There was absolutely nothing she could say that he wanted to hear. So he shrugged her off, shouting after Brierley, who was having none of it.
A tug on his arm stopped him in his tracks. His anger rose swiftly, his thick fingers curling tighter into a fist, and he barely stopped himself from lashing out at the elf. Only she could cause his ire to well over into violence, and he checked himself, right at the last moment; “Get off me!” Breht fumed, viciously shrugging out of her feeble grip, giving her no choice. “Don’t you get it!?” He ranted, raving at her despite the public display, heads turning in his direction at the heated words. “We’re through,” he said, throwing his hands in the air as he walked away fromher. The sound of metal clinking on the floor twitched in his ear and, despite all warnings in his head, he looked back. A plain gold band spun in circles on the floor, and Rosani covered her humiliated head in her hands, leaving the lush green park. Sobbing. This was the perfect circle they’d drawn together. A relationship that was so terribly wrong, how could either of them have thought otherwise? All the orc hoped was that in her humiliation, she understood. It was over between them.
He took a step to chase after Brierley, but stopped as his foot kicked his tusk band across the pathway. He leant down to pick it up, holding it in front of his face. Such a small thing to cause such wretched torment between two former lovers. Carefully, he put it in his pocket where it would do no more harm. He then turned on his heel and chased after Brierley; he had to clear up the mess of what she had just witnessed.
Chapter 10
Howcouldshehavebeen so foolish?
Somehow, there had been a miscommunication between her and Breht. She’d told him that they should be being professional, that it was her business and livelihood on the line. While she appreciated his help, it was her business and life that were at risk should everything they’d implemented turn South. Why had she told him, Ohpaua was just a pet project and he’d return to Merloft and forget all about her and the jewellery she’d made? She hadn’t meant for her words to sour the romance that had blossomed between them so suddenly, permanently. Intending to keep everything on hold for another day. So that they could see what they could become after the relaunch. She couldn’t wait to tell him, put him right after her momentary blindness to his feelings.
He’d been upset by her words; she could see it in his eyes. And she wished beyond anything that she could take them back. That she could make up for her harmful thoughts, somehow. Shehadn’t meant to be so cutting. Her words came from a place of fear that she’d lose him as well as her business. After all, he was due to return to the city tomorrow.
So, when he’d sent her a message reminding her to meet her in the park that morning, just to have a quick catch-up on the day's proceedings, she leapt at the chance. She could apologise to him for her words and explain herself properly. Using the clarity of a new day to reinvigorate their lost passion.
The sunshine beat down on her, pushing against the back of her neck on a calming breeze. Although the ensuing conversation would be difficult, the cheer of the day encouraged her. The joy of children running along the boulevard made her smile; their happiness wrapped itself around her like a comfort blanket, and she wanted nothing more than to bask in their innocent glory.
She watched their parents hurrying past, laden with various implements to make their day on the beach as magical as possible; buckets and spades, windbreaks, body-boards and bags filled with picnics. A bottle fell from one of their bulging bags, and they scrambled to pick it up while still trying to keep up with their giggling children.
She sidestepped to let them pass and jumped back onto the path with a spring in her stride. Feeling like the most glorious woman in the world as she rounded the park. And in a single heartbeat, all her vibrancy came crashing down around her. Every spark of good vibrations dimmed in less than a second.
Across his knee, Breht was entertaining a large, busty elf. A woman who was so stunning that she felt like a dowdy spinster in comparison. She’d spent over an hour trying to get her unruly hair to cooperate, carefully applying her make-up and pickingthe right dress so that she felt a modicum of pretty. And for what? To impress an orc that she had no chance of winning over! She felt foolish. Stunned into motionlessness as she watched the other woman caress his face. All sound drained but for the beating of her heart rushing through her ears. But it was when the woman caressed his ear that she came back to her senses. She’d believed that gesture to be their special intimacy; seeing someone else, that elf, doing it, froze her cold.
How could she have been so blind? All the conversations she’d have with him and about him. They’d had some focus on Rosani. Breht and Gorim could claim he’d moved on from her all they liked. She had evidence to the contrary right before her very eyes. Her vision blurred, and she turned away from the canoodling couple with tears in her eyes. A sob choked from her throat, the pain of his betrayal raw. She blinked the tears away, her sorrow turning quickly to anger. She wanted to repair what had been lost, and in that split second between their misunderstanding, he’d found comfort in his ex.
Brierley didn’t even turn back when he heard him shouting her name, not craving the public display of an argument. Not like this. Not here.. She wanted no part in it.
Her thoughts churned as she made her way back to Ohpaua. She’d foolishly, swiftly fallen for the orc. Had seen some kind of future in a long-distance relationship and had hoped to spend the morning discussing their options with him; he had seemed keen on being with her the previous day. Before her mess up. The quick walk to the shop was over in a whirlwind. She unlocked the door with blurry eyes and slammed it closed behind her.
Rushing over to the desk, she slumped behind it. The comfortable chair caught her. She bit her bottom lip, takingout the small parts of her jewellery. Distracting herself with the intricate task of making the few remaining pieces for the relaunch, even though they gave her no respite from his influence. Being surrounded by the aesthetic of the store that Breht had chosen closed in around her like an unwanted security blanket. She’d wanted to be free of his presence, not surrounded by it
Only when the bell above the door jingled merrily did she realise she hadn’t locked the door behind her. She looked up into the dark eyes of the orc and purposefully turned her attention back to the jewellery. Childishly, shunning him. There was nothing he could say that could repair the broken fragments of her shattered heart.
Chapter 11
Brehtwasbreathlessbythe time he arrived. Anger and guilt warred within him for dominance. He didn’t want an argument with Brierley; he’d had far too many of them in his life and craved a deeper connection than just fleeting romance. He wanted to show her he was committed to pursuing her. Bonding with her. As a life mate. He had shown her a side to him that no one else knew, being vulnerable and honest with her in a manner he’d hidden from everyone else. And yet, all that he’d hoped for had been stamped on because his ex couldn’t accept that they were over.
Counter to his desperate mood, the bell above the door tinkled merrily. Putting his thoughts at odds. The moment he saw the tears falling from her cheeks, he knew he’d been a fool to get involved with her. He could have spared her the pain she was suffering if he’d managed to stay away. Get his own affairs in order before embarking on something new. But the heart didn’t work that way. Seeing her so upset only made him want to pullher closer and offer her comfort with his strong arms around her. To be the one who had caused this? Tore his world asunder.
“Brierley,” he whispered as he drew close to her desk, wretchedly taking every agonising step across the store to be before her.
She didn’t even deign to look at him again. The one singular glance from when he first entered the store was all that she was willing to give.
“What you just saw, it wasn’t what you think,” Breht tried to explain, but even those words sounded feeble. Like an excuse for doing a dirty deed behind her back. Dark eyes watched her for any hint of a reaction, but she remained impassive to his pleas, “Brierley. Princess, please, will you just look at me? Say something. Anything?” He begged.
Gingerly, she put the tool she was holding down on the table, without looking in his direction. Strengthening her resolve as she undertook the simple action. Words struggled to form in her mouth, knowing how final they sounded. “I can’t. I am too upset to be near you right now. Please. Leave.”
He straightened at her words, the tips of his ears flattening to the sides of his scalp. He patted her wrist, idly playing for a few more sinister seconds in her presence before slowly turning away. When he got to the door, he looked back, but Brierley was busy with her craft. Carefully, he opened the door and closed it behind him. Respecting her wishes for solitude.
The walk across town back to his hotel room was a sombre affair. He kicked stones that skittered across the road as though he were punting the worst aspects of his life away. The parts that he had so bitterly tried to change over the course of four days. His distant parental upbringing was booted underneath a hedge.His foul, former relationship was crushed under the wheel of an oncoming car. And in his frustration, he even labelled one of them his business inheritance, sending it flying across the road in his desire to be rid of the pressure it placed on his unwilling shoulders.
It was only when he returned to the quiet of the hotel room that he felt the compelling need to talk to someone about his predicament. He took his phone out of his jacket pocket and scrolled through the list of numbers, but in a time of crisis, there was only one person he wanted moral support from.
He tapped the screen of his phone and brought it to his ear. The tone rang on, and just when he was about to give up, they answered with the clipped greeting of, “Mr. Merloft?”
Couldn’t she call him Breht at least once?
“Ma?”
