The Unattainable (The Foreplay to Forgiveness)

Chapter 26 - Explosion

The punch that Mikhail had thrown was so powerful that it sent Xander's body reeling in the other direction. Xander slammed hard on the ground, a painful grunt erupted from his chest. Everything was so sudden-it happened so fast. Mikhail fisted Xander's shirt and hit him in the face, again.

My breath went erratic as I shouted at him to stop.

But Xander was on his feet immediately, fists raised in defiance, and what happened next was chaos unfolding.

Mikhail and Xander were brawling in a pounding, choking, jaw-cracking dogfight.

"Please stop! Both of you!"

They didn't hear me. They had lost their minds; all their thoughts were bent on destruction. I ran towards them but I didn't know what to do; I couldn't get in the middle. Somewhere inside the house I heard Apollo barked.

"You insolent bastard!" Mikhail roared. He was on top of Xander, pummeling over and over. "You're just a runt, and yet you had the balls to say that!"

"Remember whose balls she was enjoying before you decided to step in!" Xander dodgeMikhail's blows. "Addie is mine and will always be!" They tumbled and rolled over the lawn; both were gripping each other's necks.

I stood there, watching in horror as they tried to kill each other.

Until I could see the fight already draining out of Xander as damage accumulated, and still Mikhail wouldn't stop.

"STOP! Mikhail, you're going to kill him!" I screamed.

Mikhail paused and looked over at me, panting. His eyes were slightly unfocused. I took the chance to rush to him and the closer I got I can make out Xander's bleeding nose even in the dark, his face looked ashen. I dragged Mikhail away from Xander who was now coughing and struggling to stand up.

"Get your ass out of my sight. If you ever come near Adelaine again I swear to god I'm going to gut you like a feral hog!" Mikhail warned in between heavy breaths.

"Mikhail, enough!" I placed a hand on his chest and get in the middle. When I threw Xander a look I didn't know what to feel. Pity? Anger? Reprehension? The lights inside the house switched on simultaneously and Mom came down the porch, looking flabbergasted as she took in the scene.

"Adelaine!" she exclaimed with wide eyes. "What on earth is happening here?"

Before she could get a closer look at whoever was responsible for the commotion Xander turned away and fled.

"Was that Xander?" Mom was shocked.

Still trembling from the incident, I cursed silently as I sought for words on how to explain this mess.

"Mrs. Mitchell," I heard Mikhail said in ragged breathing. He stepped in front of my mother and took the opportunity to explain. "I'm Mikhail Thorne, your daughter's boyfriend. I apologize for causing trouble at this hour, but I would really like to talk to your daughter for a moment. I'm asking for your consent, ma'am."

Mom was all confused. "Addie, do you know this guy?"

I hated Mikhail before he came, and I hate him more after the fight, but once and for all we have to talk and end this delusional affair. I gave Mom a rueful look. "Let me settle this thing first, mom. It's okay. I'll be back later."

She didn't look convinced but after a minute I found myself sitting inside Mikhail's car. He drove to the town. He was beyond pissed off I know; his knuckles were turning white on the steering wheel. We didn't say anything; he was focused on the road, kept driving. But when he sped up to 120kph, I freaked out. It occurred to me that his mind had drifted to the fast track---he is a racer---and racers drive fast sometimes to take their minds off of whatever is bothering them. The car passed the street lights with such blurry that I stiffened in my seat, yelling in alarm.

Mikhail was dead quiet but he slowed down the car until it lurched into a sudden stop.

"What the hell, Adelaine?" All of a sudden he boomed, even before I can open my mouth. "I thought we had a mutual understanding? When I told you about my whereabouts I expect you to do the same thing! But why didn't you tell me about your plans for Thanksgiving?"

He deceived me, started a fight in front of my house, and now he has the nerve to berate about something he calls "mutual understanding?" My own anger erupted at that instant.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't think you would even notice; I thought you're busy frolicking with Erin Slovasky."

My sarcasm hit him like a bullet that for a second he appeared shocked.

"Where the hell did that come from? Who told you about Erin?"

"Don't ever underestimate my ability to find shit out, Mikhail." I scoffed. "You may have fooled me once, but not anymore. So don't expect me to play my part, when you already have other woman auditioning for my role."

Mikhail glared at me with exasperated look. "What--?" He paused and rubbed his hands on his face. "Shit, I can't think straight right now. I need to cool down for a minute."

"So you can formulate another lie?" I snapped. "Go ahead, take your time. But know this: If I cut you off, it's because you handed me the scissors."

His face went dark at my assertion. "If you think you can get rid of me that easy you are losing your mind, Adelaine. When I say you're mine, you're mine. I don't make exceptions, I don't negotiate. I'm sorry, but it's another way of saying you're stuck with me."

"I wonder what your girlfriend has to say about that," I said dryly.

"Damn you, she is not my girlfriend," Mikhail said thickly. "Erin is a family friend but she means nothing to me. She was, once, part of the family--she was my brother's wife!"

Of all the things I might have expected him to say, that was the biggest surprise of all.

A/N: Sorry for the late update. This one is unedited.

Don't forget to vote, though. :)