wild star| ongoing

forty-nine

CHAPTER 49:
April 6th, 2016
• • •

"So," Ace began. "It's time to go home, huh?"

"Yeah." Brandy passed him the cigarette. "Teddy's waiting for me."

"Right." He brought the cigarette to his lips, a light frown passing over his features. "Teddy."

They smoked in silence for a while, avoiding the subject that they both had to address before they went their separate ways the next morning. 

"Do you want me to go back to Teddy?" she asked him, puffing on the cigarette, a cloud of grey smoke floating around her head. 

"You have to. He's your boyfriend, isn't he? If you hadn't called me over, none of this would have happened. You would have moved on with the guy and forgotten all about me, Brandy."

She passed the cigarette back to him and then leaned into him, her arm wrapped around his lean waist, her head resting against his chest. "Why didn't you tell me about all of this sooner?"

"How could I?" he grumbled, taking in a lungful of smoke, before exhaling slowly. "You left. You disappeared."

"Teddy's a good guy," Brandy mumbled, her arm still draped around Ace. "He doesn't deserve this mess I've created."

He took another drag from the cigarette, the red-hot tip glowing brightly. "You didn't create this mess alone, Brandy. We're both in it, deep."

She sighed, her voice muddied with regret. "I never meant for any of this to happen. I love Teddy, but..."

"But you love me too," Ace finished her sentence, his tone low and resigned.

She nodded, that familiar sting of tears arising in her eyes again. "I can't help it, Ace. I can't stop loving you, no matter how hard I try. And believe me, I'm trying so hard because I know it's pointless."

Ace traced his fingers along Brandy's back, a soothing gesture, as if trying to comfort her through the turmoil of her heart. Her breaths came out in soft, uneven rhythms, her face buried in Ace's chest, tears slowly staining his shirt. She was torn between two worlds—the stability and love Teddy offered and the intense, passionate relationship she shared with Ace.

"I never thought I'd find myself in a situation like this. I thought I had it all figured out once I left Keith," she whispered.

He tightened his embrace, not needing words to express his understanding. The complexity of their feelings was something that couldn't be easily unraveled or resolved.

"I never wanted to hurt anyone," Brandy continued, her voice trembling with emotion. "Especially not Teddy. He's been so patient and loving through everything, and I've put him through so much."

Ace inhaled deeply, his chest rising and falling against her cheek. "Sometimes life throws you into situations you never expected. It's messy, and it's painful." He put out the cigarette on the ashtray on the bedside table. 

She pulled back slightly, her eyes searching his in the dim light. "Do you regret being here with me tonight?"

His gaze held hers, a paroxysm of tenderness and regret. "I don't regret being here with you. But I regret the pain it's causing you."

Her fingers played with the fabric of his shirt. "I don't know what the future holds. But I know that I need to be honest with myself and with Teddy."

As the minutes ticked by, Ace and Brandy clung to each other, reluctant to let go of the comfort they found in each other's arms. The night was still and silent around them, broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves and the distant hum of a passing car.