Page 134 of Embriagado

“Who knew you were this sentimental?”

I gritted my teeth, fighting to keep calm.

“Don’t tell me… you want me to apologize? Is that why you’re acting like such a pussy⁠—”

My hand was around his neck before he could insult me further, and I had him pinned against the wall even faster than that. Fury burned through my veins as I held him by the throat, yet not hard enough to hurt him.

“Such a fragile soul you have…” He pouted. “What now? Are you going to hit me like you hit that guy out there? Beat me to a pulp?”

The cold smile on his lips nearly dared me to do so, but⁠—

“Just ’cause I can doesn’t mean I will,” I said before letting him go.

I didn’t wait for his response and instead walked out of the room, feeling like crap.

It drove me nuts, the constant mockery in his stare, that was, alongside the certainty he judged me with. To him, I was trash—a rabid dog he’d get rid of the second he could. Only I wasn’t. At least, not with him. But for some reason, he refused to acknowledge that I was anything more than that. Whoever hurt this man to make him this fucked-up sure did a number on him. He was incapable of seeing the good in people. Not that he had a say in the matter, considering he was a piece of trash himself. And yet, I still yearned for his attention, no matter how cold it was served.

* * *

“There you go, sweetheart,” said the waitress after placing a plate of waffles before me.

“Thanks.”

“Need anything else? Some coffee, maybe?”

I shook my head, and she smiled at me before leaving to take care of the other customers. Not that there were many, as it was past midnight.

After leaving the club, I thought carbs would cheer me up. But now, staring at the mountain of warm waffles, syrup dripping down onto the crispy bacon underneath, I’d lost my appetite. Which was a first, I’d admit.

Pushing the plate aside, I leaned back in the chair while sending my legs forward. My hands still hurt, and all I could think about was him, that damn Ariyan with his pretty face and shitty personality.

I’d agreed to fight for him, subconsciously hoping it would make him change his mind about me. Not only did it not, but it seemed as if his hatred toward me grew stronger with each passing day. My thirst for him kept me hooked, like an addict constantly waiting for their next hit. This suffocating desire lodged in my throat made it impossible to break free. So much so that despite spending three years behind bars, I’d never felt more caged in my life before.

“Fuck,” I grunted, then pulled out my phone. The screen was still full of cracks. Despite now having money from the fights and working at the hotel, I chose to save up and not spend it on useless shit like a new phone. I’d earned five grand from my first fight alone, not to mention the money I’d made early on. At this rate, I’d be able to move Nacio and me to a better place and give him more options in life. Speaking of the brat, we hadn’t spoken today. Seeing how he’d sent me a few texts earlier about what he’d like to eat, I pressed the call button only to have the line ring several times before going to voicemail. Given it was Saturday night, he was probably with that bitch, Tess.

Going through my other messages, I went back to the one Gabriel had sent me earlier this week.

Gabe

It was nice seeing you on Thanksgiving. Hope my mom didn’t ask too many questions…

My uncle said you’re still hitting the gym pretty hard.

How about we spar together? Last time was nice.

Anyway, give me a call…

He sure as fuck didn’t know when to give up, but I guess he and I were in the same situation, both of us wanting a guy who didn’t want us back. Although I guess he had it better, considering we’d actually dated. Ariyan and I… hadn’t. The closest thing we had to a relationship was committing crime. Gabriel would be pissed. The thought made me laugh, and I shook my head. I really was risking it all because of that deranged psychopath. And for what? For feeling like a useless piece of crap? Just thinking about the way he dared me to hit him tonight made me grit my teeth.

Fucking asshole. As if I’d ever hurt him.

Looking back at my phone, I bit my lip before I began typing Gabriel back. I didn’t really want to see him, but I also didn’t want to go back to an empty house⁠—

A loud thud made me look up from the screen to see someone place a helmet on the table a second before Ariyan slumped his ass down on the sofa before me. My brows drew inward, and confused, I stared at him, unsure if I was imagining shit after being hit in the head one too many times tonight. But no, he was actually right here, sitting in front of me with his arms crossed and his lips pursed.

“Do I have something on my face?” he snarled after I’d stared at him for too long.

I shook my head. “No.”