Taint Me More ☑️

Chapter Twenty Two

"Brian" I whispered as my hands fell to my sides the moment Aaron released his grip.
I tried to right my dress and my footing as Aaron took a step away from me.

"Is this...I-I don't understand" he stuttered whilst squinting his eyes and looking back and forth between the both of us.

His expression went from confused to anger in a flash. "What the fuck, Aria?" He barked, "is this the reason you ended things with me?" He asked and I shook my head.

"No Brian, it's not like that" I started to give an explanation that I didn't have.

It was clear that I'd made a mess of things and there was no return from this.

Brian stalked towards us and I stepped forward to meet him halfway, I could see Aaron moving in step with me and I could hear him clear his throat with a fast croak, too. I focused my entire attention on the look of contempt plastered on Brian's face as he shifted his gaze to the man beside me.

"You?" Brian blurted out, a finger pointed at Aaron, and I just stood there unable to speak.

I couldn't defend myself, because was there anything to say at this point? This wasn't a mere speculation or suspicion that I could deny. He just saw my lips against, not just another man, an engaged man.

"Brian," Aaron cordially called out from beside me, and I seriously wished he didn't say anything.

Brian, ignoring Aaron, snapped his head back to look down to me. "Any explanation as to why you're alone in this empty hallway with him?" His eyes flickered back to Aaron as he said the 'him'. He was clearly hot under the collar.

Rushing to my rescue was Aaron, his voice calm and deliberate when he said, "No one owes you any explanation."

Contrary to my thinking initially, Aaron was taking this calmer than I thought. He was the one with the fiancée, he should have been the one having emotional crisis, but it was I who looked like the home wrecker and a scornful woman. And I couldn't have that.

In my stupefied silence, I tired to examine both men as I stepped to the side, making sure to put some gap between myself and the two men, leaving Aaron on my left and Brian on my right. Anger seemed to flow through Brian as his eyes darkened and his fists clenched. But unlike him, Aaron was calculated. His eyes held in a lot of emotions, and if I hadn't learned how to read them, I'd have mistaken his rage for calm.

If I wasn't staring intently at Aaron, I'd have missed the slight jaw movement when he gnashed his teeth and stared daggers at his contender, because this pretty much seemed like a game to the both of them. A game of 'who'd throw the first blow?'.

"You're a shameless man," Brian went first and stepped forward, his stance the most confident I'd ever seen him. "To be messing around with another woman when your fiancé is just around the corner. You dog."

"Don't you dare." Aaron's tone was sullen, matching and even dominating Brian's.

"And you're going to do what?"

Aaron was mute, but his silence said a lot. At least to me.

Brian made a three-sixty on his small spot and groaned out his pain. Disappointment. Anger. "Bastard," he muttered, but Aaron and I heard it clearly. And I felt drained.

I opened my mouth to say god-knows-what, then I snapped it back shut as Brian yelled out this time.

He was hysterical now, and I hated this. I hated drama so much, even more, now that it concerned me. I hoped we could settle this amicably, but not anymore. Not after Brian launched forward with a speed I couldn't understand until he'd collided with Aaron.