One Temptation

Toxic Ex? (Chapter 19)

Aiden came back after about half an hour. His steps were heavy, like he'd been carrying the weight of whatever was on his mind with him.

My phone buzzed on the counter. Lia's name lit up the screen, and I could practically hear the concern in her voice before I even picked up.

"Hey, are you alright? After... you know, this morning?" she asked carefully. She didn't say his name, but she didn't have to. 

Jaxon.

"Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry," I sighed.

"Okay, if you say so," I could hear the hesitation. "Em texted me. She wants to meet up, just to talk and catch up."

"That's good," I replied.

"She messaged you too. I don't know if you saw it. She couldn't call 'cause she was with her parents. But she's alone now... and Jake just left her place. She really wants to talk."

I looked down at my phone and realized Em had texted me a good ten minutes ago. I hadn't even noticed, too wrapped up in my own head to catch it. She was offering the same thing Lia had—an invitation to come over, to talk. It was their way of checking in, making sure I wasn't crumbling after the morning run-in with Jaxon. They didn't need to say it. They knew.

They always knew.

I told them I was fine, reassured them I didn't need anyone to drop everything for me. Another lie, but one I'd gotten so used to telling lately that it almost felt natural.

Lia and Em were in on the whole ordeal. They knew the details, the ugly truths I had tried so hard to bury.

But Aiden? He only knew the basic outline—enough to understand that Jaxon and I were over and that it hadn't ended cleanly.

As for Mum and Dad, they only knew what I allowed them to believe. I told them Jaxon and I had ended things mutually, no drama, no fallout.

More lies.

They didn't need to know the real reason. 

They didn't need to know how much Jaxon had torn me apart, how deeply his manipulation had twisted into me. I didn't need to make them worry more than they already did.

I sat on my bed, debating whether or not to head to Em's place. It'd be nice to get out, but part of me just wanted to be alone.

Aiden's door was closed down the hall, and I knew he was inside, probably gaming or doing whatever it was he did to clear his head. 

It was weird—I almost wanted to go knock on his door, not to talk about anything heavy, but just to be near him. Aiden had always been protective, even though he was younger. He had this quiet way of looking out for me.

He used to joke about beating up any guy who messed with me, and I knew deep down, he meant it. He'd even gotten into a few fights over me before, nothing serious, but enough to make sure people knew I wasn't someone to mess with. But the day I told him what Jaxon had done... that had been different.

I didn't tell Aiden everything. He didn't need to know. But I told him enough. Enough for him to know that Jaxon had crossed a line, and that Aiden had been right all along when he'd said dating him was a bad idea.

Aiden left the house after I told him. No words, just pure rage simmering beneath the surface. While I broke down in Lia and Em's arms, he disappeared. When he came back later that night, there was blood on his knuckles, and behind him were Alex and a couple of his friends. They all looked like they'd been in a fight.

That was the first time Jaxon really fucked up.

And it definitely wasn't the last.

We ended things—or more like, I finally had enough. I was so sick of his controlling ways that I couldn't stand another second of it. So I pushed him away, made it clear I was done.