Twisted Loyalties

09

I'm standing here, staring at Julian like I don't even recognize him. He's panting, fists still clenched, a wild look in his eyes that I've never seen before.

This is a completely different person—one who's crossed a line I never thought he would.

"Julian, what the hell is wrong with you?" I say, my voice tight as I step back, grabbing Alejandro by the arm. I feel him tense beside me, but I just want us away from all of this, away from whatever Julian has turned into tonight.

"Come on, let's go, Ale," I murmur, guiding him back toward the car.

Julian's gaze follows us, dark and intense, but I refuse to look back. The silence in the car is heavy as we pull away, leaving him and everyone else standing outside, watching us go.

I feel a strange, aching mix of anger and hurt bubbling up inside me, but right now, I can't even sort it all out.

Once we're finally down the road and Alejandro's hands have relaxed on the wheel, I turn to him, reaching up and gently touching his eyebrow.

He winces slightly under my fingertips, and my heart twists. "You got hit pretty badly," I say, my voice soft.

My thumb traces the bruise forming just above his eye, and I feel a wave of guilt hit me all over again.

Alejandro shakes his head, shrugging it off with that calm, steady expression. "I've had worse, Sab. Just a little bruise—nothing I can't handle."

I lower my hand, but I can't look away from him, feeling the sting of everything that just happened.

"I'm sorry," I whisper. "You shouldn't have had to deal with any of that. I don't even know why Julian... I don't understand what's gotten into him."

Alejandro glances over at me, his eyes softening. "None of that was your fault. Whatever's going on with Julian, that's on him. You don't have to carry it." His words are gentle, and he reaches over, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze.

Alejandro glances over at me, still gripping the wheel, his expression a mix of anger and concern. "Look, you don't need to be around people who don't respect you, Sabrina. Julian's got no right to act like that with you. You deserve better."

I nod, the reality of the night sinking in, my frustration and hurt knotting up tighter.

Alejandro sighs, glancing at me as he says, "Why don't we just head back to my place? We can put on a movie, forget all this mess, at least for tonight."

I look over at him, feeling the warmth of his support, and I feel myself relax just a little. "Yeah," I say quietly, "I'd like that."

He nods, a reassuring smile breaking through his concern. "Alright then. My place it is." He shifts the car back into gear, and we drive off, the quiet hum of the road filling the space between us.

When we pull into his driveway, he's quick to open my door and lead me inside. As we settle on the couch, he hands me a blanket, his presence steady and comforting, the weight of the night slowly lifting as we settle in to let it fade away.

I watch the taillights of Alejandro's car disappear down the street with Sabrina in it, and I feel something twist in my gut.

She actually left. With him.

I run a hand over my face, trying to make sense of everything that just happened, but it's all a mess of anger, confusion, and regret.

"Come on," Matteo's voice cuts in as he puts a hand on my shoulder, guiding me back toward the house. "Let's get you inside."

Val's already there, holding the door open, giving me that look—like she knows exactly what's going on in my head even though I'm not saying a word.

I try to shake it off as I walk past her, but it feels like they're both just waiting for me to break.

As I settle onto the couch, Val leans in, inspecting the cut on my cheek and the fresh bruise forming under my eye. "We should clean that up," she says, heading toward the bathroom.

"I'm fine," I mutter, but Matteo raises an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. Val returns with a damp cloth and some antiseptic, and I just sit there, letting her dab at the cut in silence.

"You don't look fine, Julian," she finally says, her voice gentle but firm, like she's not going to let me pretend this away.

I meet her gaze for a second, and I can tell she sees through the whole act.

Matteo's phone buzzes, he glances down, sighs, and excuses himself to the next room to take the call, leaving just me and Val in the quiet.

Her focus is on cleaning up the mess on my face, but my mind's somewhere else entirely, replaying the scene outside.

I look at her, hesitant, but finally ask, "Do you think I'm an asshole, Val?"

She stops, her hand stilling as she looks up at me. There's this kindness in her eyes that's almost too much right now, like she's weighing my question seriously. "No, Julian," she says softly. "You're not an asshole."

I glance away, not fully convinced, but her words are grounding, a small relief in the chaos. "I mean, the way she looked at me, though..." My voice trails off, the regret tightening in my chest.

Val gives me a reassuring look. "Things got heated. But Sabrina cares about you, Julian. And she knows you care about her too. I'll talk to her later, okay?"

"Thanks, Val." I exhale, feeling like I can finally breathe.

Val finishes up, giving me a small smile as she packs away the supplies. Matteo steps back into the room, phone call finished.

He glances between us, his face softening as he gives me a quick nod.

"We're gonna head out, but I'll check in tomorrow, alright? If you need anything—anything at all—just call, Julian," Matteo says firmly, his hand on my shoulder for a second before he steps back.

I nod, managing a weak "Thanks" as they gather their things and head out the door.

As soon as I'm alone, I collapse onto my bed, staring up at the ceiling. The weight of everything settles in, pressing hard against my chest.

God, how did it come to this? Sabrina, leaving with Alejandro after the mess I made... the look in her eyes, that hurt, like I'd pushed her too far. I feel the regret like a punch, sharp and unrelenting.

AUTHORS NOTEE

So how are we feeling about Sabrina and Ale??
Low key feel bad for my boy J tho!!

Stay tuned y'all😭