RUNAWAY

/ 56 \

💣MAVROS💣

When Ver came in for the group hug, I hesitated, unable to decide whether my hug would be welcomed. I understood I'd majorly fucked up. I apologized. And had gladly, if not a tad bit huffish, jumped through all her hoops. But before I made a decision, I was tugged into the hug, so I went along, as it was what I'd wanted. I'd just lacked the courage. A mistake I was determined not to make again. This is why when Ver asked who'd drop her off at the airport, I immediately volunteered. Though I figured she'd ignore me and ask one of the trio or even her brother. As of now, I was both over the moon and anxious because there was only silence in the car. At the red light, I opened my mouth to end the silence
my mind shut my mouth for me. After attempting and failing a few more times, I began tapping my fingers against the steering wheel. A tick I hated as it always felt like my brain was rubbing my anxiety in my face.

Man up, dude, and say something. Anything. You can't send Ver off without a word. If you do, you're basically forfeiting to Axton. Do you wanna see her end up with that ass?

"Ver...I hope you enjoyed your time with us, despite my mistake."

UGHHH. Really man, that's your best?

At least I didn't apologize.. again.

Good. Cause you know that's the last thing she'd wanna hear right now.

"I really did. I love the trio and the moms. Especially your mom. I honestly wish my ma could be like Rev. I'm really going to miss the club's dynamics and the patchies."

"I'm glad we were able to be your temporary safe zone and family. Believe me, we're ALL going to miss you. Everyone hopes you'll come back, even if it's just for a visit."

"Thank you. I'll come back, but I can't say when. And what you did.. well, I've thought about it. I've come to understand you didn't do it out of idiocy, male entitlement, or possession."

That last statement stopped my playful quip and silenced me. It's not that I didn't know or understand what she was getting at. I was dreading my history being trudged up, and Ver's thoughts could be.

"I don't know much about the psyche, but I've been around enough bikers with sad history to make a guess."

I continue to stay silent and listen without interruption. I owed her. That much I knew.

"I believe someone precious to you, maybe an ex, was forced to leave you, and you weren't able to help. In the end, they disappeared from your life without asking you to help them."

I couldn't believe how spot on she was. It had me wondering if Jess, Rad, or Dav had hinted at what happened. However, I ignored it, as the trio respects boundaries. And though they became Ver's loyal dogs, they would never reveal my secrets.

She did so well at guessing. Maybe you should reward her.

Reward her? Tell her she's right. And cut myself open and spill my secret with her?

She'll listen.

She will until it paints Axton in a negative light.

Why would she? She's not in love with him. She's not even friends with him.

But, he'll be her boss. He's got two kids and a club that respects/loves him. With those characteristics, she'd have to have some amount of self-imposed trust that he's above what I'd say he did.

"You don't have to spill your guts, but I'd at least like to know if I hit the mark. Anyone in my boots would."

I had decided just to nod my head or give a yes. The fact Ver only bargained for a 'yes' urged me to give her the details.

"Seven years ago, two friends, and I went to a mc party. There I met a girl, patch-raised* from their club. We, at least I, fell hard, we started dating. In the second year, my parents sent me abroad to live with relatives. When I returned, I couldn't find her at her club. Her brother told me to take a look at my friend's club. When I arrived, I found her there. Pregnant with my friend beside her with his hand over her stomach. I confronted both, which led to him and I fighting. That fight almost destroyed our friendship until she made a promise. That if I won, she'd  return to me after she gave birth. But I didn't win. So she stayed with him. Afterward, I had to take a break from our friendship. Though I didn't hate him, it was too difficult to witness their relationship. They'd become a family. A family I'd been dreaming of since I went abroad. It took about till the end of her pregnancy before I could be around both with and feel nothing but happiness for them. Though a small part of me would ache when I'd see her. She gave birth to twins, and I genuinely felt ecstatic for them. However, six months after the twin's birth, she came to see me just herself. She revealed that she'd caught my two male friends together. Intimately. Which wasn't a surprise to me as they'd always had a sexual tension. They just were too afraid to explore it, as they'd grown up together and had never been apart. When I asked what her plan was, she said she wanted to return to her family's club. I returned her to her family's club, and she made me promise not to tell my friend anything when he came looking for her. I promised because I felt I owed her that much for the time I was separated from her. After about a week passed, my friend finally came looking for her. Though I swore she wasn't here, he turned my club upside down. Watching him in that frantic state made me satisfied until tears slid down his cheeks. That was almost too much, and I almost confessed to her whereabouts. However, my other friend/his lover reminded him that her family's mc was nearby. They promptly left, leaving me to clean up his mess, but I considered it to be a fair. After a few days of silence from I called him for an update. He was sobbing as he told me she wasn't with her family and that they refused to tell him where she went. I felt like I'd been slapped, my ears were ringing, and I felt like I was caught in quicksand. After I shook myself, I rushed to her mc, thinking that she'd hidden from my friend and asked her family to lie to him. But I didn't find her either. I tried her phone, but she'd either turned it off or blocked me. After that realization, a dark cloud followed me to my friend's club. When I saw him we collapsed together and let the tears flow. After our tears stopped we got drunk and I made the unfortunately told him that she came to me. To further my bad luck, my friend ended up remembering my leaked secret. Which led to shouts and a fist fight. The other friend ended the fight, but not the curses and insults between us. After a month of cooling off we met and grudgingly apologized because of our friend/his lover. But our friendship has been rocky with digs hurled at any chance."

"Axton and Hercules? Reese and Leesa?" Ver asked after the wait of the red light turned green.

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