Harley's P.O.V
Everything doesn't make any sense anymore. Everything I've ever done doesn't make sense anymore. Why did I leave at eighteen? Why did I try to run from something that I ended up taking anyways? Why didn't I just stay with Finnic, Liz, Maddie, and Dixon before she left.
I took the brand for Maddie, but Finnic doesn't think it's my place to look after her, it's his.
I left for me, the only selfish thing I've ever done but now I doubt that decision. If I would have stayed, Finnic wouldn't resent me, Dixon might still be here, Maddie would have got her justice, through Ben. Instead of having to sit around like a waiting duck.
I left to prevent myself from losing everything, but Finnic made me feel like I had done lost it.
I walk through the door to the clubhouse and am greeted with the signature cigarette smoke cloud. The building was fairly empty all but Jared and Killian playing a game of pool. When they see me, they stand up a little taller and stone their expressions, seeing as how mine is steely, emotionless.
"What's wrong?" Jared asks looking around for any clues about what my attitude is for.
"Nothing." I say simply walking up the steps to Bens's office.
"He's not here." Killian says as he positions himself to take the next shot going after the eight ball. Jared only had one ball left and I know from my fair share of games with him that if Killian missed this shot Jared would run the table on him.
"Where's he at?" I ask curiosity clear in my voice. the old man doesn't leave for just anything anymore.
"He went to handle something for Haily." Haily was his woman; one he had been with for the longest time. They were together when he first took me and made me get the tattoo. She had a kind heart, which was shocking considering the man she was with.
"Anything wrong?" I ask as Killian misses his shot and Jared smirks knowing that he won the game.
"No, she just wanted him to come with her to some event at the bakery in town." Jared says as he crouches down to line up his next shot with little to no focus, he sinks his last ball.
"Which bakery?" I ask skeptically.
"The one Maddie works at. Um ... What is it? ... Queens Bakery." Jared rattles off but I'm already out the door before he makes his next shot. This wasn't a coincident, Haily mentioned wanting to meet Maddie and I shut the idea down quickly. Sure, Ben would agree to leave for that because he always took fun in metaling with my personal life. Damn it. When it rains it fucking pours.
~.~.~.~.~
Apparently, they were holding some kind of fundraiser, bidding off cakes to raise money for improvements of the bakery. Maddie was nowhere to be seen, I did however spot Gale walking around like a lost puppy. I grab his forearm and pull him to me. "Where is Maddie?"
"Ben and Haley wanted to eat lunch with her. They are in there." He says sadly, clearly destressed by having to abandon his posy by her side, I've noticed that gale has got really protective of her, he was by her side for the whole week I was gone and the two of them bonded.
He didn't have a choice in the matter of leaving her alone when it came to Ben, because he was the leader, if you disobeyed you would be punished and anything that that man comes up with isn't going to be pretty.
I take off into the bakery and bust through the doors to see Maddie sitting in the opposite booth from Haily and Ben. She is intense and looks so awkward that it makes me wince for her, she wasn't good with new people and Ben can be very intimidating. Maybe Haily has offered at least a little comfort to her.
"Harley?" She says curiously but a look of relief passed through her features. Her auburn locks twirling over her shoulder making her look like an unearthly being. Her green eyes a similar color to mine filled with joy at seeing me. Her small chin moving back and forth as she bites her plump lips and I almost forgot why I'm here.
Until I see the burly man sitting there staring at me with a fixed face. His hair jet black like mine, his eyes blue like Killian's. Accompanied by his wife, who had light brown short hair that barely reached her shoulders. She looked half of my father's size with a lighthearted smile on her face. She was smalling between the two of us and I'm struck again by the thought of these two making the oddest match I've ever seen. Even odder than Mr. and Mrs. Ivory.
"Oh, Harley. What a nice surprise." She smiles knowingly, she knows that I asked them not to bring Maddie into any of this, but she encouraged my father here, she has good intentions, Haily isn't conniving like Ben. She was the one that tried to talk him out of making me follow in his footsteps. Killian looked more like his mother then he did Ben, with her hair color and shorter stature.
I slide in beside Maddie and place my hand on her thigh encouraging her that everything would be alright no matter what was discussed before I got here. "We were just talking about grandkids." Haily teased and Maddie blushes a deeper shade of red and I don't even have time to enjoy the site because of his glooming presence in the corner.
"She said she does want kids one day. So, it gives me luck that I might get some one day." She was referring the Killian's bachelor days never ending. The boy wasn't but eighteen, but he had been around town several times, claiming he was never getting married or claiming a woman. Haily had given up hope of ever getting a daughter in law through him, so I guess she's trying to get the experience through me.
"She's very shy." Ben interjects rather abruptly; Haily swats his forearm and Maddie clutches my knee under the table. I shoot him daggers but decide to see what else he planned on saying. Ben didn't talk much when he did it always had purpose. "I think it's a good quality. Suits you." He takes a bite of his piece of pie, and I'm left floored.
He actually approves of Maddie. Oh, this is bad.
I thought him disapproving of her would be bad but now that he is here, and I hear for myself what he is thinking I realize I couldn't have been further from the truth.
Claiming a woman isn't something that can just be casted aside, it was as good as vows to The Voiceless, and he was accepting the arrangement. Pulling her even deeper into this pile of shit that I've got us into. My plan completely crumbling before my eyes. If he approved and wanted this to happen, then there wouldn't be no way of getting her out of this.
"She'll have to come out of it to take care of the business side, but we can handle that." He says between bites of food, and I feel everything spinning. Maybe Finnic was right, maybe I should have left this up to him, maybe Maddie would have been better off with him. She wouldn't be stuck to me, to The Voiceless, to Ben.
I refuse to give up on the plan, Maddie would have a normal life, she would get to live her life the way she wanted and then she would find her a man and she would settle down.
And what will you be doing? Stalking her still? Looking after her from the sidelines?
My irrational thoughts peaks through and I shove them back down because I knew as long as she was okay and thriving, I would be alright. I failed Dixon, I wasn't going to fail Maddie too.
"Enough of the business, Ben. So, how did you two meets?" Maddie looks to me knowing that I better at lying or fibbing because I was going to stick as close to the truth as possible.
Haily sat with her head propped in her head ready for all of the juicy details.
"Her brother and I grew up together, playing football." I say and Haily motions for me to continue talking, she wanted more details, and I slung my arm over her shoulder pulling her closer into me. I could lie to myself and say that I was doing it to make the story more convincing but honestly, I felt her shivering from nervousness, and I wanted to comfort her the best that I could.
After all this was all my fault.
"I was the best man, and she was the maid of honor. We rekindled our friendship, then it turned into more." I explain and turn my head letting my lips capture her temple. I felt her relaxing against me and I smiled a genuine smile knowing that I still made her feel safe and comforted even though I was the cause of this stressful situation.
"That is so romantic." She gushes and rest her head on Ben's shoulder. Her eyes dreamy, thinking about mine and Maddie's faux relationship.
"Friendship, before marriage in always important." Ben comments causing Maddie to giggle nervously.
"My break is about to end." Maddie says as she wipes her mouth with a napkin gently, only I notice her hands shaking.
"Of course, dear, I'm sorry we held you up." Haily says as she smiles at Maddie with love already in her eyes. How could you not love Maddie, I should have known better then to think Ben wouldn't approve.
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