreed to remain friends.

I felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders, replaced by an eagerness to tell Mike that I wanted to be with him for real, to quit playing this indecisive game and finally be a couple. But he never replied to my text after I asked him to meet me. I stayed up as late as I could, waiting to see if he would answer, but finally succumbed to sleep around one in the morning. I’m beyond exhausted, and now frustrated and worried, and today is the day before school starts and I have to report to work for meetings.

While getting myself ready for the day, applying my make-up and dressing to impress my colleagues, I decided to stop by his house after work to initiate the conversation we need to have, hoping he will give me a chance to make things right.

Upon arriving at work, my regret and sorrow are quickly replaced by rage as I overhear a conversation around the coffeepot in the teacher’s lounge where everyone has gathered before our staff meeting.

“He hit him?” One teacher asks, her coffee finding its way to her lips after she speaks.

“Oh, yeah. I heard he tackled him to the ground like a linebacker!” The other teacher explains.

“Brian had to break them up. He pulled Mike off of him and threw him out of the bar.”

MIKE! What in the hell happened? I turn my back to them while continuing to eavesdrop on their conversation.

“Yeah, I guess it was only a matter of time before the two of them went to blows. That Victoria has made a mess of things with them, dating two men at the same time. I hope she knows what she’s doing…”

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