Chapter 29 #2
“You know, Alex, I’m going to be honest with you here.
It’s always been you and me against the world.
And I liked that. I’d never had that before.
But that night, at The Void, you spent the entire show watching her.
Not me. Her. It didn’t matter what I did or what I said, your gaze never wavered.
I knew then that she’d be trouble. And she is trouble. Trouble that needs to be dealt with.”
“She isn’t trouble, and you’re not dealing with shit,” he growled, his fists clenching like he was ready to fight.
“She’s nothing to you. You don’t even need to think about her.
And as for it being us against the world, I think I deserve something more now, don’t you?
I deserve a shot at something real. You don’t get to say who I spend time with.
I like Emma. More than like her. I want to get to know her.
Spend time with her. And I won’t stand by while you try to destroy what could be something good for me. ”
I shook my head remorsefully.
“But what if I’m saving you, Alex? What if I know something you don’t know?”
“Like what?” he scoffed. “What could you possibly know about her that I don’t?”
I smirked, feeding off his anger as I toyed with him. “Or maybe I’m just messing with your head.”
“You like doing that, don’t you.”
I nodded with pride. “Your head, hers, anyone’s. Yeah, I do. It makes life a little more interesting.”
“Except I already told you, she’s off-limits.”
I rubbed my jaw as if I was considering what he’d said and whether I agreed.
“Off-limits,” I mused. “I seem to remember that being our favourite target.” And I sighed dramatically. “I miss the old days.”
Fire burned in his eyes as he tried to control himself.
“Life moves on,” he spat.
I knew that was bullshit, but I agreed. I was growing tired of arguing. He needed to leave.
“Yes, it does, and so do we. I’m really pleased to see you again, but you’ve chosen the most awkward time. I’m on a date and it’s going really well. I think she’s dying to see my apartment.”
“Date’s over,” he replied, lifting his chin defiantly.
“Really?” I pretended to look shocked. “What? No goodnight kiss? No awkward fumble in the dark hoping for more? I feel a little robbed here.”
“I always swore that I’d do right by you, and I’m a man of my word.”
“You’re a man of many words, but right now, I could really take a raincheck on hearing them.”
But he wasn’t deterred.
“I have a car outside. You’re going to leave this restaurant immediately and get into it. It’ll take you to a rehab facility, and you’ll stay there until whatever this weird, psychotic episode your currently having ends. Is that clear?”
It was my turn to sneer at him.
“I’m not leaving. I have a performance booked for Milan next week.”
“I thought you’d say that,” he replied casually, like he always had the answers. “So I’ve arranged for you to be escorted to Italy and back. I know it’s a commitment you need to keep. But you will go into rehab. After your Milan show, there’ll be no more performances.”
“And if I say no?”
“Then I’ll drag you to rehab myself. Or call the police.”
“Oh, Alex.” I tutted. “You disappoint me. The police? Come on. We both know that’d be suicide for both of us.”
“At this point, I really don’t care. I’ll do whatever I can to get you out of Emma’s life.”
I gave another low chuckle. “I leave, or your face is the last thing I see before all the hellfire and purgatory. Mind you, that second option sounds kind of fun to me. It calls to my twisted side.”
“Don’t fucking try me,” he seethed.
I glanced toward the bathrooms and asked, “And my date? What happens to her? I can’t leave the poor girl stranded.”
Alex glanced around the restaurant, flagged down a passing waiter, and asked him for a piece of paper from his notebook and the use of his pen. Then he scribbled something down, took his wallet out, threw a wad of cash into the middle of the table and placed the note on top.
“Sorted,” he snapped.
“You do love taking charge, don’t you.” I grinned and wiggled my eyebrows as I asked, “Is that why you like Emma, because she has a vulnerability to her? She’s all alone with no one to help her.
The perfect damsel in distress. But don’t worry, Emma...
Alex is here to save the day. He feeds off the kind of bullshit your life seems to wallow in. He fucking revels in it.”
My eyes turned darker as I fixed him with a knowing stare.
“She’s like a magnet for you, isn’t she.
Admit it. You can’t help yourself. You thrive off her need for attention.
” I clicked my fingers trying to find the right words.
“What is it called? It’s not a God complex.
What’s the word I’m looking for?” And then I pointed my finger at him and smiled as the words came to me.
“A saviour complex. That’s what you have.
You live to save others. You tried to do that with me, but with her, it’s so much more rewarding because you get to fuck her at the end of it.
I only made you some art to hang on your walls. ”
“Fuck you,” he hissed.