Chapter 3 When the lights goes out
Lydia's POV:
I quickly pushed Justin away, and he looked at me with arched brows. My lips were red and puffy from all the kissing, and I felt an uncomfortable knot forming in the lower part of my stomach.
Luckily for me, Harridan didn't see anything, and he entered the balcony with a gentle smile. On seeing Justin, his smile vanished.
“What are you doing here?” Harridan asked Justin with furrowed brows.
Justin looked irritated by his question, and he scoffed. “Why can't I be here? This is my sister's house. I should be the one asking you why you left your fiancée all by herself,” he replied with a grimace.
Harridan was taken aback, but he quickly masked it with a smile. “Oh, me. I came to apologize to Lydia,” he said, and turned to face me.
I froze, looking at him, eager to hear what he had to say. “What do you mean? You did nothing wrong,” I stuttered, but Harridan's smile calmed me down a bit.
“Amber had no right to insult you. I'm sorry for not protecting you,” Harridan apologized, and Justin scoffed.
“I'm sure she holds no grudges against you. Isn't that right, Lydia?” Justin asked, directing the question at me.
I was caught off guard once again, and I began to stammer. “Of course, how could I possibly be mad. Amber has always been like that, and I've gotten used to her,” I replied.
Harridan looked relieved and he sighed. After an awkward silence, he looked at Justin as if asking for privacy, but Justin ignored him and kept staring at us.
I tried to signal to Justin, to beg him to leave, but he ignored my gaze and stood his ground.
Reluctantly, Harridan's eyes dropped. “Well, that's all. I will take my leave now,” he said and shot me one final look before turning to leave. Suddenly he stopped. “Hmm, Justin, would you like to come with me? Your sister might get worried.” He said with a friendly smile.
“I'm not a baby, Harridan. If my sister gets worried, remind her of your presence!” Justin replied with a bored gaze.
Harridan furrowed his brows, then he looked at Justin and me suspiciously. When he didn't notice anything abnormal, he left the balcony, and I never got to know what he wanted to say to me.
“Justin, what the fuck?” I growled the minute I was certain that Harridan was away from earshot.
Justin put on an innocent smile, and he feigned ignorance. “Are you alright? You look furious. Is it mood swings?” I could hear the sarcasm in his voice, but I didn't condone it.
“Oh Justin, are you a sexist now? I must really have forgotten how much of an ass you were back in high school,” I said, and without waiting for his response, I turned to leave.
“Are you leaving just like that? What about my house?” Justin called out after me.
“What about your house? Are you sharing longevity there?” I asked with an annoyed voice.
Justin chuckled. “Wow, so you are just going to forget about our kiss?” He asked.
“Our kiss?” I laughed, surprised at his word choice. “What makes you think I enjoyed the kiss? It was plain, just like your face,” I said, but that was half the truth because kissing Justin made me long for Harridan.
Justin looked offended, but he didn't reply. That was exactly what I wanted, and I used the opportunity to leave.
“If you change your mind, Lydia! You know where to find me!” Justin yelled with a husky voice, but I didn't say anything. Sometimes, silence was the best answer.
I walked briskly to my car, ignoring the calls and murmuring. The party was still lively, but I couldn't stay anymore because I felt like shit. My mood was ruined, and I felt annoyed. I regretted answering Harridan's call, and I blamed myself for coming out of my cocoon.
When I got to my car, I looked through the rearview mirror to check if maybe Harridan was somewhere, quietly watching me. But he wasn't, instead a pair of cold eyes were staring, and Justin had a naughty smirk on his lips. I was irked by just looking at him, and I furrowed my brows in disgust.
I started my car's engine and prepared to leave, but I remembered that I'd forgotten my handbag in the restroom. I quickly came down, heading for the restroom.
When I got there, I saw my bag in the exact spot I left it. I picked it up and went through my important file. Nothing was missing, and I sighed in relief.
“Why did you go to meet her?! Do you still have feelings for her?” Amber's loud voice echoed from outside the restroom, and I quickly ran to an empty stall.
She was with someone, and they were both walking fast towards me. She entered the restroom looking pissed off, and Harridan entered.
“Amber, you have to understand me. I meant no harm,” Harridan tried explaining, the look on his face was solemn, like he regretted his action.
“Do you like her? Do you like Lydia?” Amber yelled at the top of her voice, and I froze, involuntarily waiting for his answer.
“No, of course not. She's like a sister to me, I don't have feelings for her, and I never will. The only reason why I was friends with her in high school was because she was pathetic and had no friends,” Harridan explained with a remorseful voice.
“What?” I whispered with widened eyes. All my life, I had told myself that Harridan was unaware of my crush on him, but this proved everything wrong. I stood still, but I didn't say anything. I just acted oblivious and allowed the pain to take over me.
Amber was happy with his confession, and she hugged him tightly. “I love you, babe,” she said, kissing his cheek.
At first, Harridan didn't reply, but he later wrapped his hands around her waist and pecked her nose. “I love you too,” he stuttered.
Even after they left, I couldn't move. I began to shake as I questioned all my life's choices. For over a decade I have loved and respected Harridan, but not only did he invalidate my feelings, he also saw me as a lowlife?
Tears flowed out of my eyes at this reality, and I stumbled my way back to my car. My chest tightened, and I clenched my fist.
“I wouldn't cry over a man, Lydia refuses to cry over a male,” I kept murmuring to myself, but shortly later, tears poured out of my eyes.
I had to leave there, I didn't want to be anywhere near Harridan. My hands were shaking in fear, but I kept driving, determined not to look back. His hurtful words didn't stop replaying in my head, and I regretted coming out.
Suddenly, my car hit an oncoming vehicle, and the last thing I saw before I passed out was Justin's worried face.