Douazecisinoua || Clash

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By the time it clicked someone other than Alec was pulling her, Mila was out of the room and far from the crowd.

"Sorry for grabbing you," the man said. Since she couldn't see his face, his words weren't as reassuring as he meant them to be. Before she could panic or make a decision on what to do next, he turned.

"Brett?" she said incredulously. She tilted her head to get a better look.

"Mila," he paused for a beat. "Come here!" He pulled her into a bear hug so intense her toes grazed the floor. "I thought it was you. It was hard to tell."

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

Brett was another person from her pre-Alec life she'd had to push to the back of her mind. He was a mutual friend of her and--

"Evan." she said, almost breathless.

There he was, standing in front of her. Evan--her ex-boyfriend and one-time love.

Great. Just what I need, she thought.

All she could do was breathe. The steady movement of her chest the only clue to her brain that she was, in fact, actually breathing.

In disbelief at what she was seeing, she evaluated him. He looked different. Very different. He'd grown a beard, and instead of his usual pressed collared shirt he was wearing a flannel. It made him look rustic, like he'd recently spent time in the woods. It wasn't a bad look for him.

It was then she understood how her absence affected him. His eyes were less bright than she remembered.

"I'm just going to step out," said Brett.

Evan suddenly snapped out of his trance-like state and directed his anger at his friend. "What the hell, man?"

"Look bro," Brett said. "You've pined over this girl, and talked about her nonstop. Well, now she's here in front of you, so either make it right or get some closure. We're all tired of the pity party you've been throwing yourself the past few months."

Evan looked embarrassed.

"I'm going to uh, go back to the girls."

Now, it was just the two of them.

Evan spoke slowly. She could tell he was nervous. "I'm sorry this happened this way. I uh, didn't ask him to do this. Brett thought he saw you on the dance floor, but he wasn't sure. You looked so...well, different. But he sent me a picture and I could tell it was you."

She couldn't assess any judgement from his face, only concern as he took her in.

She thought back to their last encounter. How she'd plunged them into the fountain so Alec couldn't hear their conversation. So much had changed since then.

"Mila?" he said, "Are you ok? What happened to you?" I didn't know what to think after the fountain."

Even though she'd said goodbye, she realized some part of her still held on to Evan and the life they had together. It was that moment she made a decision. She wouldn't let Alec hurt Evan more than he already had. She had to let him go. Fully. The quicker he forgot her the better.

"Mila," he said. "There's something you need to know. I was contacted by--"

"It doesn't matter," she interrupted. She was going to have to hurt him more than she already had.

"But Mila--"

"You need to let this go Evan. I'm engaged now." She showed him the ring.

He looked at it with disheartened eyes, which quickly turned to anger.

"Look at you," he said, shaking his head and eyeing her designer bag. "So this is what you desired all along? This is your ultimate ambition? To be a 'kept' woman?"

"Just because someone's ambition is different from yours, doesn't make it any less important." she said. "Some women want to raise decent children, others want a career, some want a man that can provide for their lifestyles. The point is all of these are personal choices, and you have no right to judge."

"Ah, you've got me there." he said bitterly. "Did I ever know you at all?"

She didn't say anything.

"I'm with a man who knows what he wants. Alec can provide for and take care of me in a way you never could." She lied.

"Who do you think you're talking to?" Evan said, suddenly indignant. Like he'd gotten a second wind. "I know you Mila. Really know you. You like surplus stores and hunting for deals. Not designer shoes and purses. Though it looks like you haven't eaten in ages, you love food. Especially street food."

"People change, Evan." she said. Looking him straight in the eye. "The truth is, I only pretended to enjoy those things because I knew you couldn't give me more than that."

She could tell her words hurt him.

His voice cracked. "Was it ever real?"

Of course it was real, she wanted to say. But instead, she let silence be her response. She felt it then. He believed her. It was both a relief and stomach churning.

"You know," he said. "I think some part of me was waiting for you to come back around." He put his hands behind his head and looked up. His eyes looked glazed, and she could tell he was holding a lot in. "I've been putting my life on hold, dates, jobs, hoping you would come back to me. But if this is who you are now. I don't want anything to do with you."

"Clearly the lady doesn't want anything to do with you either." Alec's voice said behind her.

Fear struck her. How much had he heard?

Alec just smiled, and Evan looked like he wanted to hit him.

"Everything alright?" Alec asked, putting his arm around her waist.

"It's fine." she said, playing into his game. "I just got a little lost and ran into some old friends."

Not her best lie, but it was all she could come up with that would maybe get them out without too many repercussions. Her only priority was getting Evan away from Alec.

But Alec didn't want to move.

"Kevin, right?" Alec said, purposely mispronouncing his name.

"I was just leaving," Evan said, not bothering to correct him.

The hate in his eyes hit directly into her soul. It was pure. A mixture of self-hatred and loathing. It said, you left me for this asshole? You deserve everything you get.

Maybe she did, she thought.

Then, as soon as he was there, Evan was gone.

She'd done what she'd set out to do. It really felt like goodbye this time.

"I'm sorry I disappeared." she said to Alec.

"It's ok," he said. "I saw everything. I'm proud of how you handled it."

Her stomach rolled again.

She was destruction, chaos, and bad luck to everyone who loved her. Even Alec had been slighted by her, which was how she ended up in this mess to begin with. Maybe some people really were cursed.

It was then and there she made a promise to herself. If she somehow managed to get out of Alec's grasp, she would never get close to another man again.

1 down, 1 to go.

















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It's been a while folks. Sorry it's taken me so long to update, been going through some major life moves. The good news is I've finished the story draft and will be publishing weekly until it's done. 30 story votes will get the next chapter published.

I was recently on a writing forum and was given some great advice that's helped me finish this story. "Allow yourself to suck." Things are rarely ever going to be as good as you want, so just allow yourself to lower your standards in order to get through. You can edit it to perfection later!

Please remember to vote!

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