The Art of Loving

[26] Angry and very Scottish

Ellie stared at him, unable to believe what she had just heard. Brian seemed to have realised what he just said because he took a step towards her, reaching for her arm but Ellie stepped back. "It wasn't...?" She questioned, her voice dangerously low.

"No, Ellie, it was... it was, it-it didn't mean anything," he said, trying to convince her in a desperate attempt of damage control.

"Brian don't mess with me," Ellie warned him, glaring at him. "I am done with men who cheat on me and lie to me and if you plan to do that then you better tell me now because then I can go home now and save myself further pain."

"I'm not messing with you, Ellie, it didn't mean anything," Brian repeated. "I promise.."

"That's not what you told me," Marcia added to the conversation. It wasn't hard to tell that she was happy about being able to cause some problems for the two of them.

Brian was clearly uncomfortable with being put on the spot like that, but Ellie wouldn't let him mess with her. She had done that once and it wasn't a mistake she was going to repeat. "Marcia, that isn't true. I never said anything like that, the kiss didn't mean anything. I'm sorry if you thought it did but it was a mistake," he said, turning to her. "I'm sorry, but I don't like you that way."

That wasn't what Marcia liked to hear at all. "Fine," Marcia exclaimed. "But don't think you can come running back to me when this goes down the drain which I know it will." With that she turned around on her heel and disappeared back into the club.

But Brian looked like he didn't really care about that, his attention was on Ellie who was still looking at him, leeriness and anger prominent in her expression.

"Ellie, it didn't mean anything," Brian repeated.

"Then why didn't you tell me? If it didn't mean anything then why didn't you tell me?" That was what upset her the most actually. That he had tried to hide it even though he didn't really have a reason to, they hadn't been a thing yet back then. Yes, he shouldn't have gone off to kiss someone else when he was lusting after her at the same time but she couldn't really get upset with him because they hadn't been a couple or anything like that.

"Because I don't have to tell you everything, if I have to remind you you weren't my girlfriend then."

"No, I wasn't, I know that, but I would have thought if you like me then you're going to be honest with me. Especially after everything I told you, you know how hard that was for me. I don't tell very many people about that, you were one of the few I decided to trust and apparently that was a mistake."

"It wasn't, Ellie. I'm sorry -"

He wasn't done but Ellie continued. "I didn't even expect that you tell me the same evening but at some point in the past days you could have mentioned that, you know? Yesterday when we talked about Marcia for example?" She just shook her head. "I know I'm not a saint either, I messed up too but that was before I was serious about you, and I told you about it. I wanted to do this right this time, because I thought you're different, you're worth the effort but apparently you're just like the rest of them."

"Hey, Ellie, now you're being unfair," Brian tried to defend himself. "I didn't even cheat on you, I kissed her before we got together, just like you slept with that bartender before we got together. I'm not happy about that either but you don't see me throwing a fit. If I'm just like the rest of them then you're certainly no different."

Ellie tried to stay collected, to talk this out in a reasonable way but it was getting so hard. "Bloody hell, that is not what this is about, Brian!" Ellie exclaimed, raising her voice a little, her native accent showing through more and more. Blending in wasn't on her mind right now. "You just don't get it. It's not the bloody kiss I'm so upset about, it's because you didn't fucking tell me. I told you, I told you more than you needed to know but you don't do the same with me."