Filed to story: Claimed by My Ex’s Alpha Brother
Makala sprang out of the bed and started to pull her red dress over her head.
“Um, well, I guess you two have a lot to talk about,” she said once she was dressed. “Sorry, uh, for this,” Makala said to me and gestured wildly around the room, and then left.
Noah avoided my eye as he clumsily pulled on his jeans. His blonde hair was disheveled, and from his red, watery eyes, I could tell that he was drunk.
“Ella, this isn’t-“
“Don’t say this isn’t what it looks like because I’m not an idiot,” I snapped and crossed my arms.
“I’m sorry,” he slurred. “I know sleeping with Makala wasn’t cool of me, but since you’re saving yourself for marriage, I just wanted to lose my virginity before I graduated high school. Can’t you understand that?” He swayed where he stood.
“No, I can’t understand that, you asshole! I found an engagement ring in your pocket yesterday! How the hell could you go to bed with someone else when you were going to ask me to marry you?” I demanded.
“Oh, shit. You found that?” He ran a hand through his hair and heaved a sigh. “Right, well, I had a talk with Liam this morning about the idea of you and I getting married, and he said that I should make sure this is something I want to do. Liam told me to explore my other options before I committed to one girl for the rest of my life.”
My heart dropped to the floor.
“Liam said that?” I asked.
Noah nodded, which caused him to sway again.
I knew where I was going next.
But first, I stepped toward Noah, who was still swaying, and lightly pushed him, causing him to fall back onto the bed.
“Hey, what the hell!” he protested.
“We’re done, Noah.” I spun on my heel and walked to the door. When I turned my head back toward him, he was still sprawled on his back. “Oh, and I hated the ring you picked out for me. I’m glad I’ll never have to wear it.”
Then, I slammed the door shut.
***
“Ella? Are you all right? Why didn’t you use the front door?” Liam asked, rubbing his eyes and yawning.
I was standing in front of his bedroom window. Anger had fueled me on my drive over here. Obviously, I was mad at Noah for cheating on me, but the fact that Liam told him to explore his other options felt like someone shooting me with an arrow after they lit me on fire. It was the final death blow. Did Liam really think that little of me?
“I didn’t want your parents to wake up,” I explained. “That’s why I didn’t use the front door. I need to talk to you. It’s important.”
“Come in,” Liam said, and offered me his hand to help me through the window.
But I ignored his hand and hitched my skirt up, exposing my leg, and ducked my head as I climbed through the window.
Liam’s eyes went to my leg, and then he cleared his throat.
He shut the window when I was safely inside. Now that I was in his presence, the knot in my chest loosened slightly.
I glanced around Liam’s neat room, greedily taking in every detail. I hadn’t been in here since Noah and I started dating. There was a fancy new computer setup with two monitors. His large bed with a white, fluffy comforter was the same. A painting right above his bed caught my eye. It was a simple gold sun, depicted the way it looked right before it set. Even though it wasn’t anything special, the painting made my heart lurch, like it wanted to be closer to the art.
“Ella, are you okay?”
I turned away from the sun and let out an involuntary gasp when I saw that Liam was much closer to me than he was a second ago. His tawny hair was tousled from sleep, and there was a red mark from his pillow on his cheek. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, only loose black sweatpants that showcased the V cut into his hips. My mouth went dry.
Woah.
I had to remind myself that I was mad at him. I rolled my shoulders back and put my hands on my hips.
“Did you tell Noah that he should explore his other options before he commits to me for the rest of his life? ” I asked bluntly.
Liam’s eyes widened.
“What? No, of course not. I told him that he needed to think about proposing to you for at least a month to make sure that it’s what he truly wants. Why are you asking me this? What happened? You guys aren’t…engaged, are you?” A guarded expression crossed his face, closing off his vibrant green eyes.
I snorted and took a seat on his bed. He sat beside me.
“No. We broke up.”
I told him about finding Noah in bed with Makala.
“What the hell?” Liam growled and started to his feet. “That asshole! I’m going to kill him.”
I grabbed his hand and pulled him back down on the bed.
“It’s fine, Liam. Really. I’m…okay.”
He gave me a look that made it clear he didn’t believe me.
“Honestly, I’ve been having some doubts about Noah and I’s relationship for a while, and this just confirms that he isn’t the one for me,” I said.
Liam moved an inch closer to me, and I had to suppress a shiver. What would it feel like to press the side of my thigh against his? Was I brave enough to do that?
“And Noah cheated on me for the dumbest reason,” I continued.
