Chapter 75

"Wow!" I exclaimed, the bottle halfway to my lips, I put the lid back in and held it in my hand, no longer feeling thirsty. The single word I uttered conveyed neither shock nor amusement. Arden closely observed me, waiting to see my reaction. I looked at my watch and asked me whether he would join me at the gym. His face grew expressionless.

" Wait, that's it? Wow?"

He arched both his brows, I shrugged and asked him what he wanted me to say. How he expected me to react to the goddamn news!

" I'm planning on asking her out tonight, I mean, I've wanted to for a while now but I don't know what her response will be, "

I grit my teeth, fighting to maintain my nonchalant composure. The last thing I wanted was for Layla to go out with anyone else, regardless of who they were. My entire being rejected the mere thought of it. 

" You think she'll say yes?" He asked me. I shrugged once more. Keeping my eyes away from his view because if he saw them he would know. We were too close for him not to realize and understand my reaction. 

" Come on dude, help me out here. " He urged, coming closer, I immediately walked to the other side of the island and leaned against it. 

" Don't you think you'll just complicate things if you do that?" 

" How? I know I came into this as a joke but man!" He blew out a breath, and I turned to find him shaking his head, deep in thought. Those were thoughts of her! 

" There's something about her, I can't quite put my finger on it but she's special, "

In all my life I doubt I've ever heard Arden speak like that about a girl. Yes,he had been in a few relationships. I knew of at least three long-term girlfriends, but even with them, it had simply been about the fun, the sex. Never had he been emotionally invested.

" And man is she hot!" He added, wincing almost as if he was in pain. Like her said hotness affected him somehow. 

I wanted to leave that space before I ended up hurting him. I loved and cared for him but that was a boundary I wasn't going to let him cross. 

" Like, have you seen her legs?"

" And where the hell did you see them?" I blurted out. Angry, pissed off. My eyes narrowed in controlled rage. He however didn't seem to notice my odd reaction. 

" The other day, when I went to her room to ask her out. She was wearing this dress that just..." he hissed, licked his lips and ran a hand over his face. 

" Her room?" 

Why had I never heard of this? Layla had failed to mention that he had been to her room. 

" Yeah, well I didn't get in. I actually saw her and forgot what I wanted to ask. " 

He chuckled and took out a bottled water for himself, then he said that he'd join me for the workout. And for the next fifteen minutes I was forced to listen to him tell me about how odd he felt whenever he was with Layla, how mush he enjoyed her company and how very desperately he wanted to kiss her again. Or do even more than kiss her. 

I pursed my lips shut, then I closed my eyes and looked away. I didn't want to picture any of the things he was saying. Then he made up his mind about asking her out and I asked him to go change and just meet me at the gym. My ears as well as my brain had heard enough, a few more words and there was no guessing what I could have done or said. 

I out on my earpods and pretended to be busy listening to music so that he wouldn't be tempted to engage in any conversation with me. My mind needed time to think. The possessiveness was insane, I had no control over it. The situation sucked because I cared for him deeply. Arden was my brother, my confidant. The last thing I wanted was to have a falling out with him because of a girl, but I couldn't let her go. I wasn't willing to share her, my conscience refused to accept the possibility of her with anyone else. 

After our workout, he was kind enough to change the topic, he spoke of his parents instead. That his dad had really wanted him to marry Katarina and although he had taken nicely to Layla, he wished that they would have had the chance to join forces with the Novak's. 

" But he clearly told me he approves of my choice to marry. As long as I'm happy, "

" That's good I suppose, "

" It is. God! They really like her, she's like the ideal daughter in law even without the advantage of profit or business expansion, " he chuckled lightly and shook his head. And up until that point I had been very reasonable in my reactions and hadn't done anything that would be considered suspicious. But then Arden went ahead and said, " This will sound cheesy, and I'm begging you to not make fun of me, but I can actually picture a future with her. What's the harm in trying right? My parents already like her, and with time I'm sure I can get her to like me. "

What in the name of the lost souls was that supposed to mean? Because if my thoughts were correct, then he was actually considering courting her with the intention to marry. Something I was never going to offer her. He was a backstabbing bastard. We had both agreed that we would never settle down, and now he was betraying that vow, planning to go after someone I was very much interested in. I had had my taste of Layla, of the pleasure she was capable of. And if there was one thing I would never allow, it was for her to ever be tasted or touched by another. It was a conclusion I came to as I heard Arden talk. I would rather keep her as a mistress for the rest of my life than fathom the thought of her in another man's arms. Or woman's...you can never be too sure these days! Arden asked me why I was so quiet, whether I was okay. Then he asked me what I thought about his plans, not believing that I wasn't teasing him about his goals. And instead of commenting, I once again uttered a plain, " Wow, "

He narrowed his gaze, but then he shrugged and went on. 

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I'm feeling murderous!

She went out with him. How could she? His parents had been there when he asked, actually what he did was wait for them to return, countless shopping bags in their hands, then he approached Layla and wrapped both his arms around her affectionately. From that angle she could clearly see my eyes on her, warning her to stop trying my patience. Then Arden had completely cornered her such that she couldn't say no to him.

" Don't forget, it's date night, " he told her loud enough for his parents to hear. 

There had been no way for her to get out of that one. She had been a little confused, and she must have thought it was all a part of their act. 

" We can try out that restaurant you told me about, " My soon to be dead beat friend added. A smile on his face, then he reached for one of the locks that framed her face and held it between his fingers. His mom told her she could wear the dress they had just bought. And so, just like that, she agreed to go out with him. To her it was an act but to Arden it was a fucking date. And he was very smooth with his words, quite skilled. It wouldn't take much for him to get her to fall for him, Arden was just as ambitious as I was. And he normally always got his way, plus his character could he termed as boyfriend material. Mine was the furthest thing from that. Two hours after they had left I was pacing in my room. I knew exactly where they were, had gone as far as hiring someone to keep an eye on them and report what they did later on. I wanted all the details, and if Layla dared to let him touch her in a way I wasn't comfortable with then she would be in trouble. She was already in trouble despite here not having a choice in the matter. I looked at the time and wondered what was taking them so long, and I considered driving and checking things out for myself, but that would be too risky. Three hours passed by. It would be midnight soon. I called the guy I had hired and asked him what they were doing.

" They're just walking down the street Sir. "

The information didn't satisfy me, I wanted to have a clear vivid picture of them. I asked him to tell me everything they had done, it wasn't much, they'd eaten at the restaurant, talked, then they had apparently visited some stupid flower shop where they spent about half an hour. He had taken pictures as asked, I asked him to send them immediately after the call. I knew I was being too frantic. Perhaps I was even exaggerating the matter, but it was eating at me and that was the only way to find some peace. He gave me the report and I ended the call. The pictures were slow though, he took a while to send them. I sat on the bed, waiting. Then I grew frustrated and decided to call him,but as I was in the process of dialing his number I finally received them. 

They were fairly decent, but I didn't like the fact that she seemed to be having fun. She was smiling in most of them, and in one she was actually laughing. Come on,Arden wasn't even that funny!

The most recent one was from the walk they were supposedly having. I swiped through them quickly, stopping when I found one of them holding hands. 

How could she?!