Chapter Two-Hundred Thirty-Five: Taurus Protectors

Chapter 235

Taurus Protectors

Celeste and Fabien’s bedroom was quiet, filled with the soft, blue-gray haze of the early morning light beginning to creep through the window blinds.

Fabien shifted, carefully detaching himself from the tangled sheets so as not to wake Celeste. He sat on the edge of the bed for a moment, letting his bare feet touch the green carpet, before reaching over to his nightstand. He pulled a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from the drawer, the distinct flick-snap of the metal lighter cutting through the heavy silence of the room.

He lit the cigarette, the ember glowing like a tiny, solitary star in the dark, and took a long, slow drag. He stood up and walked over to the open window, letting the cool, damp night air wash over his bare chest. As he exhaled, a thin ribbon of smoke curled out into the night, dissipating into the shadows.

He stood there for a long time, just watching the smoke drift, feeling the lingering warmth of the night still clinging to his skin. He gazed at Jaxon’s house across the street, thinking about everything that went down between him and Celeste. The dynamic between the three shifted. Any hopes of a poly relationship were dashed. Maybe this is for the better since Celeste was unhappy with him for a while, he thought.

Then he thought about him with Lena and smirked. I guess he’s recreating what he shared with Chelsea, he thought and shook his head.

He felt a soft movement behind him and didn't need to turn around to know it was her. Celeste appeared in his periphery, her silhouette framed by the dim light of the bedroom. She didn't say a word; she just stepped into his space, sliding her arms around his waist from behind and resting her chin on his shoulder.

She watched the smoke trail with him, her eyes tracing the way it danced in the breeze. Fabien sighed, a contented, low sound, and turned his head just enough to press a kiss against her hair. He took another drag, holding it for a second before turning slightly to share the space.

Fabien: “Can’t sleep, baby?”

He asked her. Celeste shook her head against his shoulder, her hair tickling his skin.

Fabien: “Hehehehehehe!”

Celeste didn’t want to talk; she just wanted to be there, grounded in the quiet, smelling the sharp, familiar scent of the tobacco and the cool night air, feeling the steady, rhythmic rise and fall of his chest against her.

~

Jordi had showered that morning and stepped out of his bedroom. He wore a white pressed shirt, black tie, black pants, and black sheer socks. He carried his suit jacket in his arms.

He saw the message Fabien sent him on Bungle, telling him what happened at the abandoned amusement park with Narcisse and about Jaxon. He felt fury, hurt, and betrayal about what Lena had done to him and Ashley. Her actions put her at risk, and he wasn’t there to save her. He will be forever grateful to Tristan, Celeste, and Fabien for what they did.

The smell of apple cinnamon pancakes, bacon, eggs, sausages, and coffee filled the kitchen. His grandfather sat at the kitchen table, wearing a stained tank top and red jogging pants, shoving freshly baked apple muffins into his mouth.

Jordi saw Ashley busily preparing breakfast for the house and smiled. He draped his suit jacket over the chair and wrapped his arms around them from behind. The scent of his cologne lingered on his neck—a warm, sensual, slightly sweet oriental fougere with notes of cedarwood. Ashley’s mood elevated when they caught a waft of the scent of his cologne, and their heart fluttered at the sight of him.

Ashley: “Morning, Jordi!”

They wrapped their arms around him and greeted him with a kiss. Jordi’s lips met theirs.

Jordi: “Morning.”

He brushed a lock of hair from their face.

Lena entered the kitchen. She wore an off-shoulder blue floral dress with puffy sleeves, a tight bodice, and a flared skirt that fell to her knees.

Jordi: “Lena, what did you do to Ashley and me last night?! Fabien told me what happened to you! What if he, Tristan, and Celeste weren’t around?!”

He snapped, his voice rising. Lena drew back. Ashley’s eyebrows rose, and they turned to Jordi and Lena with confusion on their face.

Ashley: “Huh?”

Lena: “Jaxon was there!”

She cried. Ashley’s confusion grew.

Jordi: “Jaxon caused this, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he told you to put Ashley and me to sleep! What were you thinking?!”

He snapped, pounding the counter.

Ashley: “Huh? What are you talking about?”

They scratched their head. Jordi knit his eyebrows.

Jordi: “Lena used her somnokinesis to put us both to sleep after I told her not to go near Jaxon because of how he treated Celeste and treats women! She was kidnapped, and I wasn’t there to save her! Tristan, Celeste, and Fabien had to!”

He explained. Lena’s bottom lip trembled, and she looked away. Ashley gasped and knit their eyebrows.

Ashley: “Oh dear! You were kidnapped?! Why did you use your sleep powers on us?”

They asked and softly clasped their hand over their mouth.

Lena: “Because I didn’t want Jordi to stop me from being with Jaxon!”

She replied with tears in her eyes.

Lena: “Jaxon saved me, Jordi! I knew he would come!”

Jordi: “Something could have happened to you, and what you did stopped me from being there for you!”

He fired back. Ashley knit their eyebrows, placing their hand on Jordi’s shoulder. Jordi turned to them and patted their hand.

Abraham: “Are you surprised?”

He asked crumbs of the muffin fell out of his mouth.

Abraham: “Just like her mother. This is why she had you two.”

He huffed. Jordi turned to him in a rage. Ashley knit their eyebrows.

Jordi: “SHUT THE FUCK UP! Don’t you DARE bring her up!”

He bellowed. Abraham scoffed. Jordi tightly clenched his fists, trying to hold back from punching his grandfather in the face.

Jordi turned to Lena, shot his forefinger out at her, and shook it.

Jordi: “And you stay away from Jaxon!”

Lena cried into her hands. Ashley knit their eyebrows.

Ashley: “What did Jaxon do to her that was so bad?”

They asked.

Jordi: “Ashley, I’m sure you knew how he treated Celeste. When she asked him what he wanted for dinner, he replied, ‘your pussy’. I don’t want my little sister to have a sleazy man like that in her life!”

He said doggedly. Ashley cupped their mouth.

Ashley: “He wanted to eat Celeste’s cat?!”

They gasped. Abraham rolled his eyes. Idiot, he thought/

Jordi: “No, he meant her… vagina.”

He said as he shifted his eyes. Ashley’s eyes widened.

Ashley: “What?! You can’t eat that for dinner, and that’s for love, not dinner!”

They exclaimed.

Lena: “Jaxon is nothing like that to me, Jordi!”

She sobbed.

Jordi: “He made you put us both to sleep!”

He snapped. Ashley bowed their head.

Lena: “No, he didn’t!”

She fired back through hot tears.

Lena: “I am an adult, Jordi! You can’t tell me who I can and can’t see! You didn’t care when I had a crush on Tristan, and he never loved me! He loves Deimos!”

She stomped her feet as she cried. Jordi drew a rough breath.

Jordi: “I am not having this discussion. My word is final.”

He rolled his eyes.

Lena: “It’s NOT, Jordi!”

Ashley knit their eyebrows, feeling conflicted as Blake had treated them this way before, but Jaxon said those rude things to Celeste, and Lena did put them both to sleep; they didn’t know how to feel, but they didn’t like it. They didn’t like seeing them arguing.

Lena stormed off to her bedroom and slammed the door shut. Jordi heaved a deep sigh and sank into his seat. Ashley poured him a cup of coffee, adding cream and sugar.

Jordi: “Thank you…”

He patted their arm. Ashley wrapped their arms around him to comfort him. Jordi nestled into their embrace.

Ashley: “You know, Blake would get mad at me and tell me who I couldn’t see, and I was really upset with him, too, and we had fights like that, but… it turned out he was right about Makayla and Lazaros…”

They explained softly. Jordi leaned into their arms and kissed them. Ashley purred as the two kissed.

Jordi: “Big brothers know, Ashley… Big brothers just know.”

He drew a long breath.

Ashley: “I wish I had listened to him… But I guess I had to figure it out myself, so then I could avoid any other Makaylas and Lazaroses out there and know how to spot them now.”

They stated. Jordi’s eyelids dipped.

Jordi: “You’d have to be a big brother to know, Ashley. Blake doesn’t want to see you hurt any more than I want to see Lena hurt.”

He knit his eyebrows. Ashley nodded and smiled a bit.

Ashley: “I know, you’re just trying to look out for her, and that’s sweet!”

Jordi returned the smile and breathed a deep sigh.

Ashley: “But, knowing me and how it didn’t stop me, it only made me want it more, and you can’t stop her from this.”

They explained softly. Jordi twisted his mouth.

Jordi: “...Then I need help from someone who can strategize well, so it doesn’t.”

He nodded. Ashley sighed and embraced him. Nothing can stop what the heart wants, they thought.

~

Jordi sat across from Tristan at Alice’s Dreams. Tristan wore a navy-blue Italian-cut suit, a light-blue vest, a white, pressed shirt, a blue striped tie, and black Wingtip Oxfords. Tristan had an iced blueberry melon tea, and Jordi had a cup of coffee. Tristan gazed at him.

Tristan: “Not trying with the tea anymore?”

He asked, resting his elbows on the table, interlacing his fingers, and gazing at Jordi with his piercing green eyes. Jordi winced.

Jordi: “Oh, I’m sorry! I can order a tea!”

He stammered and waved his hands around as if he were swatting at flies. Tristan waved his hand.

Tristan: “Jordi, get whatever you like…”

He sighed.

Tristan: “What you drink doesn’t affect me.”

Jordi stared down at his reflection, feeling bad and worrying that he had offended Tristan or hurt his feelings.

He raked his fingers through his hair. The waitress had brought a plate of black, blue, pink, green, purple, mint green, and red macarons. Jordi picked up a pink one and idly ate it. Tristan gazed at him.

Tristan: “What’s troubling you?”

Jordi munched on his cookie and drew a rough breath.

Jordi: “I’m sorry I wasn’t with you guys when you rescued Lena from Narcisse.”

Tristan: “Jordi, you really have nothing to apologize for.”

He knit his eyebrows.

Jordi: “I do! My little sister was in danger from that psycho uncle of yours, and I couldn’t be there for her! She put Ash and me to sleep, Tristan!”

He pounded on the table as his frustration grew. Tristan’s eyes darted to his fist and to him.

Tristan: “...Why did she put you and Ashley to sleep?”

Jordi knit his eyebrows, and he grimaced.

Jordi: “She developed a crush on Jaxon. You and Fabien both confirmed how he treated Celeste, and I don’t want him doing to my sister what he did to Celeste! I told her she is prohibited from seeing him!”

He said doggedly.

Jordi: “When he brought her home, we got into a heated argument. I think he told her to put us to sleep so I wouldn’t stop her.”

He cupped his mouth as his hurt cultivated. Tristan gazed intently at him with empathy.

Jordi: “And it hurt me that she did that to me, Tristan! Not only because she put herself in danger, but because she did this to her own brother for some guy who is a sleaze!”

He exclaimed, his tone dripping with hurt and betrayal.

Jordi: “I wish…”

He squeezed his eyes shut.

Jordi: “I wish…”

He opened his eyes and raised them to meet Tristan.

Jordi: “I wish she still crushed on you. I know you would treat her well.”

He smiled a bit. Tristan looked away.

Tristan: “She chose Jaxon over me. I have no control over that.”

He said with some bitterness.

Jordi: “I know Deimos is an annoying June bug, but… You would be good to her.”

He smiled sadly. A smile crept on Tristan’s lips.

Tristan: “I thank you, Jordi.”

He cleared his throat.

Tristan: “But it seems Lena has to learn the hard way that Jaxon is bad news. He did sleep with my man, and he had to have Celeste, until he got her, and he didn’t want her anymore.”

He wagged his head. Jordi noted how Tristan referred to Deimos as his man. He raised an eyebrow.

Tristan: “Jaxon never stuck with bands, lovers, or much of anything.”

He inhaled sharply.

Jordi: “I want him away from her.”

Tristan nodded.

Tristan: “I understand your plight, Jordi.”

Jordi: “You’re good at strategizing. What should I do?”

Tristan folded his arms and raised his head to look up at the ceiling.

Tristan: “Once upon a time, Ashley had to have Lazaros Katsaros.”

Jordi furrowed his eyebrows.

Jordi: “What did they ever see in him?”

Tristan shrugged.

Tristan: “They were charmed by him. For whatever reason, they liked him.”

He continued.

Tristan: “Nevertheless, Deimos and I tried to convince them not to move with Lazaros. Hell, Deimos warned them not to enter a relationship with him. He and I both know what Laaros is like. Deimos knows Lazaros better than anyone, but Ashley did not heed our warnings and went ahead with it. They spent months being force-fed, being Lazaros’ puppet, his coupons where he wants me to rub their tummy, and being reduced to a mouth to feed and a tummy to rub.”

He tilted his head.

Tristan: “Then they pretended to date Blair because he blackmailed them. Blair shoved them out of the boat, and Lazaros danced around, whining and crying. Deimos had to go out in the boat to save them. Anyway, when Lazaros threw a tantrum about them working at some silly ice cream shop, they ended it and said that Deimos and I were right.”

He pursed his lips.

Jordi: “What are you getting at, Tristan?”

He knit his eyebrows.

Tristan: “Ashley didn’t listen to us… Anymore than Lena is going to listen to you or even me. Unfortunately, she has to learn the hard way.”

He sighed.

Jordi: “I came to you for help, Tristan! I need your help! I don’t want to see her hurt!”

He snapped. Tristan put his hand up.

Tristan: “Jordi, if I helped you do what you want me to do, it would hurt her more than whatever Jaxon is going to do to her.”

He said coolly.

Jordi: “No one is helping me! Not you, not Ashley, or anyone!”

He cried. Tristan knit his eyebrows.

Tristan: “Jordi… I am on your side, and I do want to help you, but this is out of our control! If I did what you wanted me to do, Lena would be very hurt and betrayed!”

He exclaimed.

Jordi: “As if I am not feeling that after she put me to sleep?!”

He fired back. Tristan softened and bowed his head.

Tristan: “...I know exactly how you feel…”

He muttered, thinking about how Bastien always sings Narcisse’s and that thing’s praises.

Jordi: “I don’t know. I came to you for help, and you’re not helping me.”

He frowned.

Tristan: “I am helping you, Jordi. I can tell what Jaxon did with Deimos and how he treated Celeste. I don’t think it will get through to her.”

He folded his hands.

Jordi: “That’s not what I wanted! I wanted you to do something to make her hate him, especially for what he made her do to me!”

He hissed. Tristan gazed at him.

Tristan: “...Did Jaxon make her do that? I never pegged Jaxon as someone who concocts schemes.”

He chuckled.

Jordi: “No, that’s you, and you’re not doing it for me!”

He huffed. Tristan narrowed his eyes at him.

Tristan: “...Where is this third degree coming from, Jordi? I came here to help you, and you’re speaking this way to me because I am not telling you what you want to hear!”

He said sharply. Jordi’s eyelids dipped.

Jordi: “I’m sorry, Tristan… I’m sorry…”

He covered his face with his hands. Tristan sighed.

Tristan: “You are forgiven.”

Tristan shifted in his seat.

Tristan: “You don’t have to like her being with Jaxon. I don’t believe any of us like it, but if you try to control it, she will grow to resent you.”

He said firmly but gently.

Tristan: “...That said, does Blake come around to see Ashley?”

He asked him. Jordi shook his head.

Jordi: “Ashley mentioned him when I brought this up, but no, he doesn’t. He lives with Andreas, and he does the maintenance work at the Donati place.”

Tristan cupped his chin.

Tristan: “Why doesn’t he show up?”

Jordi let out a long sigh.

Jordi: “I think Ashley cut ties with him.”

Tristan: “Why?”

Jordi cleared his throat.

Jordi: “He was on their back about dating Makayla, and then Lazaros.”

He paused when he said this.

Tristan: “While Blake’s assessments of both Makayla and Lazaros were correct, it eventually eroded his and Ashley’s relationship.”

He said, gazing at Jordi. Jordi looked away with hurt in his eyes.

Tristan: “Ashley brought them up to you because I don’t think they want to see happen to you and Lena what happened to them and Blake.”

He said gently.

Tristan: “The harder you push, the more it pulls away.”

He concluded. Jordi tightly pursed his lips.

~

Deimos was at his computer on Fabien’s Bungle Server. He wore a Kreator tank top, torn jeans, and socks. He scrolled through the messages of the general channel.

SeigneurMonstre: So when Celeste asked what Jiro wanted for dinner, he replied, “Your pussy.” Like, fuck you, man. That is the dumbest American Pizza bullshit ever. I thought we stopped thinking that bullshit was a masterpiece after the age of 14…

SeigneurMonstre: Unless you’re Craig.

BlairDonati: Meanwhile, I am a true gentleman who pulls out chairs, pays for girls’ drinks, and cuts up her French Toast, and I am still alone. Jiro has many ladies coming to date him.

DeimosK: Listen, fuckhead, you literally blackmailed Ashley into dating you and taking provocative pictures for you. Don’t you fucking preach being a nice guy, asshole.

BlairDonati: Standing up for them won’t make them want you, Deimos!

DeimosK: I don’t WANT girls. I am GAY. Who said I am doing this because I want them? Maybe what you did was fucking vile and not anything a nice guy would do? Ever think this is why women don’t want you, dipshit?

BlairDonati: You all have it better than I do. All of you have people commenting on and loving your posts. Meanwhile, I am struggling to find a purpose because girls don’t want nice guys. I am tired of being nice to Ashley, buying them a car, and letting them live in my house, only for them to hate me because I am too nice, so I waste my time sharing kindness in a cruel world that refuses to change.

BlairDonati: I did a lot for Ashley, and they left me for jerks! They are the reason I am in this state of depression and wanting to die.

SeigneurMonstre: What does this have to do with what Jiro said about Celeste??

BlairDonati: Fabien, you could have it as bad as me, and you don’t. You’re not sitting here sad and lonely with a broken heart after a girl you loved left you for a fat pig. Ashley is an ugly cow. I never should have taken their fat bum in.

SeigneurMonstre: Yes, and this is my server. I’d like to vent in it once in a while. I let you whine in all my channels. I let you do this every day at every hour. Can I have this for just today? Am I asking too much?

BlairDonati: I came here wanting a place to chill and be cool.

DeimosK: ALL YOU FUCKING DO IS BITCH AND WHINE, YOU MOTHERFUCKER! That’s NOT chilling! You NEVER share anything meaningful! It’s just your fucking whining about shit no one cares about!

Tengu: How tacky. Are you truly surprised Jiro is this tactless? He always was like this. Nothing has ever changed. He never appreciated Celeste.

Deimos blinked when he saw the message from “Tengu.” Do I know this guy? He wondered.

SeigneurMonstre: …Thank you.

SeigneurMonstre: I timed Blair out for a day. He can whine in the Lonely Nice Guys forum for the time being.

Deimos turned to see Tristan over his shoulder. He draped his arms around Deimos and kissed his cheek. He melted into Tristan’s embrace. Tristan gazed at the screen.

Tristan: “Good. He should suspend Blair. I wish he would ban him… sometimes.”

He chuckled and froze when he saw Tengu’s message.

Tristan: “Tengu strikes again.”

Deimos: “Yeah, he doesn’t post much, but posted pictures of Ashley and Jordi to make Blair cry and now this.”

Tristan nodded.

Tristan: “I see now.”

~

Jordi sat low in the driver’s seat of his Ferrari 328, the engine purring with a controlled, predatory power that mirrored his own mood. His purple hair caught the occasional flicker of passing streetlamps, and his hands moved with practiced precision against the leather steering wheel.

He wasn’t ready to go home yet. The thought of Lena and Jaxon was gnawing at him. Jaxon, he thought with anger. The name alone felt like a splinter in his mind. Jaxon, with his shiteating grin and his total lack of care for anyone who wasn't Jaxon, was the last person Jordi wanted Lena to be involved with. Tristan wasn’t helping him, and neither was Ashley. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. He saw the stoplight up ahead turn red, and he rolled to a stop. He let out a hoarse shout as he pounded his fist on the steering wheel.

As he turned a corner into Little Tokyo, he spotted Måneravn. Maybe Andreas can give me a tarot reading to guide me, he thought.

Jordi pulled his car to the curb. He didn’t care that he was still in his work suit; he stepped out into the sultry air, his suit sharp and unyielding, and pushed open the heavy wooden door.

The bell above the door dinged, alerting Andreas’ attention behind the counter. Inside, the shop smelled of dried sage, old books, and burning incense. Andreas was sitting with Blake, discussing music. Jordi waved to them.

Jordi: “Hello, Andreas and Blake!”

He nodded to them. Andreas turned to him.

Andreas: “Hello, Jordi! What brings you by?”

He greeted him with a nod.

Jordi: “I came to get a reading.”

Blake: “How did you know my name?”

He quirked an eyebrow at Jordi.

Jordi: “Oh, Ashley told me!”

He smiled and rubbed the back of his neck.

Blake: “How do you know Ashley?”

He pressed him, scrutinizing him. Andreas gave Blake a look. Jordi tightly pursed his lips.

Jordi: “We’re… seeing each other… And living together now.”

He replied slowly. I guess they didn’t tell him, he thought. Blake gaped at him.

Blake: “...That was quick.”

He twisted his mouth, looking at him with suspicion. Jordi flushed red.

Jordi: “Y-Yes, Tristan said that, too.”

He said with strain. Blake sighed.

Blake: “What are your intentions with Ashley?”

He folded his arms across his chest. Jordi cleared his throat.

Jordi: “Only the best intentions. I love them dearly, and I want them to feel safe and at home as much as I can.”

He replied.

Blake: “You’re not the first to sell that line. Lazaros claimed to ‘love’ Ashley, but he left them to die and discarded them when he was done with them. How do I know you’re not the same? What would someone like you want with someone like Ashley?”

He pressed him, observing his clothing, he was clearly rich like Lazaros. What would a wealthy man want with Ashley other than control? He wondered.

Jordi: “Well, uh, Lazaros clearly has a fetish if you read his cookbooks or know about them. I never made them feel objectified as he did. I love them because they understand me as much as I understand them.”

He replied, feeling uncomfortable. Blake twisted his mouth as he thought about those cookbooks with Lazaros’ punchable face on them and seeing Ashley in those awkward and uncomfortable photos with him.

Blake: “I didn’t need to read that garbage. The cover said everything I needed to know… and didn’t want to know.”

He groused. Jordi twisted his mouth and nodded in agreement.

Blake: “How can you love them if you only just met and started dating? I don’t think you understand them…You couldn’t.”

He sighed, thinking of where he and Ashley came from.

Jordi: “I am very sorry you feel that way. If I can do anything to convince you I do love them and I am not another Lazaros or Makayla, let me know, and I will remedy it.”

He said and knit his eyebrows.

Blake: “If you really aren’t another Makayla and Lazaros, then why did you move in on them when they were vulnerable, right after that sleazy asshole kicked them out, and right after you broke up with that weird fairy girl?”

He sighed.

Jordi: “I was there to pick up an order from them and to see Tristan. It all happened, and they had nowhere to go.”

He folded his arms.

Blake: “They did! They could have come to ME! They could have come here with Andreas and me!”

He placed his hand on his chest with hurt in his tone. Andreas bowed his head. Jordi shifted his eyes and looked away.

Jordi: “...I’m sorry they didn’t… You’re right.”

He said under his breath.

Blake: “I don’t understand why Ashley won’t listen to me and why they go against me for sleazy assholes and choose them over me!”

He groused.

Blake: “I never understood why they chose that glittery sleaze, Lazaros, over Blair, when Blair was good to them. He gave them a home and supported them when Maxx… turned into that thing, and gave them a car.”

He added. Jordi shifted his eyes and didn’t want to debate Blair.

Jordi: “Yeah, this is why I am here. This is the dilemma I am currently dealing with.”

He sighed.

Blake: “Why are you here?”

He asked.

Jordi: “My little sister, Lena, has her sights set on a sleaze named Jaxon… or Jiro, which is his legal name. He mistreats women and treats them like trophies to be won. And no one wants to help me.”

He replied.

Andreas: “Sounds familiar…”

He muttered under his breath, swinging his gaze to Blake.

Blake: “Okay, so your little sister wants to run off with this Maxxy Malone? Then you’d understand where I’m coming from here!”

He stated.

Jordi: “Who said I didn’t? I do understand you!”

He replied firmly.

Blake: “No one helped me when it came to Ashley. No one is going to help you, so you have to help yourself.”

He replied.

Jordi: “And how did that work out for you?”

Andreas swung his gaze to Blake.

Andreas: “Well, Ashley doesn’t speak to him anymore, so not good.”

He stated.

Blake: “I was trying to protect Ashley and do what was best for them! They will realize it one day and thank me one day!”

He countered.

Jordi: “Yes, Ashley hinted to me they cut ties with him.”

He replied to Andreas.

Andreas: “Then take this as a cautionary tale for you and your little sister.”

He said gently but firmly. Jordi paused.

Jordi: “...Tristan told me the same.”

He embraced himself.

Andreas: “If more than one person is telling you the same thing, maybe they have a point.”

He stated.

Blake: “Yes, I wasn’t the only one who told Ashley to stay away from Lazaros, but noo, they didn’t listen to any of us. I can’t stand that slimy asshole.”

He groused.

Jordi: “Well, uh, neither can I, and neither can his own twin brother.”

He added.

Jordi: “Deimos had to save them from the lake. Lazaros did nothing but whine.”

Blake: “Good. I’m glad there are good people in the world. I would have drowned Lazaros in that lake if I were there.”

He pouted, folding his arms across his chest.

Jordi: “That makes the two of us.”

Blake gave him an approving nod.

Blake: “Good.”

Jordi: “And I understand where you’re coming from… I told this to Ashley… Tristan isn’t a protective older sibling… and Fabien is an only child. They don’t understand an older brother looking out for his little sister.”

He stated doggedly.

Blake: “No, they don’t get it. I don’t do this to be an asshole. Sometimes you have to be the bad guy to protect the people you love, though.”

He stated. Jordi nodded.

Jordi: “I get that, too…”

He folded his arms and twisted his mouth.

Andreas: “I think you should go see Ashley.”

He placed his hand on Blake’s shoulder. Blake sighed.

Jordi: “I can… give you my address. You’re always welcome to stop by.”

He replied, withdrawing a piece of paper and a pen. He jotted it down and handed it to Blake.

Blake: “Thanks… I’ll be watching you. If you dare publish a ridiculous cookbook to humiliate Ashley, I’ll drown you in a lake.”

He warned him. Jordi nodded and smiled.

Jordi: “I understand. You have nothing to worry about.”

Blake: “I hope not.”

Jordi nodded.

Jordi: “I got what I wanted then. Drop by anytime, Blake.”

He smiled and left the store. Blake turned to Andreas.

Blake: “He didn’t get what he wanted; he didn’t get his reading.”

Andreas: “He didn’t need to.”

He concluded.

~

Jordi arrived home and pulled the car into his driveway. He killed the engine and got out of his car, carrying his suit jacket under his arm. He stepped into his house and saw Ashley at the dining room table. He smiled at them and knelt to unzip and remove his boots, revealing his black sheer socks. Ashley perked up from the dining room table and rushed over to greet him.

Ashley: “Hello, Jordi!”

They chirped, throwing their arms around him and pulling him in for a kiss. Jordi embraced them and kissed them in return. Their eyes darted down to his sheer black socks, and they smiled.

Jordi: “So…”

He traced their cheek with his thumb. Ashley beamed with delight and rubbed their face up against his like a cat.

Jordi: “I was speaking to Blake today.”

He said softly. Ashley paused.

Ashley: “Blake?”

They replied softly, and their heart sank. Oh no, what did Blake do or say to him? They wondered. Jordi nodded.

Jordi: “I went to see Andreas, and Blake was there with him. I told him you and I were living together and dating. He interrogated me, which was awkward, but I understood him. Then we both agreed Lazaros is a piece of shit. He seems hurt you’re not speaking to him.”

He frowned. Ashley pursed their lips, and their eyebrows rose with surprise.

Ashley: “He didn’t tell you to fuck off and go to hell and to stay away from me?!”

He shook his head.

Jordi: “No. He was looking out for you. I understand that.”

He nodded. Ashley sighed.

Ashley: “He didn’t always know what was best for me. He never liked anyone in my life and kept trying to keep me away from them… except for Blair, who was one of the worst! I worried he’d do the same thing to you, too!”

They stated.

Jordi: “He mentioned that. I said nothing because I hate discussing Blair. And I understand him. I am not like this with Lena because I didn’t mind when she had a crush on Tristan. I knew Tristan would be kind to her, but I was worried about Deimos…”

He bowed his head.

Jordi: “But Jaxon is different! Look at how he treated your friend!”

He exclaimed. Ashley bowed their head and sighed.

Ashley: “I know… Green kitty deserved better than that.”

They sighed.

Ashley: “I just worry about you and Lena… I don’t wanna see you guys end up like me and Blake did.”

Jordi cleared his throat.

Jordi: “I gave Blake my address.”

Ashley’s eyes widened.

Ashley: “Really?!”

They were taken by surprise. Blake has never warmed up to anyone. What did he say to him? They wondered.

Jordi: “Yes, he misses you, and he was only looking out for you. I understand… being an older brother is just this.”

He spread his arms out. Ashley smiled a bit and leaned into his open arms. Jordi wrapped his arms around them.

Ashley: “I know… I know that now, but this is my life to live, and I got hurt and made mistakes, but I learned from them, and now… I’m in a good and happy place with you!”

They smiled up at him. Jordi smiled back and nodded.

Jordi: “That’s right…”

He whispered. Ashley lay peacefully in his chest.