Chapter 26: Jealous (Tristan's POV)
I stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame, watching as he strolled in like he owned the place. Which he doesn't. And he has no right to walk in like he does. His eyes landed on me and he stopped in his tracks.
Emma moved over, standing in the middle of the room and in the middle of us.
I sent him a wave, smiling.
"What is he doing here?" he asked, turning to Emma.
I looked at her too. I'll let her decide what she wants to tell him. The truth. Or a lie about some work we have to do. Whatever she does, I'll back her up. I don't want to force her to admit something she doesn't want to yet.
She looked at me like she didn't have a clue what to do or say.
"Say what you want," I shrugged at her.
She looked between Stefan and me.
"Emma, what is he doing here?"
"Why are you asking? It's none of your business," she huffed.
"Is it for work?" he asked.
"No. No, it's not for work," she replied.
I bit back a smile and kept watching and listening intently.
"Why else is he fucking here then?" Stefan asked, sounding angrier.
"I called him. What about it?" She folded her arms across her chest. Why is she admitting to something she didn't even do?
"No, you didn't," I replied.
She sighed, shooting me a pointed look.
"You either lie or you don't. You don't start with the truth and then turn it into a lie," I rolled my eyes. "I came here last night after picking her up from dinner with a client. We were at the same restaurant."
"You picked her up last night, why are you here again?" he asked, glaring at me.
"I never left," I smirked.
"You let him stay here?" he scoffed, looking at her.
"Yeah. So?" She rolled her eyes at him.
"And what does your HR policy say about that?" He turned to me, walking closer a little.
"My HR policy says what I want it to say. I made it, I can remove it. It really doesn't matter," I replied, shaking my head slightly and pushing off the doorway, walking closer.
"Office affairs are your thing then. Aren't they?" He laughed dryly, stepping closer.
Emma looked at me.
"Only with Ms. Bailey. Why? Any problem?" I lifted a brow at him. I glanced at Emma and then looked at the kitchen island, telling her to move.
She can't stand in between. It's about to happen, it's about time anyway. She sighed and quietly moved, sitting on the counter.
"Ms. Bailey?" Stefan scoffed. "The same Ms. Bailey that left you four years ago, right? The same Ms. Bailey that broke your pretty little heart?"
"Stefan!" Emma snapped, hopping off the counter.
I nodded, not removing my eyes from his. "The same Ms. Bailey. The one that still came back to me and will every time."
He worked his jaw and I heard Emma curse under her breath, sitting back down on the counter. "She doesn't want a relationship."
"With you," I replied.
"Tristan," she groaned, hopping back down.
"Am I lying?" I turned to her.
"No. But you're talking like you own me."
I shook my head. "You own me though."
Her eyes softened and she leaned against the counter, keeping her arms folded across her chest.
"You—"
I rolled my eyes, interrupting Stefan. "Are you here to argue with me or talk to her?"
"I came here to talk to her. But seeing you here, I think I've changed my mind."
"You have no right to be angry about me being here. You aren't her boyfriend anymore. You have nothing to do with her anymore. Didn't you both establish that when you last saw her?"
"What I established with her has nothing to do with you. So, get out."
"Get out?" I laughed. "This isn't your apartment. You're nobody to tell me what to do. I'll get out if she wants me to get out. Do you?" I turned to her.
She shook her head, nibbling on her bottom lip.
He gave me a shove and I stepped back, letting my arms drop to my sides. He wants to push me? That's fine. But if he lays a single hand on me, a punch or a blow to my face or body. I'll fucking kill him. He gave me another shove and I watched Emma straighten up. He pushed me one more time, my back hitting the wall.
I looked down at him, looking him dead in the eyes. "Jealous much?" I smiled.
He glared harder, his jaw clenched, and his nostrils flaring before he winded up, swinging right at me.
I closed my eyes, anticipating the blow. And I got one. Right in the jaw. I won't lie, I deserved that one. I had been egging him on this entire time, pissing him off intentionally. But I didn't deserve the second one he threw my way. I grabbed his shirt by the collar, pushing him back and swinging back twice his hard, hitting him in the cheek.
He winced, touching his cheek while I shook my hand to relieve the pain.
Wow, it's been a long time since I punched somebody. I looked at Emma.
He did too. "Aren't you going to stop him?!" he yelled at her.
She shook her head, watching. "You hit him first. It's between you two. Don't involve me. Oh, and one more thing. If you break anything- either one of you, you'll pay me for it. Please, continue."
I smiled, turning to him.
I had a fight with one other guy over Emma. We took a break once because we had a huge argument and a guy tried swooping in and taking her. She understood at once that when I'm fighting with a guy like this, hands-on, it's best for her not to get involved. Because either I'll accidentally hit her, or the other person might take the opportunity and hit me, or he might accidentally hit her. So she's allowed to play cheerleader. But not the referee.
"Where were we?" I asked, pulling my sleeves up.
He moved closer, giving me another shove.
I gave him one shove back, before he grabbed onto my shoulders, trying to corner me into the wall. I threw his hands off before he punched me in the lip. I winced, punching him back, also getting him right in the lip.
"You bitch!" He yelled at me.
"You hit me first!" I touched my lip, seeing the blood on my fingertip.
"Fuck you!" He swung again but I dodged him. Barely.
"Fuck you too!" I swung back, catching his jaw. I groaned, shaking my hand out again. I glanced at Emma. "It fucking hurts to punch someone."
"Then don't!" she yelled.
I gave him a hard shove when he punched my lip again. I swung back even harder, catching his lip. But barely. When he pushed me back this time, I hit a small table that had a vase full of lavender stems in it. That entire vase shattered.
"My lavender!" Emme shrieked before whining, putting her hands over her face.
"Why do you keep lavender?" I asked, frowning confusion.
"I... you like lavender," she huffed, taking out the broom.
I shoved him back and kept shoving him until he hit the front door and we made it all the way to the other side of the room. I punched him one more time on his cheekbone and he stumbled, knocking over the table and the glass dish that was on top of it which had all of Emma's keys.
"That's two things you have to pay for, Stefan!"
He pushed me back and I took one last blow before punching him twice. We both were panting heavily, in a lot of pain, and bleeding from different spots.
"That's a lot of jealousy," I scoffed.
He took a step forward and Emma yelled, "Stop! That's it, play time's over, assholes!" We both stopped, turning to look at her. "You," she said to me. "Sit in the kitchen. And you," she turned to Stefan. "Sit on the couch."
We both sighed, walking over and sitting down. I rolled my sleeves back down, sitting on the barstool.
She cleaned up the shattered glass, put both the tables back up, put her keys on the table for the time being, and threw out the glass in the trash can. She put the broom away, washed her hands, and then grabbed the first aid kit from under the sink. She turned to me and then looked at him over my shoulder. She looked back at me. "Get up and go sit over there."
"But—"
"Tristan."
I huffed, walking over to the couch and sitting beside him, leaving a lot of space in between.
She walked over and sat in between us, opening the first aid kit. "You both are such morons!"
I rolled my eyes, putting my arm on the arm of the couch and holding my chin in my hand, not looking at him or her. I looked at her hands while she ripped open two alcohol wipes.
"Who wants to go first?" Silence. "Fine." She pressed the alcohol wipe down on my cut with her left hand, doing the same to him with her right hand.
"Ow, ow, ow, it burns! It burns!" we yelled in sync. I closed my eyes tightly, every muscle in my body flexing.
"It burns? It should!" She threw the wipes onto the coffee table.
I looked over at Stefan who was wincing, touching the cut on his cheek lightly.
She was looking at him too. Then she turned to me.
I blinked, looking away from Stefan and at her.
"You," she said to Stefan. "Get out. Now."
He stood up, sighing in defeat.
She turned to me. "And you..." she groaned softly. "Stay right there." She looked up at Stefan. "Stefan."
He turned to look at her. "What?" he huffed angrily.
She tossed him a fresh alcohol wipe. "Now get out."
He turned around and left, slamming the door shut on his way.
She grabbed a fresh wipe and then turned to me.
"Emma—"
"Shut up. Don't talk to me right now. You did that on purpose. You egged him on like you wanted to be beaten up."
"I wanted to beat him up," I mumbled while she turned her body to face mine.
"I didn't ask! Now stay quiet. And come here."
I turned my body to hers, leaning in slightly.
She sighed, clicking her tongue in frustration. "Look at how badly you got hurt." She shook her head, starting with my cheek.
"Ah, ah, ah," I winced, closing my eyes while she wiped it gently. She blew on it gently but it still burnt. I grabbed her thigh, squeezing tightly. "Ow!" I exclaimed.
"Shut up. You don't get to complain. It wouldn't have happened if you acted mature about it."
"Mature about what? He acts like you're still his girlfriend," I scoffed when she stopped, moving onto the cut on my jaw. "He acted like he still has you."
"He did have me up until a day or two ago, Tristan!"
"So? I don't care who has you. You look better with me," I frowned. "Ah, ah, ah! Slowly, be gentle," I winced.
"Yeah, yeah. Show me your lip."
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Chapter 26
Fight Fight Fight!
well, they fought. Tristan one, nobody argue with me.
next chapter: speech