𝐀𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄 | sons of anarchy.

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"You did what?", Dawn asked amused.

"Long story but Tara deserved it", the brunette shrugged.

"Yeah, I need to hear the full story later. But first we get your nose fixed", Dawn nodded enthusiastically before shooing Cleo towards the hospital.

"¿Cuándo vuelves a casa, querido?" [When are you coming home, my dear?"], a man behind them asked, startling both women as they hadn't noticed anyone coming from behind. Hospital stuff and other people were walking around so they didn't pay attention to anyone walking up to them.

Cleo would recognize that voice amongst thousands, it always sent a shiver down her spine. In the past she loved his deep voice, it gave her butterflies every single time. Now his voice made her skin crawl.

"Oh, I'm already home, Adrian", Cleo said after turning around to face her ex boyfriend. "What do you want?"

"Bullshit, Charming ain't your home, Chica. What happened to your nose?", he inquired sternly as he took a step closer.

"I think that's close enough, man", Dawn held her arm out, signaling Adrian to stay exactly where he was now. She had no idea what was going on but every idiot would see how uncomfortable and annoyed Cleo was.

"That's none of your business. What are you doing here anyway? You're following me?", she huffed, her voice slightly muffled because of the cloth and her bleeding nose.

"Yeah, I did", the man shrugged nonchalantly, seeing no reason to lie. At first he respected Dawn's signal but he quickly changed his mind and almost closed the gap between Cleo and him fully, gently taking the cloth that was soaked with blood from her hands to study her nose. "Blondie did that to you? I swear I'm gonna kill him."

"What the hell? Why would you follow me?", she asked, baffled by his honesty. As he came closer, she wanted to back away first but the wall behind her made it hard. "Don't call him that. And no, he didn't⸻ he's not like you."

His cold eyes stared into her green ones. He saw nothing but disgust and disappointment in them. It didn't leave him untouched, not at all. Maybe he never showed it but he really loved her, he had just loved her the wrong way.

"It wasn't my intention to hurt you, Cleo", he grunted, his jaw clenched as he brought his hand up to her face only to have it slapped away immediately by the brunette.

"Throwing a fuckin' glass ashtray in my face was an accident then or what?!", she hissed.

Adrian's lips formed into a thin line, his eyes filled with actual regret. "It wasn't supposed to hit your face! I was just so fucking mad."

"Yeah, sure", she snorted a bitter laugh. "Even if it was an accident, you risked hurting me and it didn't seem like you felt bad about it!"

"But I did. I fucking hated myself afterwards", he whisper-yelled as he looked down at her since she was much smaller than him.

"Right. You hated yourself so much for it you had to fuck the next best Croweater to show me how guilty you feel about hurting me. In our fuckin' bed", she yelled at him, drawing some people's attention at the fighting pair.

Adrian was quiet as he had no answer ready for her. He fucked up multiple times but he knew him cheating hurt Cleo the most. Being hurt physically by him scared her, but being cheated on actually hurt her. Her face as she caught him was still in the back of his mind and haunted him every night.