Party, Party

Chapter 31: By Your Side

~~~~~~
YEEEEE BOI THE SMILE I HAD WHEN WRITING THIS CHAPTER

ENJOY FRIENDS
~~~~~~

"Fiancé...?"

"Regretfully." Angelique groans.

Regret... fully...? She's engaged to...? I lift up my gaze to meet Atlas's, searching for any sort of reassurance or denial or even...

"The feeling is mutual, Angelique." He almost spits, withholding a glare. "And I'd appreciate it if you kept our personal arrangements away from... Dawn's view."

"That can definitely be arranged." Angelique huffs, flipping her golden hair over her shoulder. Her heels clicking against the concrete, she lifts the third bouquet I brought outside and places it within a different near the corner of the store. "I'm planning on keeping you far away from my Dawn. She's a stunning employee and I don't need your corruption floating around her. Don't forget, I have promised to keep your occupation a secret from my family in exchange for your absolute abstinence from my life."

"You don't..." My eyes dart from Atlas to Angelique. "You don't like your own fiancé?"

"God fucking no." She shakes her head vigorously. "No honey bunch, I don't. The man in front of you is cruel beyond belief, and a pretentious asshole." Her fragile hands cup my shoulders and pull me away from the green eyed man, who watches my every action as if savouring the movement. "Get back inside, honey bunch."

"I'd like to speak to Dawn." Atlas interrupts, a shiver running up my spine as his hand clasps my forearm.

Angelique hisses at Atlas, stepping up to him. Unlike myself, Angelique is far taller and lean, her stature pure perfection, like she was carved by Aphrodite her-fuckin-self. Standing side by side, Atlas and Angelique look absolutely stunning together, both abnormally gorgeous in all aspects.

"You won't be speaking to anyone here." Venom in her tone, the tall blonde grabs my opposite arms, tugging me towards her. "Do whatever you want in your spare time, but keep my honey bunch out of it."

"Yours?" Atlas now hisses, twice as deadly. "What makes you think that she belongs to you?"

"I could ask you the same."

Well this is getting worse by the second.

Unsettled by the constant violent banter back and forth, my eyes try to wander in any other direction.

"K..." The word begins to form, but as my eyes land on a certain twin, my feet are already moving. "Kaiden..." Each steps drags me down heavier and heavier, yet I can't stop my feet charging forwards on the gravel, closing the gap between us. A gasp escapes my throat when I stand in front of him. "Y... Your..."

My memories wander to the day Instructor Murio damaged him. Each vile action that took place in that alley seemed to form on his skin. Kaiden's t-shirt slung in a V-neck, almost fully exposing his now healed wound. The scar that had been left behind made me clench my fists. A hole like disfigurement with white scarring reaching all the way up his shoulder and towards his ear, wrapping around his neck like vines.

His slicked back hair only further showcasing the scarring that reaches the back of his ear.

Even with all the changes to his appearance, one thing remained certain.

This isn't the same Kaiden from before.

"Look at you... my darling boy..." In absolute silence, he lets me run my fingers over the scarring on his neck.