Page 53 of High Stakes

I take a breath. “If you’d have just told me, Aiden. If you’d have just said you needed my help, I’d have given it to you. It was never that important to me.” He keeps his eyes trained to the floor, but I see the way my words hurt him in how he clenches his jaw. “I wanted to be friends with you, maybe more, but I would have been happy at friends.”

I head for the door. “Where will you go?” he asks.

I shrug. “I would rather sleep in a shop doorway than be around you for another second.” I place my door key on the small table and pull it open. “I hope it was worth it. This club is amazing, and I get the appeal. But when the lights go up, and the party stops, you’re just a sad, lonely man. And eventually, when the novelty wears off, you’ll look around and see the reality. No one cares about you, Aiden. Laurie is a married woman that won’t ever leave her husband, at least, not for you, because she left you to go to him. And your friends get their kicks by watching you make a shit show of your life. If they were good people, they’d have stopped all of this to tell you that what you could have with me, would be worth it.”

Aiden

She closes the door gently. A part of me wished she’d slam it, because anger is way better than disappointment. I rest my forehead against it and release a long breath. Ofcourse she fucking knew. It makes sense now. The songs. The way she behaved at dinner. How didn’t I see it?

I growl angrily, slamming my fist into the drywall over and over. It breaks, and I shake my hand, wincing as pain radiates through my knuckles. “Are you happy, Jake?” I yell, looking up like he’ll magically appear. “Is this how it was supposed to end?”

I pace the apartment. I should be happy now, the club is mine, along with some of the other smaller businesses. But I feel like crap knowing I’ve hurt her.

After half an hour, I head downstairs, unable to resist the urge to drown my sorrows any longer. JP is behind the bar. He looks up when the elevator opens and I see his eyes are full of regret, just like mine. “Whiskey bottle,” I grate out, taking a seat.

He grabs it, placing it on the bar. “She knew, didn’t she?” he asks. “I saw it in her eyes.”

“Not now, JP,” I mutter, unscrewing the cap and gulping a few mouthfuls from the bottle.

“She couldn’t even look me in the eye,” he says sadly. “She marched out of here looking full of shame. We did that to her,” he snaps. “And by the looks of you, it doesn’t feel like you thought it would.”

I slam the bottle down. “Fuck you.”

“I told Raff this was a bad idea, and we should call it off. How are we gonna carry on as if it didn’t happen?”

I snatch the bottle up and head for the office, I can’t deal with his shit right now. I just want to get wasted.

I lift my head up from the desk, blinking a few times to clear the fog.Fuck,how much did I drink? I lift the bottle, bringing it closer for inspection and noticing it’s empty. I smirk. That explains why my head is pounding and my mouth’s dry.

The office door swings open, and I make out a blurry figure, soon realising its Aria by the enraged screaming coming from her. I wince, holding up my hand while I sit straighter. She becomes clearer and I offer a smile. She doesn’t return it, instead glaring at me. “Well, get it over with,” I slur.

“You fucking piece of shit,” she yells, and her hand stings my face as it connects.

JP pulls her back, holding her arms by her sides. “Enough,” he warns.

“Why would you do that? What did she ever do to you?”

“Let her go,” I mutter. I deserve her anger.

JP releases her and she spins on him, shoving him back. “Did you know?” she asks. He stares down at the ground, placing his hands on his hips. She gasps, slamming her hands over her open mouth. “Oh my god, you did,” she whispers.

“I’m sorry-” he begins but she slaps him too, screaming in anger.

“Fuck you,” she yells. “You’re all pathetic.”

“We had no choice,” I mutter, already sick of her screeching. “Shouldn’t you be with her?”

She scoffs, “Yeah, I should, Aiden. But you know what, she’s so heart broken and ashamed, she won’t tell me where she is. She doesn’t want to see anyone, not even me.” My heart twists painfully. I hate that she’s on her own. “I can’t believe what you’ve done,” she whispers, “It’s so fucked up.”

“She’ll get over it,” I mutter. “No one suffers with a broken heart forever.”

Aria screams again, this time tipping over my drink’s cabinet. The contents crashes to the floor, smashing and spilling out. I stare at the mess, unable to find the strength to be pissed. “She’ll never trust a man again. You did that. I hope it keeps you awake at night. I hope you never find happiness again. You don’t deserve it.” She spins on her heel, and JP steps in front of her.

“Please, Ari, just hear me out.”

“I never want to see either of you again. Ever.” And she marches around him and leaves.

“That went well,” I mumble, lying my aching head back on the desk.

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