Fated Mates: The Fae

Leif: Chapter Eight

Leif

Ronan was acting strange. I wanted to believe that it had to do with me leaving tomorrow, but I felt like it was something else. If it was because of that, I figured he'd want to stay in with me tonight instead of being at the damn karaoke bar with Hart and Gid.

But here we were and Ronan was laughing and joking around with Gid and Hart and hardly saying anything to me. They passed drinks around and Ronan told stories from the pack. His acting was really convincing and if I didn't know him better I would have thought that he was really enjoying himself.

But I did know Ronan. I knew that his smiles were covering up for something because they didn't quite reach his eyes. And he was using his hands too much to explain the stories and I knew it was to distract them from seeing underneath his mask.

I laughed and smiled right along with everyone but I couldn't quite get over Ronan's change in attitude. And I couldn't stop thinking about what we had done just before we got here.

It was the hottest thing we had ever done and I came so hard I saw the entire stratosphere. I never bottomed for anyone, but tonight I wanted to. I wanted to feel that again and again over and over. But I didn't want his fingers.

I looked around, my face hot from my thoughts and looked around to see if I could sink the very noticeable erection in my pants. I life the neck of the beer I'm drinking up and pause as I notice Ivy in the girl's section of the bar.

She's smiling big, talking to Amethyst and my breath catches as she tilts her head back with a laugh. My heart begins to race as I think of the kiss we shared at the bowling alley and it does nothing to get rid of my erection. I swallow a drink of my beer and glance at Amethyst, hoping to be distracted from how beautiful Ivy looks tonight.

Amethyst is flipping her hair and smiling big, staring at our table looking thirsty as hell.

I follow her line of sight to Ronan who is looking back at her with a smirk of his own, sitting back in his chair, manspreading, looking like a f*cking God.

Jealousy spreads like ink through my chest and I glance back at Amethyst. She smiles at him and tilts her head in the direction to the bathrooms. Since she's out with girls, the chaperones don't come with them. It's a stupid thought to think that they wouldn't go do anything stupid just because they're with other Fae women.

We're in a damn bar for Gods sake, listening to sh*tty renditions of popular music and drinking. Of course people are going to do stuff they aren't supposed to. Fae women are supposed to remain virgins. That's it. There are loopholes to the rules and the women know it just as much as the men do.

And it looks like Amethyst is going to try one of them as she stands up and makes her way to the bathroom. I glance at Ronan and feel my stomach drop as he smiles at us and slaps his hand on the table.

"I've got to piss. I'll be back."

I grit my teeth and watch as he heads in the same direction as Amethyst. We aren't exclusive but...f*ck does it hurt.

I glance at Ivy and see that she's staring in the same direction, her eyes wide and fear written all over her face. I take my phone out and begin to go into my messages. But I may have drunk a little too much because I click on the camera button and blink as I see a picture of myself and Ivy, kissing.

My stomach drops and it all starts to make sense. I left my phone at home for the date. I didn't want to have to answer the phone in case he called me. Because I didn't want him to know I was with Ivy.

And now he knew and...what? He was getting revenge? And what in the world was he thinking? He could get into so much trouble for even speaking to Amethyst let alone doing anything with her physically.

I stand up and head to the bathroom. I don't know what in the hell I'm going to do or anything but I know I can't let him put himself in a position where he'd get into trouble.

As I'm walking through the crowd of people I feel a tug on the back of my shirt and I turn, ready to tell Hart to back the f*ck off. But when I see Ivy, my words die on my lips. She looks behind me furtively and swallows hard.

"Amethyst is about to do something stupid."

"I know. That's where I'm going now."

She nods as she holds onto the back of my shirt and follows me to the bathrooms. I take a deep breath and nod at her to check the women's while I check the men's.

I push the bathroom door open and hear a soft moan coming from the back stall. No one else is in here that I can tell, but this doesn't seem good.

I walk slowly to the back stall, listening to Ronan's moans and feeling my c*ck stir in my jeans. I push that feeling back and step into the stall next to the back one and step on the toilet.

Jealousy and lust swirl through me as I watch Amethyst on her knees in front of Ronan, his c*ck balls deep in her mouth, his hands tangled in her dark hair.

His head is thrown back, his eyes hooded as he watches her deep throat him.

I feel my heart ache and I step down slowly and quietly make my way to the doorway. I open the door quietly and find Ivy waiting for me outside. She studies my face and takes a deep breath.

A man makes his way over to the bathroom and I begin to panic. Ivy takes a deep breath and steps up to the man, probably a few years older than us and presses her hand on his chest.

"Hi, name's Ivy. Are you single?"

The door behind me opens and Amethyst slips out of the bathroom, wiping her mouth and patting her hair down. I bite my lip as she looks up at me with wide eyes and glances back at the bathroom door.

"I...don't tell. Please?"

I shake my head. "You're fine. Go." I nod at Ivy who is talking up this guy who is eating it up even though I was pretty sure he was wearing a damn wedding ring.

She races away and grabs Ivy's elbow and drags her away. I wait and watch as the guy steps into the bathroom and wait for Ronan to step out. When he does he smiles at me and still, it doesn't meet his eyes.

"Hey, you need the bathroom?"

"No."

"What's up?"

"You...someone almost walked in. Ro, I walked in and you didn't even hear me."

"I heard you. I knew it was you."

I raise my eyebrows at him and feel my heart squeeze. "Why?"

"Why what?" He asks as he moves past me, his chest rubbing against mine in the narrow hallway.

"You could have been caught. You could have gotten in so much trouble. What is wrong with you?"

His brows pinch and I can see the hurt and so much other emotions swirl in his eyes before he shuts them all down and grins at me.

"Nothing I can't handle."

He walks away and I follow him. I feel like we need to talk and I don't want to let it go. It's obvious he found out about Ivy and I and I don't want to go away with this hanging over my head.

When I reach the table and watch him begin joking with Hart and Gideon I take a deep breath to calm myself.

"Ro...we need to talk."

He shakes his head and shrugs my hand off his shoulder. "I'm fine." He lies and both Hart and Gideon look at us with raised eyebrows.

"You're not. You don't do stuff like what you just did. You're careful. And you know the rules. You can go to jail."

Ronan takes a deep breath and chuckles softly. "I didn't. I'm still here. So calm down, sit down and have another beer."

I push his shoulder and he turns to me, a small growl rattling up his chest. His eyes flicker and I shake my head. "What you saw at the bowling alley. Is that what this is about?"

He wrinkles his nose and then shakes his head. "You know, it was. I...I know why you did it. I know on paper how that makes sense. But seeing you with her...it's not just an arrangement. You looked at her like..." He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly.

"You looked at her like you gave a sh*t about her. And the way you touched her and smiled at her made it seem like it wasn't the first time. So...when did flirting and kissing the woman that has made my life miserable become a thing?"

Hart and Gideon watch me with wide eyes and I press my lips together. "Ivy isn't what she seems. She's different when you're not around. I...I mean it doesn't excuse how she's treated you but..."

"But you like her." His eyes lower and I feel my lungs squeeze in my chest.

"Yeah." I taste the truth in my own words and flinch as he bites his bottom lip and nods.

"It's cool," He says quietly. "I won't be here for too much longer. You won't have to feel guilty for seeing her. You can choose her and I won't get in your way."

Anxiety shoot through me at his words and I shake my head. "What does that mean?"

"It means she's yours. I'm not coming back. And...I think maybe we shouldn't see each other anymore either. We both have things going on in our lives that are going to tear us apart anyway. Maybe this is for the best?"

My chest heaves as I try to reel in my panic at what he's saying. I shake my head slowly and feel my eyes sting. I don't cry. I never cry. But I can feel the hot tears building up in the corners of my eyes.

"You're breaking up with me?"

He scoffs and shakes his head. "We weren't ever exclusive and you know it. Our relationship has been friends with benefits for years. What I'm doing is canceling the benefits part."

I swipe under my eyes and feel like my whole world is tearing apart. My throat aches and I don't even know what to say or think. I had enjoyed my date with Ivy. I liked her. But was she worth losing him?

I could say without a doubt that she wasn't. And we weren't just friends. I loved him. He has been the only person I've ever loved and I can't understand why he's breaking us apart like this now. He said we would try. He said we would visit eachother and try to see and be with eachother as much as we could before he found his mate.

I swallow hard and feel my heart squeeze painfully in my chest.

"I think this is something we should talk about at home."

Ronan chews on his bottom lip and glances at the women's section. I watch as he glares at the side of Ivy's face and then he shakes his head.

"No. I've said my part. I'm done."

My nostrils flare as I grit my teeth. "Well I haven't said mine, Ro. And I want to do that in private."

Ronan sighs and then nods. "Alright. Let's go then."

Once back in the apartment, he slumps down on the couch and my heart is racing. My hands feel clammy and I don't know if what I say or do is going to change Ronan's mind or not.

"I...I didn't expect to like Ivy. It hasn't been long that her and I have been talking. I...She's nothing to me if it makes me lose you. I love you, Ronan. I don't believe what you said about the friends with benefits sh*t. We have never just been friends. I have always loved you and I know it's not one sided. I know you love me too. Which is why you went off with Amethyst. You thought you would hurt me. And I get it. I'm hurt. But don't try to pretend like what we have means nothing to you."

He runs his hands through his hair and his jaw tics. When he looks up at me he presses his lips together and shakes his head slowly.

"This is for the best, Leif. You know it and I know it. Once I'm gone, I'm gone. I won't be coming back and...I don't want to see you. Pick Ivy. She's the best choice. She's pretty and has nice t*ts. And I will find my fated and none of this will matter."

My eyes burn and I shake my head. "So this is it, then? You don't want to fight for me? For us?"

He swallows hard and averts his eyes. He shakes his head and I know it's so that I don't taste the lie in his words.

"I'll empty my room and everything before you get back."

I shake my head and let out a ragged breath. I pull at my hair and make my way back to my bedroom. Ronan's stubbornness won't allow me to change his mind. I just hope that he can do it for himself when I'm gone. I hope he realizes how wrong he is and stops listening to the demons in his head before they steer him in the wrong way before it's too late.