Only Yours

20. I'm afraid So

Tamina

"Aren't you going to introduce us?" he asks when Brandon doesn't respond.

Brandon clears his throat. "This is Tamina Rovers. We're taking our leave."

The stranger's hand abruptly reaches out, and his fingers clasp mine to lift them up as he bends down, placing a delicate kiss to my knuckles. "A pleasure, Miss Rovers." His blue eyes flick up to mine. "I'm Lucius Aventail."

"Um. . . it's nice to meet you too," I return, but balance seems to release me as my feet stagger back until I'm flush against Brandon's chest.

Flicking my gaze up to his, his jaw is set, and the muscle ticks. "Keep your hands off her, Lucius. I won't tell you a second time."

Lucius chuckles, and his eyes light up in amusement, and they land on me. "So, you're the girl Florentina is raving about," he wonders aloud, but to no one at the same time. "You do know he's got a fiancé, right?"

I'm about to speak when Brandon cuts me off. "There's no marriage, I called it off."

"I was talking to her, not you." His lip curls and he finally settles his gaze on me again. "Care to explain, sweetheart?"

"Don't call her that," Brandon spits. "She isn't a woman for you to use."

The man belts out a laugh, and it's strangely humourful. When he calms down, his eyes harden. "Oh, Brandon, I fuck them, get it right if you're going to try to insult me. And what, you don't call her sweetheart because she's your possession?"

My eyes linger on Brandon in confusion, secretly asking what Lucius means, but he shakes his head softly, and I'm dismissing it. Turning back, I say, "I didn't know they were engaged, and by the sounds of it, Brandon never wanted to be with your sister and has been trying to call it off."

"Is that so?" he muses, eyes switching between the two of us before he scrubs his jaw in a slow manner. "I think that's backing out of our deal, isn't it, Brandon?"

"We both know you would've found a way out of it sooner or later," Brandon shoots back, and my mouth remains shut.

"Well, we'll never know now, will we?" Lucius retorts, and eyes me again. "It's not your fault, sweetheart, Brandon here is a bit of a sly dog when it comes to rules that aren't his own."

Why does this feel like it can get very ugly and personal very soon? And why do I feel that there's more to this than meets the eye?

"Well, Mr Aventail, it's been nice to meet you, but I'm afraid we've got to get going, right Brandon?"

Instead of answering, he stiffly nods his head. Swallowing the lump in my throat, my fingers slip through his and I'm able to plaster on a smile. Lucius cocks a brow, and peers over his shoulder when Mr and Mrs Wolfe make themselves known.

"Everything alright in here?" Brandon's dad enquires, and I'm the only one who nods.

"Tamina needs to leave," Brandon pipes up, and I'm thankful because I'm starting to lose my courage.

"Yes, for work," his mum recalls. "First, I'd like to speak with her, come."

Silently leaving everyone, we enter the kitchen once again and I'm shamefully quick to notice the coffee had been drunk. But that's the last of my worries, what matters now is what happens between me and his mum.

"Tamina are you alright?" she asks, and it shocks me because I'd honestly thought she believed I was beneath her.

"Y-yes, thank you, Mrs Wolfe. Thank you for the coffee, I'm sorry I didn't drink it."