Jaded

Trusted

Suresh bolted up into the darkened villa, with Arlo, Dana, and Eddie on his tail. Dana overtook him, taking the stairs at superhuman speed, and by the time he'd burst into the bedroom, Jade was already hyperventilating in Dana's arms.

"What happened?" he gasped, and Finn turned to him.

"Alfie. And Kat. On the roof terrace."

Suresh's brow furrowed. "Doing what?"

"Oh man, oh man, oh man," Finn fretted. "This is bad."

An eerie focus swept through him, and his fists clenched of their own accord. Dana pulled Jade from the room, and Suresh turned back to Finn, who was running both hands through his hair.

"Specifically, Finn. What did you see?"

"Both of them. Hands. "

Suresh nodded, and took a deep breath. He centred himself, wondering - for a moment- if what he was about to do was worth it.

But his internal silence was broken by the muffled sounds of Jade crying in the next room.

And he suddenly had his answer.

He stormed toward the roof terrace, kicking the changeroom door open as he let the rage take over.

"Woah, woah, woah, " Eddie called, holding Suresh back by the shoulders. "Suresh, wait, wait, it's– Finn, a little help?"

Finn and Arlo joined in, a mess of limbs that he easily shook off in his rage. Eddie jumped in front of him, his hand on his chest.

But it was no use.

Suresh flung the roof terrace door open. Alfie must've changed clothes, because he was buttoning his trousers, and the sight made Suresh see red. All calmness left him, holding Alfie by the shirt before the others could stop him. He practically threw him against the wall, leaning down over the top of them, as a volume he'd never heard escaped his mouth.

"I warned you what would happen if you hurt her," he screamed. "I fucking warned you!"

Alfie glared at him, trying to push him away, and failing. "She cheated on me, you fucking–"

"No she didn't ," he spat.. "We were talking , which you would know if you'd trusted her, instead of sticking your useless hands into the first cunt you found."

Alfie glared, and spat in his face, kicking against Suresh's imposing frame, but it barely moved him an inch. In fact, all it did was enrage him further, frightening himself as he approached the edge of his restraint.

"That all you got, geezer ?" Suresh laughed. "You wanna see what I've got?"

Alfie responded with an elbow, and it escalated; right up in each other's faces as Suresh waited for his opportunity to throw the punch that was screaming to be thrown. He wanted to mash this fuck into a pulp, to beat his head into the ground, to take him by the throat and-

"Resh, don't."

He looked over at Jade, and he dropped Alfie's shirt immediately. Her voice was shaky and broken, but it was nothing compared to how she looked. Even under the dull glow of the fairy lights, he could see the redness of her eyes. There were streaks in her makeup from the tears that were still flooding down her face. The shaking of her body, seeming so tiny as she clutched herself in her arms.

She opened her mouth to say something, but her chin wobbled, and she burst into tears again, walking toward him as if she knew exactly what he'd do. Without a second thought, he released Alfie's shirt, and wrapped her up in his arms, lifting her off the floor as she threw her arms around him.