“What are you staring at, Iz?” Alexa asks as she wipes up the mixture of cum and saliva from her lips and chin.
“Nothing,” I reply with a shrug as I tuck myself back into my pants.
“You’re so fucked up, Iz.”
“Yeah, probably,” I answer nonchalantly, my eyes still locked on Ronnie’s every move as she laughs with Max. The sight of it irritates me—nothing to do with her and everything to do with Max. I hate him for all the wrong reasons. and can still admit that the motherfucker is good to her, but it should have been me. Not him.
Alexa leans into the leather seat as she fixes her pink dress, crossing her arms over her tits, and lets out a sigh. “I don’t even know why I put up with you after all this time. It’s always been about her, hasn’t it?”
“Because you’re hoping I’ll change. That I’ll fall for you,” I respond without hesitation. “But we both know that’s not going to happen.”
I turn to look at Alexa, and if looks could kill, I would drop dead right here. “Fuck you, Isaac Vargas,” she spits out. “I deserve so much better. I could have anyone, shit, even your best friend if I wanted to, but…” She trails off, biting the inside of her cheeks.
“You’re right, Alexa,” I say absentmindedly. There’s no reason to argue with the truth. “But you’re still here, aren’t you?”
Defiance flashes in her eyes as she refuses to back down. She won’t leave because of love, but rather the idea of losing to Veronica. It is a competition to her, a game she is determined to win. One that started long ago, the very one that put a strain on their friendship.
“One day,” she says firmly, “you’ll realize that you lost the best thing that ever happened to you, Iz.”
I won’t.
“And what would that be?” I ask, pretending not to understand, even though I can see the pain in her eyes. “Alexa, stop making this about something it’s not.”
“Which part, your love for her or us?”
“Both,” I snap back. “There was never an ‘us,’ Alexa.”
The anger and hurt are evident in her expression, but she remains resolute. She’s right, and I know it. I'm too afraid to face one truth and too stubborn to accept the other. I wait for Julio, Ronnie’s coworker, and his new boy toy to take their leave. As always, we are fucking late. Max pulls Ronnie into him, wrappinghis hands in her black and red hair. Kissing her passionately, and all I can do is watch from my car. I feel Alexa’s eyes burning into the side of my face, but she doesn’t say anything.
She only scoffs bitterly before resuming fixing her appearance… fixing the crack in her mask. Max’s fingers press possessively against Ronnie’s waist, and every touch is a knife in my gut, twisting and turning into my heart. I grit my teeth in bitter fury, wanting to rip Max away from her, to replace his hands with mine. His lips with mine.
But I do nothing.
I just sit, my knuckles white against the steering wheel as I watch them. A hollow emptiness spreads within me, cold and aching. It is not the kind of pain that makes you scream; it’s the kind that leaves you numb and empty. And that’s been my reality for as long as I can remember. Alexa snickers, whispering something under her breath, as she opens the door to the car. Her back straight and a smile plastered on her face, she begins to walk over to where they stand. I chuck the stub of the joint and get out of the car, following behind Blondie. Her long blonde waves cascade down her exposed back, not a trace of our argument visible on her immaculately dressed figure. Her long, slender legs carry her confidently toward them. The one thing I admire the most about Alexa the woman can play the game better than most. Good heart… Stone mask.
Ronnie’s lips part from Max’s as she notices us approaching. She looks up at him briefly before locking eyes with me. A pang of envy shoots through me as she smiles, and Max wraps his arm around her, staking his claim. But it doesn’t matter. I don’t need to touch her to assert my claim over her. My mere presence is enough to set off alarms within her. Even if I can’t have her physically, she’s still mine.
I approach them slowly, wrapping my own arm around her waist without a care for who is standing next to her.
“Hello, little sister,” I say, pressing her into my body so that her breasts rub against my chest. It takes her a moment to snap back to reality.
“Iz,” she growls. I ignore her hostility and bask in the warmth of her body against mine. It feels perfect.
“The one and only,” I reply, whispering in her ear. “Did you miss me?”
Ronnie’s voice trembles with surprise and anger as she asks. “What are you doing here?”
As if she didn’t know that I would come. I will always be the first one to cheer her accomplishment, regardless of who I arrive with. My lips curl into a devious smirk as I feel her shiver against me. She tries to hide it, but the desire coursing through her veins is unmistakable.
“I’m here with Blondie,” I reply as I pull away and offer a shrug, my tone dripping with nonchalance. In the background, Max clears his throat, trying to assert his dominance.
Pussy.
“Late as usual.” Max’s voice is laced with casual indifference and guarded suspicion as he wraps his arm around Ronnie’s waist once again. But the tension in his grip gives away his unease.
“Sorry, we’re late. Iz needed to release some tension before we could make it in.” Ronnie stiffens in his arms at Alexa’s words.
“As always, Alexa’s right on the money,” I drawl, taking a step back and putting on an air of mock innocence that only adds to the tension crackling in the air. I can feel Ronnie’s eyes burning into me, silently pleading for me to leave them be. The “what the fuck, Iz”look she does so well? The only look that could win me ten times over. But not tonight, jealousy and envy claw at my chest. I'm so lost in her that the words coming out of Max’s mouth are drowned out by the sound of my heart.
