Old flames
Axel went to the gym to get his car at the after the meeting. Paul was supposed to come over for dinner. Arrianna stepped outside as arrianna had an arrangement with the gym for her to work cleaning and helping around the matches to pay for her lessons , membership ,and she lived in a small studio apartment upstairs meant for the managers but since Paul had a loft he never used it.
When arrianna got evicted from her home her mom bailed on her and didn't come back. She had been walking home to sleep in the car for weeks until one day the house went back on the market and the cars were removed from the property.
Paul couldn't get her in public housing since she was a minor with an abandoned guardian . He made her one deal if she finished school she could stay in the apartment and work for the gym to pay for the membership and training cost . All she had to do was make sure no one broke in the gym at night when it was all locked up. It was a fair deal for a a thirteen year old kid with no where to go .
Paul got an loft when she turned eighteen to give her space because he wasn't going to have a kid living in a gym alone unsupervised with her history . Paul watched over arrianna like she was his own daughter. When she fulfilled her school obligations she come to the gym to clean and help out to pay for her training . When she graduated she worked at the gym to pay the discounted rent which were pennies on the dollar. Which was the cheapest around that parts.
Luther went inside and Paul pat axel on the shoulder as he looked at his phone. He shot Bethany a text as he saw he missed a text .
" Hey Axel the wife just text me for some ice cream and olives. I'll meet you back at the house. I'll go grab her the items while you wrap it up here." Stated Paul as Axel shook his head how he referenced Bethany as wife. It was an inside joke that they shared a wife in this pregnancy since Bethany treated him like a second contact to Axel .
" I didn't know you were married,Paul?" Asked Arrianna confused as she swore Paul wasn't married.
" I'm not per say. I'm just a stand in when Axel don't answer her text.im the best second husband in waiting. If Bethany ever leaves Axel it will be for me." Paul said with a chuckle as Axel rolled his eyes.
" What? Are you three a trupple?" Said Arrianna now more confused more than ever about Bethany and axels marriage.
" What? Oh no no no you misunderstood. Paul plays like Bethany and I share him between us being around each other a lot. With Bethany's pregnancy he pretty much gives her anything she wants." Clarified Axel to ease Arrianna's thoughts.
" Ooohhhhh. Okay. What ever floats your boat." Laughed awkwardly arrianna as she looked at the two men.
" What ever make the wife happy right. You know what they say happy wife happy life plus Her cravings are very interesting and I don't mind helping since she trades my services for a home cooked meal . I say it's an even trade. Food for food.I'll grab those items she needs for our children." Teased paul as Axel shook his head.
" Paul, your not making this look less like that I'm her husband not you. " He said in a warning tone as paul shrugged his shoulders in a I don't know gesture as he hopped his car and drove away.
" Quite an interesting relationship you have with Paul. I know if I was in Bethany's position I wouldn't want to be shared by another man . I'm just saying. If you were my husband I suppose I'd would be a little selfish of what was mine." Said Arrianna now looking at her feet awkwardly.
Axel looked at arrianna in a sideways glared at the implications of her words as he picked apart the subliminal words. If you were mine. If I was in Bethany's position . I wouldn't want to be shared with another. Axel put it all together as he realized their no strings attached prior interactions had strings attached he didn't see until now. Axel took a deep breath as he tried to approach this situation cautiously knowing how fragile arrianna and her past was.
" Look Arianna . We were both kids at the time. We were both hurting and needing each other to work through issues neither of us were willing to accept. But that is what we were friends that sometimes hooked up and sometimes talked. I'm sure somewhere along the lines you caught feelings because I made you feel safe. But I believe the feelings were one sided and it was my fault I didn't correct it ." He said gently as he saw her eyes registers the words and each gentle word hit her like a metaphorical sword.
" We both knew better. We both knew what we were doing. We understood what we were to each other. Stop denying that was nothing there." Countered Arianna as she searched Axel's eyes.
" Yes we knew better. But we never clarified it or put a label on it . We were as we were." He said trying to avoid where this was going.
Arrianna and Axel never really talked about their arrangements and when Bethany came along it moved so fast arrianna didn't have time to step in and clear the air between their casual relationship to their non-existent relationship. Arrianna felt she never had closure to Axel forgetting about her.
" Axel i can't put what I feel back in the box and wrap it up and pretend like it never really happened . After today when you got me to help you with the meeting . As I listened to the danger in Bethany's brothers voice and Avery being mixed up with all of this I feared for you and it hit me I care for you more than I should .I like Bethany and I hold no hard feelings for her getting you while the getting was gotten but something today opened up inside of me in the fear that I would lose you " said arrianna as tears brimmed threatening to shed.
" And I appreciate your concern,but that is all it can be. I'm a married man. I love my wife in truth I've always loved her in secret . I've loved her for many years and I will love her for many more. I thought marriage was a trap or a prison and vowed i didn't want to ever marry. Than Bethany came back in my life and I took my chance on love and now that I have it i won't ever take it for granted.." Explained Axel trying to defuse the coming situation.
" Then why didn't you take a chance on me. Why did you use me and dispose of me when you were done with me. Axel i was never done with you. I'm still not done with you . Why didn't you choose me?" Said Arrianna as tears rolled down her face as she wiped them away angry her showing her feelings.
" I never used you. I wasn't the only one getting something out of our arrangement. You never allowed me to choose you. You push me away when I got to close or we got to comfortable . Then it start all over again like nothing happened. I wasn't given the chance to choose you." Said Axel over this entire conversation. He knew Bethany was waiting on him at home and with Ryder on his mind he didn't need arrianna on it as well.
" Alex you know how I grew up. How my mom abandoned me in persue of new relationships. I tend to get uncomfortable in things that seen normal. I honestly don't know how to be treated in a actual relationship . I suppose I'm too damaged to be wanted." Said arrianna as she looked away from Axel . Axel knew where this self loathing was going and he wasn't going to fall for it in attempts to comfort her in some jaded obligations to treat her right and soothe her broken feelings. Now he was older he saw the trap and the snap more clearly . When he was a teenager he was more naive and saw things with blinders on now he saw them with a prism outlook .
" Arrianna . You can't blame your mom for everything. Yes she abandoned you,but her actions don't define you. We had our time together and I'm married now. Now is not the time to test what could have been. That's something you should have persued before I started with my wife instead of persue a married man in hopes of something more then just setting yourself up to be someone's side chick. Stop selling yourself short hoping to be someone's option. I can not do anything and will not do anything to change my choices i have made today. Please move on from me and know one day someone will treat you the way you need them to treat you ." Axel said as he really had to get back to Bethany. He didn't have time to keep going in circles with arrianna .
Today was exhausting and started pretty bad, and now arrianna was complicating it with her confessing feeling that Axel could not do anything about at the moment. He knew arrianna had a rough past but he never made a commitment nor did they ever show each other any level of romantic involvement other than a few times they slept with each other as teenagers and after his dad died and mom left. It was arrianna who didn't want any labels or anything concrete . He wanted to do right by her but she pushed away every time he got to close for comfort. He wasn't going to keep getting put out in the cold when all he was doing was trying to warm the hearth.
" Look Arrianna . I have to go home. Paul and Bethany is waiting for me and my kids are expecting me home ." He said trying to lessen the blow to her ego ." Please listen to what I said . I have to go. " Said Axel stressed out about what was going on as she nodded and walked away without a word. He shook his head and hot in his car to go home .
Meanwhile Roger rubbed his face as the sound of Alexander awoke screaming . Roger looked to his side as he saw the bed empty as Victoria left him to go to Alexander. He had been seeing the pattern of late how much that brat took up Victoria's time when he could be enjoying some carnal pleasures with his wife. He didn't marry Victoria to be raising kids and Gretchen dropping Alexander on him without a warning was ruining his carefree life style.
Regina was gone and he had to submit paperwork for Alexander to be a Evenburg as Gretchen said and her gift of a staff was a house full of people reporting to her every move he made. His law firm was loosing clients and investors were pulling out when they saw the revanue drop significantly since Christopher left. Roger had only two percent in the company and he had tried to figure out who owned the larger percentage of his company he took after he had Antonio murdered so he could take over his business and territories. After he couldn't secure Victoria a place in Rana's house to get close to Bethany he knew Antonio was dead weight to his plan to get rid of Bethany and possibly Ryder if he became a problem.
He didn't care he was Victoria's son. He was a Bruno and he was the sister to the neice he hated because of Rana . Roger sat there thinking how horribly wrong all his plans were off track. He had bought the Toosley estate knowing it only be for two people,but he wanted to use it to rub in Regina's face where she came from. The upkeep of the house was manageable now with Gretchen's hired spies in the estate and the zehetti mansion was sitting there locked up and not making him any money with Regina not being able to access Gregory's funds to pay Roger his fifty percent agreed on for their accidental family slip up.
Now all the shit was out in the open he was running out of cards to play. He married Victoria to block a forced marriage to Regina. When Regina was carted off to marry Bryce zehetti a man twenty one years her senior he swore that was the last of it,but now he was stuck with a drooling two year old with a bad temper to raise for the next sixteen years . The Toosley had no money to pay him ,and the Zehetii's bowed out when Gretchen came to town. All he had was the Brunos or more or less Ryder to make him rich and he owned twenty percent of the company. Even if Ryder could talk Ryder out of that percentage he still be seventy eight short of complete control. Sine the three silent investors were secret no one knew their name or locations he couldn't blackmail ghost .
Roger saw the great houses washing out as Ryder was his only source of income and Victoria was his mother. Now there only existed the Evenburg and the Brunos . He couldn't touch the Grigorii money every since Bethany moved the accounts from the bank routed to his little arrangement with the bank manager , and all the safety deposit boxes were cleared out and closed he was running dry on funds all because of that brat of Rana's and her fancy business degree .
Why couldn't Bethany be a stupid average rich girl with Daddy's credit card and no sense for business. He has to do something to put himself back on top as he saw himself drowning in debt in the near future . The only good news in all of this chaos was the wedding invitation from Gretchen for Regina and Bryce's wedding and he made her sign a prenuptial agreement with the clause of foul play included because one dead husband was unfortunate two dead husbands was unacceptable to the zehetti house since they were over ran by illegitimate children from no name women that Gretchen saw as rift raft to her family name.
It was all falling apart and now Roger narrowed his eyes at Ryder. He was about to cross a line that he couldn't uncross to survive. Victoria will have to get over what he was about to do to her only son. Now this was the survival of the fittest. Roger was not going to disappear in the shadows without a hard fight down. Ryder was his only resource and sometimes sacrifices had to be made in order to ensure the entire empire survived to live another day.
Axel came home as he kissed Bethany as hugged her from behind as he placed his hands on her belly and put his chin in the crook of her neck.
" I missed you." He whispered.
" Are you talking to me or the babies because these days I think you love them more." Said Bethany as she stirred the food and added seasoning. Her pregnancy nausea had subsided and it was easier to handle now she was further along and growing very big .
" You of course because you are carrying the babies. It's like a two for one special . The love of my life with two little ones made from our love." Said Axel as he knew he was deflecting from his true worries.
" Gee thanks. I missed you too. I got a new tenant today. She has the most adorable little boy named Lyle. He is about Sunny's age. I'm thinking of setting up a play date?" Said Bethany sharing her day .
" I think it's a bit too early to be playing match maker with Sunny ." He said in a joke as Bethany elbowed him in response to his quick remark.
" Play date not an arranged date ." Bethany said as she shook her head at Axel.
" You know Bethany this icecream and olives aren't that bad . Salty and sweet is always a winning combination." Said paul eating a bowl.
" Paul I thought that food was for Bethany. Are you two sharing cravings now. Did I knock you up too." Joked Axel as Paul glared at him now at the comment.
" Lets see hmmm. The ability to eat anything I want without regrets of feeling bad about my diet all the while blaming everything I want to eat on a baby , along with hormonal homicidal tendencies and being pampered by everyone around me for nine months.it does have perks. Sure I down for being knocked up. " Said Paul as he scrapped the bowl of ice cream.
" Hormonal homicidal tendencies?" Said Bethany with her eyes brows raised.
" Yep. Woman could get away with murder because of the emotional instability because of hormones during pregnancy. If your planning on murder now is the best time to get away with it." Said Paul as he looked in the pot as he reached in to grab a peice of food Bethany was cooking . Bethany slapped his hands with the spoon and pointed at him. Paul shook his scolded hand in defence as he dropped the food back in the pot as he rubbed his hand and recoiled it from reach.
" Put your hand in my pot again and you will become the dinner. "Bethany said in a scolding way.
" See what I mean hormonal homicidal tendencies. That there what she just did was a threat . I feel like my life is in danger knowing she came blame it on the babies and walk away Scott free. Bethany your somuch more meaner with babies on board." Said Paul as he slinked away from the stove to take a seat by the bar as he put his bowl in the sink. Bethany stopped stirring as she waited. Paul ran to wash his bowl as she started to stir the food again.
Axel let out a chuckle at the reaction of Paul to Bethany stopping the way she did without saying a word and how well Paul knew why she stopped stirring." Does pregnancy also promote home training? " laughed axel as Paul glared at him as he handed him a dish rag to dry the newly washed dishes .
" Hey Bethany something happened today we need to talk about?" Said Axel as he saw Paul inch away to the other side as he put some distance between Axel and himself.
" Like what?" Bethany said in an even tone.
" Your brother came by the gym to talk to me." He said slowly as she turned off the stove and moved the pot to the off the hot eye to cool as she placed the spoon she was stirring with on a plate.
" Oh shit man. She stopped stirring . The spoon is down and she turned off the food. Shut up man before we end up hanging in a meat locker somewhere?" Pleased Paul as Axel shook his head at his cowardness.
" My brother as in Ryder Bruno?" She said now turning around to face Axel.
" Yes. Do you have any other brothers I don't know about?" Said axel as Paul hissed as he made a prayer hands.
" Axel if you value your life just stop antaginizing the pregnant woman. For the love of the god don't make today your last day. " Said Paul as Bethany shot him a look to stop
" Bethany he just wanted to talk. There is a lot of stuff he let me in on. There is a lot of things he knew about us and about Avery ,and what's been going on since you left . Ryder seems like he is trapped there. " He said as Bethany glared at Axel about what he said.
" Ask Paul he was there too " he said adding on to the conversation.
" Hey man that's not cool at all throwing me under the bus like that. I'm not ready to die just yet." He said hands held up in defence as he saw Bethany cut her eyes to Paul now.
" Bethany I wouldn't suggest you hear him out of I didn't check it out first. The man isn't as he seems . He generally seems to care for you as a sister. Please just talk to him . I made sure he wasn't going to hurt you. We can all go Paul and I to keep you safe. He is your only brother and family." Said Axel watching Paul doing the cut it out signal .
" I can see you,Paul . I don't have to look directly at you to see you motioning to Axel." Said Bethany as Paul froze his actions.
Bethany looked at Axel not sure how she felt about Axel and Paul meeting with her brother behind her back . The simple fact that Ryder knew where she was. Where to find her husband. Where to find her family didn't put Bethany at ease about talking to Ryder.
" If he knew where I was why didn't he just seek me out?" Said Bethany now suspicious of how Ryder made his appearance.
" He said he wanted to talk man to man. To show he came in peace. Bethany Avery is mixed up in this too. He knew a lot of things that make since now why all of this is happening around you. I'm not saying I agree with how he treated you,but he was what age when he kicked you out of the estate?" Asked Axel as Bethany eyes glared at him as she made a face of discontent.
" Fifteen." She said shortly.
" Don't you think him being fifteen he was stuck where he was until he was an adult. He didn't have a choice to get out of the mess like you did. He was a kid stuck in a world he couldn't escape. Now he is like twenty -three years old. He wants out now and he thinks you can help him. " Defended Axel as he saw how Bethany looked at him.
Bethany's eyes softened a little when she thought of Ryder at fifteen kicking her out of her father's home and him having to stay behind because he wasn't old enough to leave. He lost their father too. She remembered Ryder sitting with her in her room wanting her to eat after her mother died and some nights he stayed with her all night long when Bethany woke up with nightmares yelling for her mother. She remembered a three year old Ryder wanting to be with his older sister who was seven years older than him. When their father died Bethany was all Ryder wanted to be around. He was a young child when Bethany's mom died .
She could see he was trapt in a world and when he turned fifteen and their dad just died he was hurting too when he kicked Bethany out of their family home and she had to get an apartment to hide her pregnancy after Gregory left her and married Regina a week later. He would have never found out she was keeping the baby if he didn't search for her in the hospital that day.
Bethany had the right to know what happened she admitted. She knew Ryder and it hurt her he kicked her out . But maybe he did love her like a sister.
" Okay I will meet with him and hear him out." Said Bethany as she held up one finger." Under one condition." She added .
" Which is?" Asked Axel.
" You don't discuss anything with my brother behind my back ever again. He may be my brother but he is also sneaky." Said Bethany overwhelmed with the conversation.
Sunny and Caden came in the room as she shot the two men a look." We will continue this discussion later. Sit down for dinner . The food is ready." Demanded Bethany as she thought of all the things Axel said about Ryder . The kids came in and sat at the dinner table as Paul smiled and axel shook his head as he went to wash up for dinner .
Bethany understood what Axel was saying and she wanted to let Ryder in her life without worrying but too much had happened to her for her to be not on guard about anyone or anything from her past. She had to think about the kids not only her life anymore. Bethany wants to forgive Ryder and him back with open arms but she couldn't shake how she felt about the entire situation.
Axel stepped outside to get some air after dinner to think. Paul joined him as he knew Ryder was the only one on his mind. Arrianna said alot of things that bothered him and Paul knew Axel too well to know something else bothered him.
" Axel you okay there man?" Asked Paul concerned. As he knew axel's worried face.
" I'm fine. " Axel tried to deflect Paul as he had a lot on his mind. Arrianna made some points he didn't know existed. He always thought of her as a casual hook up and he really didn't need her to cause any more trouble for Bethany.
He didn't know why she waited to after Axel was already married to tell him how she felt about him. The timing seemed a little weird and he didn't know if she was jealous or just clinging onto old feelings or new ones. He didn't want to not validate what she said to him,but he couldn't accept them either. He was a married man and he finally got the woman he wanted after years of waiting.
Yes she had lost her virginity to Axel and he knew how special that was to girls , but he didn't want to encourage her affections towards him to give her false hope either. He also knew if he didn't address it sooner rather than later it could cause a awkward atmosphere at the gym between him and her. He would hate to make her uncomfortable in her own workplace and home.
" Axel your not fine. Talk to me man." Paul asked knowing Axel all too well.
" It's complicated. And I handled it the best way I could,but I don't know I would hate to cause problems at work." Said Axel rubbing his face .
" Why would you cause problems at work?" Paul asked confused not understanding.
" It's Arrianna . She confessed to me she had feeling for me. You know me and her messed around after my father passed and you advised me to not mix work and training with someone I had to see every day at work if we decided to break up. Me and her were never officially started and we were just taking advantage of each other's company. " Axel said as he paused thinking of his next words carefully.
" Ooohhhhh I see where this is going? Arrianna wasn't taking it too well you got married and moved on without actually ending it with her. Your in a sticky situation man." Said Paul seeing axel's concern.
" No she isn't taking it well. She sells herself too short sometimes and it bothers me she sees me like an option to love her . I don't want to break her and tell her I never saw her that way as a love option. It would hurt her too much and she is already broken enough as it is from her mom and being homeless at thirteen. I want to do right by her but she has to know I'm with Bethany and that will never change . " Said Axel as he could feel the tension build in him about how the work atmosphere could get weird of they start avoiding each other.
" Perhaps I can talk to her and see where her head is. She knows you love Bethany maybe she feels left out now you are married and moving on in life and she is stuck where she is at. Arrianna is only clinging to you because you are familiar to her. She has a problem connecting with people and when she does she pushes them away." Explained Paul.
" I told her that too. I am just worried she will make it weird for me to be there and I'm up there more with training sunny and Caden now plus my own training. I don't want to give her the cold shoulder,but I don't want to encourage her feelings either. Women are a storm when they feel rejected and I don't want to get Bethany worried for me if she found out what happened between me and arrianna . She can't handle the stress with all the things she already endured with her family and now Ryder wants back in her life . I'm afraid it will be too much for her to process. Then I'll have two women to handle." Said Axel as he let out a huge sigh of aggervation at the situation he got himself into .
" I completely understand that. Just give arrianna some space for now and when you handle the Ryder thing you can circle around to her. You can only handle one thing at a time . You are only one person. " Advised Paul .
" I know I am. I just don't want all this blowing up in my face if she feels like I did her some wrong for rejecting her and rubbing my happiness in her face. I don't need to add to her life story about all the things that wronged her." Said Axel as he looked out into the garden at the stars alluminating the night sky above .
" If it blows up. It blows up. Handle it as it comes ,but right now you need to focus on Bethany and when the time comes I'll help you handle arrianna." Said Paul patting Axel on his back to comfort him . Axel nodded and patted Paul on his back too.
" Thank you for everything Paul. I don't know what I would do without you. " Said Axel expressing his gratitude towards Paul .