Christian sobbed into his hands on the edge of the bed, and the tears only flowed harder when he heard the slam of the door. She was gone.
Still crying inconsolably, he went into his room – the secondary bedroom that became his when Athena needed him to keep her safe. He frantically pulled out a duffel bag from the closet. He didn't need to pack much; he had everything he needed at his oceanfront house in Malibu. He was only in Milwaukee for Athena, to keep her out of harm, and it was clear he wasn't wanted here. She didn't love him. She never would.
He was too late. He pined for her, had her completely for a fleeting moment of passion, passion she seemed to deeply regret, and then he experienced the loss. He lost her. Probably for good.
There was no point in staying. Gio and the confines of the secure two-bedroom apartment he was abandoning could keep Athena safe now. He protected her as long as he could, even when it broke him into pieces.
He threw a few items into his bag before searching for flights out of Milwaukee or Chicago.
He'd take whatever got him out of the city fast enough.
He'd take the first flight that would help him run away from his heartbreak.
He needed an escape.
***
My flight gets in tomorrow night. Can't wait to see you, love.
Athena felt the tears roll down her cheeks as she stared at Gio's text while cradling a full cup of coffee in the café where she and Christian shared their first real conversation. Where they first became friends.
They were supposed to just be friends. She crossed a line.
She shouldn't have come to this place, the memories it presented to her so vivid and confusing. It was instinctive. She didn't think it through. But she felt like she didn't have anywhere else to go.
And Kyle wouldn't be caught dead in a place this hipster, this . . . Intellectual.
She considered texting Gio back, but the guilt and confusion were making it too difficult. She couldn't get control of her hands. She couldn't follow through on anything that didn't cause someone else pain. She only inflicted damage.
She cheated. She was a whore to a man she loved. She didn't deserve anyone. She didn't deserve anything good ever again. She deserved a man like Kyle. She earned Kyle by being such a terrible person.
She took a deep breath, still unable to sip her coffee; it was just a prop to make her seem like she belonged somewhere. She knew she needed to go home, even if home was the apartment she shared with Christian. Sweet, soft Christian Yelich. A man she hurt. Just like she hurt Gio.
In her pain, she damaged two wonderful men, and she couldn't take it back. It was done.
She managed to control her shaking just enough to type out a brief response to her kind, loving boyfriend.
Can't wait. Love you.
They weren't lies, but they felt like lies, especially when she could still feel Christian's large cock thrusting deeply inside of her.
And the look of pure love in his eyes while he did so was permanently sketched in her memory.
***
Christian booked a red-eye from Milwaukee to Los Angeles. His flight departed in 90 minutes, and he knew he had to get going or he might miss it. He had to leave Athena behind him. He had put everything out there, and it wasn't what she wanted.
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Ship to Wreck
FanfictionAthena Williams had a very normal midwestern life. She was a teacher at one of the best public schools in Milwaukee and had a long-term boyfriend. Her life was very... normal. Until everything changed in the blink of an eye.