Asmo's Love

Stuck In Paradise & Agony

DAVID's POV

Knowing about the plans that Colin had in mind and the way he had confessed to me his decision about his career and with the band had me feeling a little bummed about my own personal dilemma as well. That certainly changed things in my own perspective and how I would be dealing with things about my own ambitions and goals. To actually realized how much Colin was willing to sacrifice so much for our relationship made me feel that he was really in love with me.

He really loves me. And I do not even know why I still felt the need to reassure myself... I already know how much he loves me. This just made it even more real. So what now?

I thought about it deep and hard as I went along with the remaining of my schedule that next day. I promised Colin that I would be there for their last performance stage. I started to become nervous as soon as I sent Leo a message that I already had set a decision for the offer he suggested to me.

I knew this was going to change my whole life after... But something still made me feel uneasy about it. I could not figure what was making me feel hesitant, but I knew I should do this for the sake of the things I wanted to pursue and keep. I took a cab on my way to the project venue where I would be doing another photoshoot that was on my schedule today. This will be the last one I got for this week, so it is expected that I won't be able to be at work again for a long while.

I started to weigh things inside my head, should I really go with what I had planned out? Would it be sensible of me? Am I willing to go the extra mile for it?

Can I ever really do it?

I bet I would regret it eventually, but the more I thought over the things that might turn out once I tell Leo what I had decided on, the clearer it got for me to understand what I truly value more...

The cab soon pulled over the front of the establishment. Leo was already waiting for me as soon as the photo shoot is done. We agreed to talk after it. And I gave him the place where we would meet. I chose to meet outside, to make it quick... To be formal. And to have it end much better. 

I must be firm with my decision. No more turning back. I have to be brave. I have to do this.

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LEO LUMIERE's POV

At first glance, the look on David's face alone already gave me the impression that I will be getting a quite unfavorable answer from the offer I gave him last time. I could just tell it and I knew that I would be receiving bad news now. But as to the reason why he was going to choose the wrong decision for it... I probably know what caused him to think this way now. If this had been two weeks before, David would have never hesitated to say yes, but things must have changed in the past few days. Ever since that party and the event that had happened between me and Colin...

David started to act strange.

I chose to remain silent as I looked across the table with David still looking as if he was not sure how to start the conversation. I waited though. I tried not to confront him directly. I wanted to give him the chance to think it over more. I did not want him to even say no, honestly. I wanted him to tell me that he was willing to go... If anything else.

Maybe my guess was wrong. What if he was going to say-

"I'm sorry."

Bad timing... was all that flashed inside my head as soon as I heard the first words that had come out of his mouth. However, David still avoided making eye contact as he chose to look down to the table and on the boring cup of coffee in front of him. Is that it? He was going to jilt and reject me for something...

For Colin. Of course, he would.

But the mere reminder that he was choosing the guy over the big dreams he was once so obsessed about not too long ago when we first met made me feel a bit jealous. Was he really going to blow the opportunity this big for something called... love?

What the hell?

For some reason, I felt the sudden rise of anger inside me as I contemplated what to say back. But before I could even open my mouth to speak, David was once again, adding words to his answer.

"I..." he started off, his voice gentler and a bit further than I would want him to sound, I stared intensely at the change of emotions on his face and watched as he tried to form the explanation he wanted to give me for his decisions. "I realized that it would have been a farfetched goal for me... It was not like I did not want the offer. Believe me, Leo. I was beyond genuinely overwhelmed that you gave me that offer. But right now, I found something that I want to cherish more, and I can't ever exchange that for anything else... Even if it means, I have to give up something this big. I'm really sorry."

Was he really saying all of that now?

For real? For f*****g real?

I wanted to say that out loud, but I was so used to being able to mask any unnecessary negative reactions that I only remained neutral as I kept a blank look on my face. He was serious... for Colin.

Why can't he just leave him? Why can't he let him go? I wanted to ask him these questions, but I was too busy thinking about what to say back to ever really be honest with what I felt. I could not even confess the truth... that I liked Colin for a while now. What will I do now? If I let David slip away from my grasp... my obsession will run wild... And I might not be able to control it anymore...

However, as we turned the conversation into a civilized farewell of two people who had been brought together by fate and business, only one thing kept running inside my head...

They can't have a happy ending...

I want it all to end and tear them apart. And as I finally met David's eyes, the betrayal went final as soon as he spoke the last words he wanted to tell me before he decided to give his proper goodbye for our short yet disappointing meeting.

"I hope you find someone much more suited than me, Leo," David remarked with a soft smile, and for a second, I wanted to snort back but did not try to sound so rude to him, "I wish you all the best."

Not to you, was all I thought. The c****x was just about to start, David.

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LEO LUMIERE's POV

I do not know if I am ever really doing this right all along. I think I am about to become the villain that neither David nor Colin deserved. But I was quite drunk and my train of thoughts brought me here to this place. For some reason, I was here before anything else could even happen. It is really a big advantage to have the resources for you to get anything you would want to know... say, for example, someone else's whereabouts. And it did not take me that long enough to know where to find Colin right away.

The ride to this downtown bistro did not even cost me over fifteen minutes. I knew right then that I was playing nasty after what just happened. David had been nice enough to turn down my offer, but my ego was badly bruised, and so after downing one more shot of the bourbon I had inside my limousine, I got out of the car and head straight to the entrance. The sound of guitars playing and the drumbeats filled my ears as soon as I stepped in, and without any further more introductions, I met Colin's stare right away. And for more than a second, we just looked at each other's eyes...

And he might already get a feeling of why I was there. This day was going to be completely doomed. And I will be the one to blame.

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COLIN's POV

I really did not know what I was about to do right now. First off, seeing this guy suddenly showing up during our rehearsal had me feeling a bit nervous. But at the same, it got me wondering how in the hell he had found me there. Did David somehow tell him where I was? And why was he looking for me now? 

It had been days and a week since that night of the party where the incident had taken place... I had already tried to get over that and I knew he was also in the wrong at the time. If he was here to ask for an apology, well hell no. I will never ask for forgiveness nor whatever. If anything else, he should be the one doing that to me. So at the moment I approached him with a look of wariness on my face, I watched as this Leo Lumiere sized me up, I guess. He was eyeing me for a long while and I excused myself from the band to give this damn guy the time he needed.

Well, obviously, he was here for a reason. And that was probably had something to do with me. 

"Why are you here?" I quickly asked him once we found a table further down the bistro to talk. "David's not here."

I knew I was starting to pick up a fight with that mocking remark but instead of retorting back to me, Leo just silently snorted and gave me a raised brow. 

"I didn't go here for him, and you already know that, don't you?" he just replied, his voice velvety as he gave me an intense gaze. Anyone who would be seeing us would actually think we were having an intimate conversation with how Leo looked at me and for some reason, I began feeling a little bit uncomfortable.

"And why is that? Why all of a sudden?" I demanded, quite strongly that I should ever have.

"I came here for you, I got something to confess to you about..."

The way he said those words to me had me thinking of all sorts of stuff inside my head. Was he talking about David? Is this something about him? Was he going to tell me about something I am so scared to accept... I already had my suspicions, but I didn't want to think about it that much.

"Confess, huh?" I felt even more nervous as I shifted my eyes, and when I did, Leo took that opportunity to lean over the table between us and moved closer to me. It was only at that moment that I got a whiff of strong alcohol scent coming from. "What do you want to do with this?"

"I offered David to come with me to Paris, for a project that will help him with his career," Leo started. And just with that, I could already see where this was heading to. He was laying it all out to me, and he was making me feel how much of a burden was I right now to David's goals. 

"I didn't know that," And I admitted, without much more of restraint, because I already get what he wanted to make me say. He wanted me to back off. "I take it that he rejected the offer, didn't he?"

"You really know him so much," Leo smirked back, his eyes still staying on mine and I frowned deeper as I tried to pull back and put some distance from him. I didn't like how he was trying to move closer to me now. "Remember what I told you that time at the party... The reason why you punched me?"

My jaw hardened, as soon as I was reminded of that time again. "And what? Do you want to do another round of it... Going to play dumb and fool me over again?"

"I was telling you the truth, Colin," In a quick second, emotions switched over Leo's face as he replied back to me with a much intense stare, "I really like you... since that night... ever since I first saw you..."

"Stop."

"Why can't you give me a chance?"

What the hell was he up to? Why the hell does he kept saying that to me? 

"Please stop this," I still insisted, feeling quite repulsed by Leo's sudden disturbing persistence over this topic again. 

"You don't even know everything about David yet," Leo eventually replied, slightly going off the subject as he finally pulled back to his seat and stared at me with vengeful eyes, "You don't know what he has been doing behind your back."

I could feel the rise of anger inside of me as I stared back at Leo with an angry scowl, "Yeah?" I challenged back, "What are you trying to say now?"

"What I am trying to tell you is that we had sex."

Sex. Trust... Betrayal. Lies.

The second I heard what he told me, my vision went black and I had no more recollection of what I did next, all I could hear were shouting around me, and someone pulling me back so hard I could feel the flesh and bones against my shoulders and waist. I eventually got back to my senses and I heard Sam's worried voice as she cried out for help. She was now standing before me, her hands over my chest as she tried her best to push me back. I took a second to gather my thoughts and I felt my entire body falling into exhaustion... my hands hurt as well and Sam, for the very first time since we had been together in the band, looked at me with those unshed tears in her eyes.

She was trembling against me, and she stared at me as if she no longer knows who I am and she looked so scared.

"Colin... stop... p-please..." she begged in that wobbled voice and only then had I finally realized what I just did. 

Table and chairs sprawled all around us and shards of broken glasses on the floor. I looked across me and found Eric and Wayne also holding back a disgruntled and bleeding Leo from a distance whose face was now bruised with a cut on his lip. Leo was staring at me, his face marked with not much of an impression but he never strayed off his stare. I exploded. And this time...

I totally lost control... over my temper.

It finally dawned over me, how scary I must have reacted right in front of them. Doing something that they never saw me and thought of me ever doing to someone... I screwed up.

But despite knowing that all now, my heart was still enraged by so many emotions, and the words that Leo told me a while ago echoed over and over again inside my head.

"Since when?" my voice choked on that question as I stared menacingly towards Leo while gritting my teeth. "SINCE WHEN?!"

I demanded, completely driven by my angry soul but Leo just let out a bitter laugh as he aggressively shook off Eric and Wayne's hands over him. He tried to fix his suit and wiped the blood dripping down his jaw as he mirrored my scowl.

"Why don't you ask David yourself?" he only said with a deadpanned look, "Why don't you try to ask him about the whole truth?"

This felt like I was about to discover something that would completely shatter my whole world.

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