Casual Sabotage

Chapter Three

The pair of us were sat at the bar, drinks in our hands and laughing about the old times at school. Brian and I had had quite a few beers and were beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol in our systems. His cheeks were a rosy red from laughing and I could sense my vision growing impaired the more that I drank.

Slamming his hand down against the counter, Brian let out an uproarious laugh, exclaiming. "Oh god, I remember that!"

"It wasn't funny, Brian!" I replied. "You forced me into giving you head in a classroom...a classroom!"

"Man," He exhaled. "I really was an ass to you, huh?"

"Yeah." I didn't deny, but I nudged him in his side with my elbow.

"Mr Cooper had to work at that desk none the wiser to that fact that I had fucked you right on top of it." Brian snorted. "Imagine if he ever found out."

"We would have gotten expelled!" I protested. "You were a bad influence on me."

"You're welcome." He smirked, leaning back in his chair and letting his arm rest along the back of mine.

I took a moment to study the man in front of me under the dim lighting of the club we were in. His appearance reeked of sex and confidence, suave and sophisticated, yet still just as cheeky as he was as a senior. Brian still had a way about him that was so captivating by anyone who was attracted to him, and he knew it. Pushing his empty glass to one side, Brian turned to me and caught me staring at him. He didn't confront me, but I could tell by the twinkle in his eyes and the small smile that etched across his face that he liked it. He loved the reaction he could get out of anyone.

"Tell me about him." He urged suddenly, locking his chocolate eyes onto mine.

"Who?" I confused. "Caleb?"

"Yeah," Brian nodded, soon faltering. "My replacement."

I brushed the comment off as the alcohol talking and sighed, conjuring up something to say in my mind about the man that I loved. "Well, we met in college. We started off as friends but he then asked me on a date. We've not looked back ever since."

"He seems like a nice guy." Brian replied, though his smile had disappeared and his tone of voice sounded almost saddened by my honesty.

"What about you?" I threw the question back to him. "How's your love life going?"

"Ah, you know." Brian played off with a shrug of his shoulders. "One-night stands have been the majority of it."

He scratched at his head. "I had a girl for a couple of months, but...I fucked that up."

"What happened?" I frowned.

"I got too drunk at a party and slept with someone else." Brian explained regretfully.

"Oh, I see." I nodded my head slowly, reminded of my mistakes from the past. "That's not so good."

"No." Brian agreed poignantly.

There was a pause in conversation. Brian's hand settled along the counter between us, my eyes gravitating towards his palm. I thought about all of the times that his fingertips had touched and tasted my skin, left loving marks against my body in moments of passion and affection, had held my hand in times of sadness and despair. My mind spiralled into moments of our past together, getting lost in a trance and reliving all of the times that the man had told me he loved me.

Brian noticed the distant look in my eyes as he furrowed his brows at me, allowing the sound of my name to fall from his lips once again. "Sal?"

"Huh?" I was knocked out of my daze.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes." I lied, looking him in his eyes.

"I think we should call it a night." Brian suggested, standing up as I followed suit.

He pulled out a couple of bucks from his back pocket and left them on the bar for the barman to collect as a tip later on. Brian placed a hand to the back of my shoulder and guided me through the club and to the exit doors, leading me outside.

I didn't realise how late it was, noticing how bare the streets were once we were back in the fresh air. The slight fall breeze hit at my face as Brian stood before me, smiling small. There was something about the special gleam in his eyes that drew my attention onto his handsome face.

"It was good to see you again, Sal." He proclaimed.

"And you." I returned curtly.

Brian hesitated momentarily, before he committed to his decision and opened up his arms, soon bringing me into his chest and hugging me tightly. My body stiffened at the feel of him around me, my breath catching in my throat. The smell of his cologne was strong and overwhelming, reminding me of the times that the same scent lingered upon his pillow, even long after the bed lay empty beside me. Breaking away, the air between us shifted and I could feel the tension – of lust, of frustration, I couldn't tell – cloud over us like it was about to come pouring down over the both of us. I studied the confusion across his face, before Brian made the first move.

He leaned closer and brought his lips to gently meet with my own. The kiss was soft to begin with; his lips tasted luscious and I craved to feel more of the man. I could feel Brian scale his hands down my back, stopping at my waist and pulling me into him with a dominant force. When his right hand groped at my hip, I parted my mouth. Brian seized the opportunity and took control, letting his tongue slip in to meet with mine, deepening the connection between us.

He moaned gravelly, growing hungrier in his approach. His fingertips clawed at anything he could touch, pressing my body to his. I raised my arms to loop around his neck, getting lost in the moment. The stubble of his facial hair tickled at my lips, making my smile print against his mouth and reminding me of how Caleb kissed me.

Caleb.

I tore myself away from Brian and looked at him with fear in my eyes. He realised the mistake that we had made and took a step back, wiping at his mouth with his sleeve. My throat was dry and strangled by guilt as I looked at Brian with sorrow in my eyes.

"We shouldn't be doing this..." I sighed. "I-I have a boyfriend."

"I know." Brian dropped his head, ashamed of himself. "I just couldn't hold back any longer."

He ran a hand through his hair. "Seeing you again has opened the flood gates, reigniting feelings that I thought I had buried deep."

"Same here." I admitted to him. "Brian...what do we do?"

"The smart idea is that we don't see each other again, Sal." He advised. "But I...I have to see you again."

"What about Caleb?" I asked, more to myself than anybody else.

"That's your decision." Brian replied back. "If you want to see me again, you know where I live."

He chewed at his lip anxiously. "I should go."

I could feel the tears in my eyes as I watched Brian turn and walk away from me. It was like reliving the day that we parted ways once and for all, but this time it felt so much more painful. I was confused by my emotions, by those who my heart had decided to fall for. I had Caleb back at home, who was everything I could ever ask for in a boyfriend, or there was Brian. The man who had given me everything all of those years ago and helped me to discover who I truly was.

I had a decision to make.