the female's words struck him like a slap in the face, jolting him out of his defensive stance. he looked at her, really looked at her, and saw the pain and hurt in her eyes. she was hurting, just as much as he was, and he was the cause of it. would he be able to swallow his pride, admit his faults, and beg for her forgiveness? could he let go of his need to control and possess her, and instead trust in her love? probably not. and definitely not with the amount of alcohol running through his system. " what the fuck did you expect me to do when you won't answer my calls? " preston protests, long fingers ruffling through blonde locks. " i have been calling you all night, if you didn't have anything to hide, you would answer them." 

             as  preston  sinks  his  heels  in  defense  of  his  brutishness,  alba  follows  in  her  defiance.  “  i  thought  you  were  confident  ,  smart  ,  collected  .  .  .  ”  each  adjective  punctuated  by  a  long  pause,  her  voice  betraying  herself  as  it  began  to  tremble.  “  but  you’re  just  like  every  other  fucking  dude  .  and  you  think  that  little  of  me  .  ”  a  huff  of  breath,  her  expression  twisting  into  a  scowl.  alba  felt  cornered,  entirely  too  overwhelmed,  anxiety  of  her  inadequacies  unbearable  as  he  practically  forced  her  to  air  them.  “  i  lost  my  fucking  job.  ”  despite  all  of  her  formidable  defenses,  she  feels  a  familiar  sting  in  her  eyes.  "  i  was  tutoring  my  little  brother's  best  friend.  god  .  .  he's  in  fucking  high  school.  "  hot  tears  suddenly  spill  over  as  she  fiercely  rubs  them  away with the back of her hand.  “  i  got  fired  .  there  .  are  you  happy  now  ?  i  can’t  even  wait  tables  .  .  .  i’m  that  fucking  useless  .  ”  anger  boiled  over  now,  resentful  that  it  had  to  come  to  this.   “  do  you  and  your  fragile  fucking  ego  feel  better  now  ?  ”

chiseled jaw tightened as alba's words stung, but a stubborn pride kept him from fully acknowledging his faults. preston's chest tightened with a surge of defensiveness as steely blue hues watched her move away from him, her anger heavy in the air between them. "but you do, you fucking do." preston retorted, his filled with anger. "you can't just expect me to be okay with seeing you cozying up to some other guy. i care about you, damn it. is it so wrong for me to want to protect what's mine?" or was. same damn thing. long digits run through his blonde locks out of pure frustration, his gaze locked on her retreating form. "you know how i feel about you. i can't stand the thought of losing you to someone else."

             did  she  owe  him?  the  desperation  in  his  eyes  made  alba  think  twice ,  but  the  vow  of  possession  that  follows  makes  her  abandon  the  thought .  maybe  twenty  minutes  ago  she  would've  thought  so ,  but  something  in  preston's  demands  strikes  her  rebellious  streak .  disgust  should  be  at  the  forefront  of  her  mind ,  but  disappointment  metastasized  in  it's  place .  behavior  like  this  felt  so  typical ,  and  preston  had  once  seemed  so  above  it .  "  stop .  you're  acting  like  a  possessive  asshole ,  and  you're  not .  tell  me  that  you're  not .  "  nearly  each  syllable  is  full  of  venom ,  a  flimsy  mask  for  pain  and  embarrassment .  "  you  reek  of  booze .  you  really  want  to  give  this  conversation  right  now ?  "   could  she  really  tell  him  the  truth ?   that  it  was  her  little  brother's  best  friend  on  her  couch ,  five  years  her  younger ,  venmo-ing  her  a  lousy  $25  to  tutor  him ?  losing  her  job  had  become  a  larger  than  life  secret ,  a  gauntlet  loosely  hanging  above  her  head .  alba's  pride  kept  her  lips  sealed ,  refusing  to  show  weakness  now  more  than  ever .  "  and  if  you  think  that  little  of  me  anyway , just  get  out .  "

preston's chest heaved with heavy breaths, piercing blue hues ablaze with a mixture of fury and hurt. large palms trembling with restrained anger, but beneath the surface, a vulnerability he didn't dare to acknowledge. he's never been insecure before, not before her. she's changed everything to him, turned him into a person he no longer recognized. "no, i'm nowhere near done, alba. " the male spat back at her, alcohol cleary clouding his judgement. "what were you fucking doing here with him ?"

               the  alcohol  on  his  breath  flits  into  her  nose  all  at  once.  alba  can  feel  the  way  her  blood  runs  cold,  how  quickly  her  demeanor  follows  suit.  pure  disappointment  settles  into  her  gut  when  she  searches  eyes  that  suddenly  felt  unfamiliar.  "  i  owe  you  zero  explanation,  "  every  syllable  leaks  venom  as  she  continues,  "  in  fact,  i  should've  kicked  your  ass  out  of  here  instead.  "  she  moves  away  from  the  door,  a  petty  shoulder  check  as  she  passes  him  and  heads  into  her  kitchen.  " how  dare  you  show  up  here  acting  like  a  fucking  neanderthal   —   like  i'm  your  property.  "

@bluerevs ♥

" what the fuck is wrong with you ? " words are laced with a dangerous mixture of anger and hurt, not that preston would ever bring himself to admit it, not to her, and definitely not to himself. " i have been calling you all night, you haven't answered my fucking calls and all this time, you've been here with him? "

               alba  ushered  the  man  out  her  front  door  with  a  barrage  of  apologies,  her  embarrassment  clearly  conveyed  by  the  twisted  expression  painted  across  her  face.  with  the  door  now  shut  and  her  back  pressed  firmly  against  the  cold  wood,  she's  nearly  immobilized  with  anger  as  preston  hurtles  his  insinuations.  "are  you  done?"  words  are  razor  sharp,  impatient.  "did  you  want  an  explanation,  or  did  you  want  to  yell  some  more?  ...  you  just  humiliated  me."