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Chapter 18: Catch-22

Chapter 18: Catch-22

I push Mason back forcefully with every ounce of my strength. I would never hurt Bells like this. How he has the audacity to do this blows my mind. 

"Stay away from me, Mason," I say, angry and genuinely afraid of him in the moment - not in the sense that I don't trust him, but in the sense that I shouldn't be with him in the first place. This is wrong.

I don't feel the same.

He reaches out to me. "Aqueela, come on, you had to have a clue-"

I flinch back and begin stepping further away from him, not wanting to think about. "Just leave me alone!" I shout before sprinting away from him.

I can't lose Bell.

 "Aqueela, wait!" he calls after me, but I keep running, not once looking back.

Jay steps out after hearing all the commotion. I try to run past him, but he catches me by my upper arm and roughly pulls me to a halt. "What's going on?" he asks, his gentle tone contradicting his actions.

I make an attempt to pull away from him, but he only tugs me nearer in response.

"Nothing that concerns you!" I snap at him, shoving him away until he stumbles back and releases me. 

This is most likely the first time that I have ever been rude to Jay. Ever. 

"Aqueela, just tell me what happened. What did he do?" Jay calls after me, still following me.

I slow down in my steps, allowing him to catch up to me. "Nothing. Forget it."

In my distraction, I bump into yet another obstacle. I mumble an apology, not bothering to look up before moving away. 

It seems as if fate is against me today because I'm suddenly yanked back and pulled into a hug. "Aqueels, what's up?"

Max.

I shake my head against his chest, wanting him to let it go. I don't want to be interrogated anytime soon. 

Why can't I just have a dramatic exit in peace?

I wipe at my eyes, pulling away from him. I try to console myself, knowing that they're both watching. It's at times like these that I feel most vulnerable. I hide sadness behind fronts - feigned smiles, forced laughs and silly jokes. 

"Aqueela," Jay starts, not even trying to conceal his concern or mask his worry like he normally does, "let me help y-"

"Taylor!" one of his colleagues call out to him from the back door of the bar. "We got people waiting on you."

Jay sighs, his blue eyes losing light as his lips contort into a frown. "I'll be right there," he answers smoothly, his back to his co-worker. His eyes wander to Max standing beside me. "See to it that she's okay, alright?"

Max nods. "You got it, buddy."

Jay's gaze shifts to me a final time before he re-enters the bar, having no other choice but to get back to work before he's told by Boss Man that he's slacking.

"You want me to take you home?" Max asks softly, tearing me from my thoughts.

I immediately shake my head. "I'll be fine." I offer him a reassuring smile, but my smile falters and he sees it. 

He changes topics. "I came by here, looking for you. Bells is a mess. She called me. She needs you," he says, "said I could find you here."

I nod at Max, allowing him to lead me to his car.