Page 53 of Quiet Protector
“Anything?” I ask Fetu, hopeful Julian’s security team knows of his whereabouts.
Fetu shakes his head. “I’m not surprised—” Before he can finish his sentence, the buzzer of the suite rattles my bones.
“Fingers crossed that’s him.” I race for the door before Fetu can. His legs are long, but the length of his strides have nothing on my determination.
The air in my lungs leaves in a hurry when I swing open the door. Not only is Brandon standing on the other side, so is Julian, although he isn’t really standing. More leaning—on Brandon.
“Melly.” Whiskey slaps me in the face when Julian stumbles my way. “I’b mizzed you, babe.”
“Not quite as much as you missed the liquor bottle tonight.” I catch him just before he falls, then Fetu backs up my staggered movements with his large frame. If he hadn’t stood behind me, I’d be on my ass by now. That’s how unstable Julian’s sways are. “Did you drink any water tonight?”
Guilt crosses Brandon’s face when Julian mumbles, “Water is for pussies… or pansies. What’s the word again?”
“Either of them work.” I grunt, struggling to keep him on his feet as I move him deeper into our suite. “Although I doubt that’s true. Water is responsible.”Like you usually are.
My heart does a weird flutter thingamabob when Brandon says, “Here, let me.” He slides his arm around Julian’s waist before pulling him back into his side as he was when I opened the door. “Which one is the master suite?”
“I’ll take him.”
Brandon shrugs off Fetu’s offer like he’s not dragging a man the same weight and height as him across a ballroom-size suite. “It’s fine. I’ve got him.” A faulty battery could be causing me to mishear things, but I swear Brandon adds, “It’s the least I can do since his drunkenness is my fault.”
After following Fetu into the master suite, Brandon flops Julian onto the mattress before dropping to his knees to remove his shoes. When Julian pats his head like he’s a good puppy, the color drains from Brandon’s cheeks. He isn’t annoyed. He is feeling guilty.
“He’s nice. I like him,” Julian mumbles through hiccups. “You do, too, don’t you, Melly?” I’m not a fan of his new nickname, however, I’d rather it over the pained look in his eyes when he drifts them my way. They’re bloodshot and massively dilated, but they’re still the same truth-bearing eyes I’ve grown to love the past three years, so I’m confident he knows I kissed Brandon. Just like I know it’s tearing him up inside.
Hating how much I’ve hurt him, I join Brandon’s mission to make him as comfortable as possible. “Let’s get your jacket off. You’ll get too hot if you sleep in it.”
Every mumble of praise Julian bombards me with as I help him out of his tuxedo jacket before untethering his bowtie stabs my heart with pain. I deserve it. I deceived him when he’s been nothing but faithful to me.
“Tell me you love me, Melly.”
I accept the glass of water from Fetu and place it onto the bedside table before cupping Julian’s cheek. “I do love you. I love you very much.” I’m not lying. I do love him. I just don’t deserve him. “We’ll talk more in the morning, okay?” When he nods, I wipe away the tear rolling down my cheek before pulling the comforter up to cover him.
In faster than a heartbeat, I’ve switched off the light and partially closed his door, and even quicker than that, Brandon heads for the exit, his brisk strides only slowing when I whisper, “He knows we kissed, doesn’t he?”
With his back facing me, and his shoulders low, Brandon nods.
“Did you tell him?” It’s pathetic of me to try and shunt some of the blame onto a third party, but it seems to be my go-to party trick lately. I could use the excuse that a burden shared is a burden halved, but that isn’t the case here. I’m just too weak to carry the load alone.
My father would be so disappointed.
When Brandon pivots around to face me, even Fetu feels the frustration radiating out of him. He places himself between us like Brandon is a threat to my safety. He isn’t but only because his words are more damaging than his fists could ever be.
“Why would I tell him, Melody? So he could experience the pain I did seven years ago? I assumed you thought better of me. Clearly, I’m not the only one who had a major shift in personality when we merged into the real world.”
After requesting for Fetu to leave and watching his hesitant exit, I devote all my attention to Brandon. This argument has been years in the making, and I’m reasonably sure it will be a doozy, so I’d rather it occur without witnesses. “You’re not being fair.”
“And neither are you,” Brandon fires back, fighting the urge to shout. “Do you have any idea how hard that was for me to hear?” He thrusts his hand toward the room running water is sounding from. Julian must be hoping a hot shower will sober him up. “It killed me hearing it from him, but no, that’s not enough punishment for you, Brandon. You kissed another man’s girl, so you don’t just get to hear him gush about how she’s going to be his wife. You get to hear the woman you love tell another man she loves him. That’s fucked, Melody. That is so fucked.”
I barely get a second to get over the shock he still loves me when he confesses, “We had a great chat during our elevator ride. Julian was telling me all the things I had missed out on…” his nostrils flare as he growls, “… such as your wedding date being brought forward to next month.”
When I balk but remain quiet, Brandon reads the truth from my eyes. It doubles the anger in his before it adds a frantic tick to his jaw. Julian and I were planning to get married next year, but Julian requested for us to bring the wedding forward earlier this week. I thought he meant by six or so months. I had no clue he wanted it so soon. Since I was still shocked at how complex my life has become the past few weeks, and feeling somewhat guilty about my recent contact with Brandon, I agreed to Julian’s request.
My heart falls from my ribcage when Brandon asks, “Is every guest getting a last-minute invitation? Or did you just happen to lose mine as quickly as you fell out of love with me?”
“I didn’t lie when I said I love you. You’re a part of my life, BJ. You always will be.”
Disbelief flashes through his eyes when he asks, “Then why did you move across the country without me? Why did you cheat on me?” Nothing but pain is heard in his voice when he mutters, “And why did you agree to marry him? That wasn’t the plan, Melody. He was never in our plans.”
