Standoff
1541 Words
VICTORIA'S POV
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It's too ironic to be a coincidence. Jax doesn't come from wealth, but Audrey does. Her father is rich, not like mine, but he still carries a pretty penny around wherever he goes. He has mad bank, enough to keep his grandchildren afloat without them having to work. Tomas is a wealthy man, but to come to this place? It’s a bit much. Inhaling a calming breath, I push forward, avoiding their eyes thanks to the waitress keeping them busy. Once inside the restroom, I make sure that I’m quick, wanting to slip past them once more before I catch their eye.
I make sure not to look towards their table as I make my way back to ours, but the hope of going unnoticed dies when a chair scrapes to my right, followed by a “I can’t believe I’m seeing this,” Coming right from Jax’s mouth. Every muscle in my body pulls taut, the sharp ache in my neck feeling like a nerve getting stuck.
“Victoria?” Jax says my name, and for some stupid reason, my feet stop moving and I glance back over my shoulder, meeting his eyes in the dimmed warm glow of the room. Audrey stares at me-- no, glares at me. She's looking at me as if I were the one who stole her husband.
"Here for a interview?" Jax taunts, causing my blood to boil and hum in my ears. He knows who my family is.
"I don't need it, but I'll be sure to ask them to be kind with you when your old body can't knock into people without breaking something anymore," I let the words flow with calmness and clarity. Jax scoffs, eyes hardening, a movement that he's done more than enough times whenever I spoke of something good for myself, but there's surprise also in his eyes. I never spoke like this to him, never, and now I do it in public.
"Are you still clinging to that little story?" My eyes widen in surprise.
"Story?" I ask, my entire heart dropping into my ass. What story am I clinging to?
"Yes, your fake little life." Jax's voice drops into nothing, sounding sour and so displeased with the world itself.
"What fake life?" I ask for clarity, and he has the audacity to roll his eyes, lips parting as if he were tired of this story I know nothing about.
"You're not really a Devereaux, why act like it?" I think my eyebrows just met my hairline.
"What?" I ask, wondering if I'm having a f*****g stroke.
"Don't be ashamed," Audrey chimes in, reaching across the table to take Jax's hand, batting her eyelashes innocently.
"Everyone needs a little help up in life, even through a little lie." Her slim shoulder lifts, cheek pressing against it as she glances between us, but I catch something wary flickering in her eyes.
"True," Jax nods at her, gaze slowly dragging back to me, his eyes filled with pity.
"Explain," I bark out the word, immediate shame and embarrassment flooding my veins at the idea of someone here hearing how I spoke.
"Your sleezy little boyfriend is the heir of the Devereaux group," Jax chimes as if he actually knew anything. "You mean my brother, who you've met, by the way." I can feel that tether on my self control snapping like I did in that damn house.
This is what toxic people do to someone like me. They ruin a person. They make them hurt until they want to hurt-- and I don't want to hurt.
"You mean the man you've been screwing since you've introduced him as your brother?" Jax snorts with a sneer of disgust, shaking his head with disappointment as he rises to his feet, and suddenly, he's towering over me, looking as handsome as always, but beneath the pretty exterior is endless darkness that could swallow entire cities and drain their light.
"Excuse me?" I snort, half smiling at the insinuation while the idea of it hurts my chest and stomach, physically making me nauseous.
Jax steps closer, and my body does nothing except tilt my head up to look at him.
"I will find the proof of it." But the only proof there is, is that Wystan and I are siblings. A warm hand presses on my lower back, the heat soaking through the material of my dress.
"A little close, don't you think?" Ryder asks, snaking his hand from my lower back to the hip on the side he's not standing at. Jax's notices the movement, his eyes dipping to where his fingers curl around my waist.
I can see the recognition in Jax's eyes. He knows the voice. He notices the comfort in the way Ryder holds me, and he knows that Ryder was the man who answered my phone.
"I'm Jax, her husband, and you are?" He introduces himself despite knowing. He just wanted to put that public claim on me, to cause a scene. Ryder doesn't miss a beat, he drags his gaze to Aubrey, then back at Jax and grins as he introduces himself.
"Ryder Kane, her future husband." And with that, he takes Jax's outstretched hand, giving it a squeeze while holding his gaze.
A standoff. That's what's happening in this high-end restaurant with wealthy people in. I can feel my heart beating nearly out of my chest.
Anger flashes through Jax's eyes, but it's quickly replaced with smugness.
"I would say good luck to you, fella, but all I can say is that you're making a big mistake." He exaggerates the 'big' by rising his eyebrows and voice.
"And I'd say the big mistake was not marrying her years ago," Ryder smirks, and I know he hit a nerve when Jax's eyebrows scrunch together.
"You can't even win against us, so what makes you think that you can handle her?" He gestures towards me, face scrunched in disgust.
"I mean..." Jax continues, looking serious all of a sudden, "You guys loose against us all the damn time."
Ryder's fingers twitch on my waist, holding me a little tighter, his shoulder pressing against mine firmly, but not hard.
"I just started out, and by the next season, I'll be wiping the floor with your jersey." Ryder's confidence sparks something in me, a warm feeling blooming inside of me-- and it's the confidence that I once wore like an accessory that I feel breaking through.
"He is pretty good at everything he does," I rest my hand atop his that's on my waist, head leaning towards his shoulder, and he tucks me into him, his entire body's heat surrounding me. It's so relaxing.
"Everything?" Ryder grins. nudging me with his shoulder. I nudge right back, nodding while biting my lip.
"That other thing you did...It was the best feeling," I tease, and Jax's scowl vibrates through the air with a disapproving grunt, drawing back our attention. I look at him, stepping sideways and take his hand.
"Excuse us," I mutter, dragging Ryder away, but I can feel Jax's eyes boring into the back of my head as we make our way to the table.
"So what exactly am I good at, Devereaux?" Ryder asks close to my ear before walking around to pull my chair out for me. Teeth sinking into my bottom lip, I smile as I sit.
"Everything..." I practically purr. "Didn't you hear?" I tease.
"What is everything?" He gently runs his fingers down my exposed neck before walking to his seat. Holding his gaze as he elegantly sits, my smile widens.
"I'll tell you when you do it again," I tease right back, noticing the spark in his eyes, the heat that seems to devour me whole.
"Seems like I have a lot of things to do then," he winks, and it's the respectful, lusting look in his eyes that has my panties soaked right where I sit. It's the image of his face in between my legs that has me squirming in my seat.
"It'll take time," I warn, but instead of looking wary, his smile stretches, white teeth glinting in the warm glow of the room.
"Then I guess you're stuck with me for a while," And it's that sentence that makes me wish that we weren't here right this instant.
"I think you can start later, if the night ends well."
And the night did. The food was rich in flavor, easy on the stomach and the wine was soothing the nerves that were chomping down on my brain. The view became the background, and Ryder became everything while I forgot about Jax and Aubrey. The night was so interesting and amazing that I didn't even notice when they left, or if they even left because all I could see was him and the twinkling lights in the city as we went home.
Home, a building that we both live in, and for tonight, perhaps even all the other future nights, I'm content with that, but could I ever be happy? Does my future look like a lot of lonely nights? Glancing at Ryder, I realize one simple, heartbreaking thing.
He's the only friend I have.
- Writer
