It's been a long time since I had to deal with this level of stupid. I cannot yet believe people like Ryan and his band of boys manage to exist unabashedly in this day and age with so much ignorance and disconnect from real world problems and a general lack of decorum. It astonishes me how one can go about acting like they owned everyone and the ground they walked on.
Getting them away from the scene they created earlier was one thing, but getting Ryan to let go of the humiliation he endured is a whole different story. I don't know why I keep involving myself in unnecessary situations that have nothing to do with me, but of course I'm a fool to assume that my return to this town will be anything but the opposite of quiet and smooth. There was also the matter of wanting to get on Prim's good side, which meant I needed to earn Lilianne's trust. If it's the only way I can get my sister back then I'm ready to grovel at her feet if she will help me with it. Similarly, if that meant jumping head first to break a fight between Dominic and Ryan, so be it.
Although it took the better part of my already short-termed patience to drive Ryan back to his house, convincing him along the way to let this feud go without losing my temper was a feat on its own. I highly doubted he would just let it slide without good reason. I had to phrase the dirt I have on him nicely enough to manipulate him into behaving himself, careful not to make it sound like a threat because I wasn't done with this guy just yet. See the thing with Ryan and his minions is that they slip up quite often. They assume their parents will sweep their messes and they can continue doing whatever they like, forgetting anyone with enough reason can keep tabs to pull at the right place and time. I just happened to be that someone here and now. Dominic Hughes is just not cut out for the dirty games we play. While I'm sure he thinks he has a good reason to pick the hornet's nest, it doesn't make it any less of a big mistake on his end.
Ryan's house was half silent when we arrived, its owners nowhere to be found judging from the dark second floor. The few staff we bumped into as I helped a tipsy, angry Ryan inside were dismissed or shouted at rudely. I huffed, resisting the urge to throw him on the hard floor and leave him here to freeze. I have had my fill tolerating him for the past little while, but unfortunately I still needed to loosen his tongue to get him speaking- that is if he had any valuable information in the first place.
I didn't take much time to wander as I dragged him up the stairs. Unlike the last time I was here, no one loitered about, no one was going to stop me from doing a bit of exploring. Throwing Ryan on his bed, I got curious and pushed the partly opened office door to peek inside. It looked like every typical home office I've ever seen. An impressive desk stood in the middle of the room, a big painting taking up most of the wall behind it, sat between two long windows with the blinds drawn shut. To the right was a door that led to a powder room, the rest of the wall taken up by a commode with many drawers. I could still faintly hear footsteps on the storey below so I had no time or business to look at every nook and cranny. I headed for the desk, opening the drawers and sorting through the many files and folders. What I had in mind wouldn't be too hard to find -if it even existed- but my heart still hammered deafeningly loud in my ear as I reached for a red leather-bound folder.
"I don't want to deal with his tantrums." Whispering voices were heard outside. Judging from their conversation it must have been the maids we left downstairs in the kitchen. They probably had to check on Ryan out of formality. I held my breath and hid behind the door, listening in on their footsteps as they reluctantly walked past the office to Ryan's room on the far end of the hallway.
I took out my phone and quickly snapped pictures of the pages in my hand. I slipped out of the office and pulled the door to its partly opened position from before, jogging down the stairs and out of the mansion. The streets were almost deserted as I drove back to my place, trying to make sense of what I had found. Nights like these leave a bad taste on my tongue when the memories come rushing without a stop. I am aware I should have moved on and let the past be in the past, but do I have the right to? I feel I might go crazy pursuing the doubts and loose ends that make no sense in my head, and yet I can't seem to give up and move forward. In a way, chasing a sense of harmony and wholeness again is what I'm still looking for after so many years. I am unable to put things back together they way they were. There's a fork in the road. I have taken the road that took me away from here but look where I ended up: square zero. Running away without closure or clarity is a mistake I'm not willing to repeat again. Therefore, I'm taking the other way this time around. There is Primrose, a starting and key point to find some peace and forgiveness. There is Liam, and eventually mom...
The sound of the elevator doors opening brought me out of my deep thought spiral just to find Dominic sat on the floor in front of my flat. He looked up and sent a wave in greeting. He looked worse for wear which is saying something considering he's always put together and confident.
"Are you drunk?" I asked, nudging his boots with my foot as I fished for my keys to open the door.
He got up and dusted his jeans. "Not nearly enough. Can I stay the night?"
"Will you leave if I said no?" I let him close the door behind me with a chuckle, knowing the answer to that. I grabbed a couple bottles of water while he settled in the living room. It wasn't his first time staying over anyway.
He shugged half of the bottle down as I slumped in the armchair. "Don't be stingy. I'm doing you a favour you know."
"Oh, enlighten me?" I crossed my arms.
Dominic pushed aside his jacket and sighed. "Well, you'll likely won't be fixated on your obsessive thoughts with me around." He has a point. "You might as well start explaining what the fuck you're trying to do hanging out with Ryan and his clones." He continued before I could give my default defensive answer. "I won't buy any shit you're trying to make up on the spot. You hate their guts so I don't believe you've suddenly decided to become best buds with them."
"What, are you jealous now?" I looked at the black screen of the television reflecting the living room.
"You wish." He huffed. "So?"
I narrowed my eyes at him. "What is it to you?"
"I'm not trying to get at anything." Cocking his head to the side as if assessing me. "You know, not everyone is out to get you. Despite what you may think, not everyone is your enemy. Some just genuinely care about your wellbeing."
I looked away, not gracing him with a response, positive or negative. He's still every bit as annoying and prying as I remember.
"You've always been too cautious and mistrustful of others. I get that's the way you've been brought up, surrounded by sharks and all, people who want something from you, those out to get you... but it's not like you can hide behind that facade forever. Like it or not, sometimes you're more of an open book than you think you are." He relaxed back against the couch, getting serious. "Is this about what happened a few years ago?"
The bottle I was holding in a tight grip scrunched up. I closed it and dried the spilled water with a napkin. There was no point in bringing up the past. He can guess right at my thoughts but he didn't know the details or the implications that event had on my life and those closest to me. All he can ever do is guess. I took a deep breath. "Stay out of it, for your own good. You shouldn't get involved in this. Even I'm not sure what I'm doing but at least I have my name to back me up if I were to get in trouble."
He snorted. "Right, excuse me I forget you're an O'Connor. Are you really using that card with me?"
"Whether I do or not, I have the option." I threw the half empty bottle at him. He's starting to get on my nerves. "You, on the other hand, have no room for mistakes. Ones such as getting into a fight with Ryan in the middle of a party. Did you think he was going to let something like that go?"
"Thanks for the reminder." He held his head in both hands and mumbled curses under his breath. "I should have handled it better."
"You fucking should have." At least he knew the kind of shit he's gotten himself into. "You know he'd have no problem concocting colorful ways to make you pay for what you pulled and none of it would be pretty for you."
"I don't regret it." He scowled at his feet on the carpet. Are those drunken words or should I maybe smack some sense into his thick skull?. "But I should have planned it out better."
"You're an idiot." I concluded, scoffing. He really hasn't changed from when we were mere teenagers. "Absolutely hopeless."
"Shut up." He buried his head in a pillow and groaned aloud. "This is the last time. I swear it."
"I'll believe you when the sun rises from the east." I opened the drawer of the TV console to hand him a tylenol. He thanked me after he gulped it down, his hair a mess and his eyes looking bloodshot.
"I just couldn't control myself. It's ridiculous but the situation reminded me of mom." He sounded solemn and resigned, something you rarely get with this guy. "Maybe, in some twisted way, a part of me wanted to take revenge in a way I couldn't have many years ago."
I punched his shoulder lightly and shook my head. After all these years, he still... "Don't sweat it. I would have done the same if I were you, but maybe for someone worth my time."
"She's worth it." He deadpanned.
"You wouldn't be here moping around in my living room" I sighed. "Just grow a pair and talk to her. I had enough of your melodrama."
He chuckled and shook his head, putting the few pillows away and grabbing himself a blanket to sleep on the couch.
"I have a boxing session with Lucas tomorrow morning." I informed him. "Do I wake you up or what?"
"No." He groaned. I turned off the lights and told him where to find more blankets if he gets colder at night.
I put away some of the haphazardly thrown pillows, not taking well to the mess. He asked me quietly. "Have you never been so in love that you make all the wrong choices even when you know how stupid you're being?"
What the hell was I supposed to say to that? Emotions that strong can only get you into the kind of trouble you can't back out of. It's bothersome and useless. And most importantly, they're not for me.
"Shut up and go to sleep."