Page 5 of Serena
I hear the double doors open behind me, and I jump at the sudden movement. I swiftly turn on my heels, and there he is, his blond hair combed perfectly, his blue eyes staring at me in that dark-gray tailored suit. He was attractive before, but now, after years of not seeing him, I’m reminded of how much I wanted those blue eyes to pay attention to me, why girls threw themselves at him,Byran. Without speaking, he walks toward me and stops. He’s a couple of feet away from me. I can hear my heartbeat, not because I want to run to him and hug him or tellhim it's great that he’s here. No, none of those things. It’s my anger, the reminder of everything. I know masking my emotions is something that I’ve gotten good at, and so is keeping people at arm's length. The reason for that is standing right in front of me. He’s always possessed the inability to read the fucking room, like this moment, when he decides to cross the threshold toward me.
“ Ser—” My name doesn’t make it out of his mouth. I swing my right fist, and it makes contact with the left side of his face. I’m about to do the same with my left when he grabs my hand, but my fury overtakes me, and I knee him in the balls. He didn’t see that coming. He falls to his knees as I just stand there. Looking at my handy work, I smile. It’s my first genuine smile of the night. A man's voice catches my attention. “Is everything okay out here?” I don't acknowledge him at first. Byran, still on the ground and on his knees, turns and looks back at the man standing in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest. I finally turn and look.
The moonlight gives me a glimpse of his features. He’s so tall, broad shoulders, fitted black suit, but his eyes. When he leans forward, the moonlight captures his green eyes. This man exudes power. Also, is he smiling? The glistening of his white teeth peeks through the darkness, and I see his dimples. His smile is beautiful and wicked, but at this moment, the thought of him laughing infuriates me more.
“Everything’s fine. He just fell and is trying to get back up, but I can’t help. I have a bad leg and all.” Bad leg? What the hell is that? That’s bullshit, and we both know it. The man looks down at Byran, who is trying to catch his breath, then back at me. He doesn’t bother to ask any questions, just stands there and stares. His eyes are fixed on me, and for some reason, I can’t seem to look away. Did he see anything? Well, if he did, he got a show. I glance at Byran and start walking toward the doors. There is no fucking way I’m helping that asshole. The man is juststanding there like a statue, not bothering to move. As I walk past him, I get a better view of him, and damn, is he handsome. There’s also something that passes between us; I shrug off the feeling and make my way back into the party. I need to find my friend and get out of here.
Iam speechless, and that says something. I just stand here as she walks past me. We make eye contact, her big brown eyes. She’s in a hurry to leave whatever this situation is. She is definitely angry, and I see the result of that in the man who is still on his knees trying to breathe through the pain of being kneed in the balls and punched. Ouch. That was an impressive right hook.
I heard him try to say her name. Hearing him say it made me want to go over and slit his throat. Especially after the reaction she had to him. I'm not above getting my hands dirty; I actually enjoy it, but this isn’t the place.
Earlier, when I noticed Serena was gone, I kept an eye on Yuri and saw this asshole say something to her. They seemed to be in a heated discussion, so when Yuri walked away, I decided to take a walk and look for my little brunette beauty.
I saw her through the window that overlooks the balcony. Her head to the open sky, closing her eyes as if waiting tobe carried away. The moon shining on her added a halo, like a fucking queen wearing her crown. Her full lips parted as she breathed, trying to calm herself down. Talking to herself, repeating words I couldn’t make out. Lifting her hand to her neck, her other one balling into a fist. Then, as if nothing, she straightened, her emotional mask snapping back into place, restoring her flawless composure.
The moment the asshole walked through the doors, a flicker of hesitation crossed his face, unsure if he should approach. This wasn’t a lovers’ quarrel; I know for certain she isn’t seeing or fucking anyone. No, this was something else. I tensed when I saw the look on her face, my muscles coiled, and my fists were ready. I made my way to her, but I was too late. By the time I made it to the balcony, he was on the floor, one hand to his face, the other between his legs. I couldn’t help but smile as I took in the damage she left. Right in the family jewels.
“Is everything okay out here?” I ask. I've seen her from afar, but being this close to her, it’s different. She’s captivating, and I am drawn to her like a moth to a flame. I can see her completely. This woman is nothing but regal, the epitome of elegance, but her eyes tell a different story. My admiration is cut short. She walks past me to go back inside, but I don’t miss the electric current that passes between us. I stand here like a statue with a grin on my face. Before I walk back inside, I turn to the man who’s still on his knees, whining like a little bitch. There is something that I’m missing here, and I’m going to find out what that is. I make my way back to the party and look around, but she is gone again.
After I give Byran a much-deserved hello, although I wish I'd done more damage, I make my way back inside and find Yuri standing next to her brother, Elias. He’s friends with the Kayde brothers, but I’ve never seen them in the same room together. Still, I’m not surprised he’s here. Theo is catering this event, so any opportunity they find to be near each other, they’ll take it. Yuri knows me well enough to see that something is amiss. Right now, I’m barely holding it together. I don’t even hug Elias because if I do, I’ll crumble in his arms. Being near the people who have seen me at my worst, well, it’s easy to fall apart, but I won’t.
“Hey, where did you go? I was worried.” Yuri holds my hand. “After you walked away, Byran tried to talk to me, but I left him. I went looking for you. I was getting a search party ready. Did he go after you?” She looks like she’s about to cry for me because she knows the damage he’s done.
“What the hell is he doing here?” Elias asks.
“I don’t know. The only thing I know is that I need to get out of here.”
“I’ll have my driver take you both home.” He gives me a hug before turning to his sister. I know that Yuri thinks of her big brother as overbearing and intrusive, but right now, that is what I need. And coming from someone I consider family, it’s even better. A sour feeling forms in the pit of my stomach because my own family can’t be here to support me like they are. Even if they were, they don’t help. I put on my confident smile and nod.
When Yuri dropped me off,she insisted on staying, but I insisted that she go home to her fiancé. We both know how tonight's interaction affected me, but I can’t be around her or anyone. I have to process the reality that Byran Carson was in front of me tonight—after five years. She also knows better than to push me; she knows that when you push me too hard, I shut down, just like I am right now. Finally inside my apartment, I lock up and break into pieces. This time, the dam breaks, and I cry for today and for all those years ago. The reminder of my past just walked back into my life.
After getting up from the floor, I go into my fridge, take out the bottle of tequila, and drink. I don’t know how I make it onto my bed, but I do. Still in my dress, makeup smeared, and barefoot. I lie here letting the bed swallow me. I don’t know when, but I finally fall asleep.
When I wake up, I check my phone. Fuck, I slept almost all day. I check in because there are messages from my friends. If they don’t hear from me, they’ll show up at my apartment; they’ve done it before.
I go back to bed and don’t bother doing anything for the rest of the weekend. This isn’t the healthiest way to cope, but reminders of those months and that night play in my head over and over again.
I don’t know how I managed to make it to kickboxing this morning. Especially as it’s Monday, but here I am. Maybe it’s what I need. The questions will still be there.
Why was Byran at the gala? Was he there with someone? Was he invited? Why is he here? I’m spiraling. Damn, I thought being here would help.
“You okay?” Nina, my kickboxing instructor, asks.
“Yes,” I lie. “I just have a lot on my mind, with work.”
“Let me know if you want to talk. You seem distracted.”
“I will, thanks for checking.”
After class, I rush to get my things. “I have to go get ready for work.” I’m trying to avoid more conversations.
I’ve been coming to these classes for two years. My anxiety was so bad, I could barely function outside of work. I would help Yuri at the dance studio, work long hours, and have my casual hookups with whatever flavor of the week I was having. Anything and everything I could do to exhaust myself to get home and just sleep. Because if my thoughts didn’t keep me up, the nightmares did. I met Nina when she attended a free dance class at Yuri’s. She told me about her kickboxing studio, and I started attending. She introduced me to her wife, Annie, who helps manage the class schedule and also teaches gun safety. So I befriended Annie and started taking lessons from her. I try to make it to the shooting range as much as I can, but with the new position and long hours, it’s been difficult to find time.
Exiting the elevator, I head straight to my office when Claudia stops me, looking frenzied. “Good Morning, Ms. Nerva. There was a last-minute meeting scheduled first thing this morning. Everyone is setting up in the conference room.”
“That explains the formalities in name,” I murmur as I hurry.
I enter the conference room and see that everyone is ready, so I take the seat next to the head of human resources, Maggie.
