Not Intended

[Play On Words]

(Sure)

 

[Anony]

Brynn smiled sleepily at Henry, and just shook her head. "I really need to stop this....I just can't." She leaned over to peck his lips slowly. Brynn was as loyal as they came, and she'd probably always be loyal to Sam. But there was something about being in Henry's bed. It was wrong, all while being perfectly right. It was everything she hadn't expected it to be, but she couldn't stop doing it either.


While she had a lot of bad things to say about Sam, there were also moments where she saw the man she loved, and that made it all the more difficult to justify wanting to leave him. Plus....her whole life was literally wrapped up into Sam.


"I should go." She kissed him again, and shook her head. "But let's save the motorcycle ride for some other time, ok?" She suggested to him, a smile flashing across his face. "Just let me figure some stuff out, alright?"


She stood up, less worried about her body being bare the night before, while she looked around for her clothes scattered across the apartment.


"No more of this Henry, for real this time."

 

[Play On Words]

Henry leaned into the kiss, smiling slightly. Her words took the sting out of her actions, but it still hurt a bit. He watched her naked body shamelessly, remaining on his bed with his hands behind his head. God, she was so beautiful. Out of his league, they both had to know it. But they had still messed up. Twice.


"I look forward to it. Give me a call when you finish figuring it out." He said quietly, biting his lip to stop himself from continuing. Until she said her last words, and he flinched slightly. Of course. This was still a mistake to her, as amazing of one as it was. She didn't want to continue.


"I make no promises. It's up to your self-control, not mine." He said immediately, sitting up and reaching for a pair of boxers. He pulled them on and walked to his dresser, grabbing a pair of jeans and yanking them on before going to all the rooms they had been in, grabbing her clothes as he went. He returned to her and handed her his findings, jaw clenched slightly.


"I'll... Give you some privacy." He offered, walking back to his home gym and getting back on the treadmill.

 

[Anony]

Brynn felt horrible,but she knew she was wrong. He had just ended a relationship with Melinda, for cheating. And there she was, cheating on her boyfriend with him. It was a mess, really. She was no better than Melinda, and she had a feeling Henry knew that. She was young, she was stupid, but she also knew what she was doing was very wrong. There was no reason she needed to be dragging two people through the mess she called life.


As he got up, she could tell he was hurt, but she didn't say anything, she just took her clothes and watched as he went off to work out in his home gym. He was hurting, and that was exactly why didn't want to continue things. Continuing meant hurting everyone. Even if Sam was a jerk, she knew he'd be hurt by her actions. She knew that, and she knew it needed to stop.


After she was dressed, she went ahead and slipped out of the apartment quietly, figuring he'd know she left.


And she headed back to her empty apartment, where she'd undoubtedly clean up after Sam and just wait for him to come home. It made no sense why she loved him, but she did, and she couldn't break that promise.

 

[Play On Words]

Henry assumed that Brynn left, but he didn't stop. He had no desire to stop. He wanted to believe that he'd get his act together, that, if she called him again, he'd show some self-control. but he knew he wouldn't. He was... He was digging a hole that he couldn't escape. Eventually, he slammed his hand against the power button of the treadmill, changing into a slightly nicer outfit and walking down to his new motorcycle. It was cheap, but it looked good and drove well.


In just a few short minutes, he was at the nearest bar, one that he'd never been to before. He didn't want to hook up with someone, they all looked plain after being with Brynn. But he wanted more alcohol than his place had to offer. So he walked to the bar and smiled at the pretty bartender. "Can I get... A cheap bourbon, please?" He sighed, knowing he was on a budget. He had to get a better job, his current career as a mechanic was not doing anything for him. "And... Are you guys hiring?" He asked without thinking.


"Yea, we could use a new night bartender." She replied, laying his drink in front of him. "Wouldn't mind having a hot co-worker. I'll get you an application." She winked, walking away. He smiled slightly. A night job was for the best, he could keep his first job as well. Two jobs. God, he hadn't done that since high school. But his options were limited. He had dropped out of high school before he had gotten his degree to join the army, trying to support his mother's expensive hospital bills after she learned she had lung cancer. He put every penny he had into it, and she died a few years later, the tumors spreading too far and too fast. Which left him with no good family, no money, and no degree. He had gotten his high school degree after returning from overseas, but he was still working on college, and couldn't get many good jobs. He could've asked his father for cash... If he wanted a knife in his chest. Most of the many scars on his torso were from his abusive father, who was still alive and drinking somewhere. Yea. His family was functional as hell.

 

[Anony]

When Brynn got home, she hadn't expected to find a passed out Sam. Normally, he wasn't home, and both her and Henry had figured he'd be out for hours - if he ever got home. And he was sitting on the couch, a sloppy mess, and Brynn just sighed to herself. She left a perfectly fine, attractive man who dotted on her in every way possible, for a man who could hardly control himself and drank himself into oblivion.


"Sam..."She said gently nudging his shoulder. "Sam....let's get you to bed." She told him, and he sat up, just mumbling like an idiot - like he always did.


"Fuck off, Tara." He muttered, and just started slurring his words again. Who was Tara? She had no idea. It wasn't the first time Sam mumbled total nonsense.


"Sam, come on...."She said quietly, kissing the top of his head. "It's Brynn." She told him, and he just looked angry at that point. Sam had a reputation - even when they had been incredibly happy and in love, for being a little bit of an angry drunk. He'd pushed her around a few times, and frequently fought his friends. Something Henry was probably all too familiar with. That had always been Sam though.


That's when he did it. He stood up, and he pushed Brynn out of the way, hard enough it sent her backwards over the coffee table. Her head hitting the wall, and she landed on the other side of the ground, her wrist catching her fall.


"Fuck, Sam " She practically cried out, and that seemed to get him to come to enough to realize what had happened.


"Shit......shit....Brynn..." He said in a panicked voice, pulling out his phone. "Are you okay? I can get help...."

 

[Play On Words]

After a few more drinks, Henry got bored of the bar scene. He wanted to talk to Brynn. To get it clear what was happening between them. He drove to her house and walked in without knocking, something he did often. Not his best habit. But, for once, he was glad he did. The second he saw the scene in front of him, he charged forward, shoving Sam away and kneeling beside Brynn, incredibly calm.


"Brynn? Hey, look at me." He murmured. He lifted her carefully into a sitting position and inspected her head, just in case. There didn't seem to be any serious wounds, and he didn't see any blood, although her hair could've easily been covering it. She seemed to be holding her wrist, and he inspected it carefully. "It's okay. Nothing serious." He promised quietly. He lifted her up and placed her on the couch before facing Sam. He reached out and took the idiot's phone, tossing it aside.


Without another second's pause, he lunged, punching his friend as hard as he could across the face. "You think it's okay, beating the girl who loves you? Who'd do anything for you?!" He demanded, furious beyond belief.


"It was an accident--" Sam began, holding his bleeding nose.


"An accident?!" Henry bellowed, punching him again. "Oh, sorry. It was an accident!" He howled, shaking with rage. He let himself get distracted, and immediately suffered for it. Sam surged forward, slamming Henry, and his head, against the wall roughly. Henry snarled with pain, trying to push the guy away without luck. He felt Sam's hands close on his throat, and his eyes widened with surprise as his oxygen cut off suddenly. He clawed at Sam's hands, trying to pry them free. But he had hit his head much harder than Brynn, and wasn't up to par.

 

[Anony]

When Henry barged in, Brynn's stomach dropped, and she looked at him as he came forward towards her, and just nodded her head as he said she was ok. She knew she was, Sam had pushed her around a time or two before, she just never said much about it. But that didn't mean it was an easier pill to swallow as she moved to the couch, where Henry then took off.


The scene infront of her was horrific. The man she loved getting the shit knocked out of him, while the man she was sleeping with gave him what he deserved. And the man that she should have loved.


That was when the tables turned though, and Sam had the upper hand, and pushed at Henry and threw him into the wall. "Sam, fucking stop!" She screamed at him, before she stood back up. "What the hell is wrong with you?" She asked him, as he let go of Henry, his eyes resting on Brynn. "Sam, you need to cool off." She barked at him, and he just let his chest rise and fall, his fists clenched.


"Stupid bitch." He muttered, before he grabbed his wallet and keys and took off out the door, undoubtedly to go drink some more.


But it allowed Brynn the time to tend to Henry. "Hey...." She said quietly, looking at him in the eye. "Hey....you alright?" She asked him, genuinely concerned. She knew just how violent Sam could be. "You shouldn't have stepped in like that. You know how he gets."

 

[Play On Words]

Henry hunched over when the hands fell from his throat, gasping for air. He touched the back of his head, his fingers coming away red. But he ignored it. He'd had worse. At Sam's words, his jaw clenched, and he took a step forward before the bastard disappeared. He took a deep breath before tearing a strip from the bottom of his shirt, pressing it against the back of his head to stop the bleeding.


"I'm fine." He muttered, his pride more wounded than anything. He didn't like getting beat. "Yea, I know. I'd rather he beat me up than you." He shrugged, staring anywhere but at her. He couldn't. Not without the temptation.


"I should go. I didn't help anything by coming." He sighed heavily, patting his pockets slightly. His own wallet was missing, laying on the floor from where it had fallen from his pocket. He bent over, wincing slightly, and picked it up, shoving it back in his pocket. If he looked at her, he'd lose the fragile grip he had on his self-control, he'd make a move on her when she had just gotten hurt by the guy that she, for some reason, loved. Besides, she probably was going to insist that he go to the hospital, not that he'd listen. He couldn't afford a hospital bill, and he definitely wasn't going to deal with the awkward questions.


Yes, doctor. My best friend beat the shit out of me when I defended his girlfriend, who he also beat the shit out of. Why did I defend her? Oh, well, we've slept together twice over the past 24 hours, even though she doesn't want it to happen again. She doesn't know that her boyfriend has been cheating on her for months.





Yea. That would end well.

 

[Anony]

Brynn just stared at Henry as he moved, and she shook her head. "You're bleeding, Henry...."she told him, her eyes not leaving him for a second. "No you didn't help anything." She gave a tiny half smile. "I've got Sam covered...trust me." She had handled a drunken Sam way too many times in her life, she knew how to put him with him.


"Here, let me look at your cut." She walked behind him, one hand resting on his shoulder, the other hand just carefully peeling away the towel to get a better look, and she spent several seconds looking, before she allowed him to put some pressure back on the wound.


"You're not going to like me." She told him, squatting down in front of him. "You need to go to the hospital." She told him, before kissing his cheek softly. "Come, I'll drive you. Probably just a handful of stitches."


She stood back up straight, before she turned back to him. "No if ands or buts....that's a pretty nasty gash, Henry."

 

[Play On Words]

Henry flinched at the words, making a guess on what they meant. Sam had beat her around before. As she continued, he shook his head, standing up straighter.


"I'm not going to the hospital." He said, leaning away from her kiss and wincing slightly. "Don't. Because if you do, I will ignore every time you told me it can't happen again, every time you said it's stupid, and I will be the guy that deserves Sam beating the shit out of me. Because I'm okay with that, and you aren't. I can't look at you as my friend anymore." His voice was steady, but the pain in it was palpable.


"I don't want to lose you, but... I don't have self-control. When I see something I want, I take it, because I'm not scared of rejection or failure, I move past it. But... I can't move past you." He took a deep breath, forcing out the words that she had been trying to avoid. "I've... I've been thinking of redeploying." He managed, staring firmly at the ground.


"I know it's stupid, an emotional decision, but... I'd rather risk my life every day, I'd rather get shot... Than keep seeing you stand up for him. Than keep seeing you refuse to see logic, and staying with him. That hurts more than any bullet could." He admitted, biting his lip hard.

 

[Anony]

Brynn listened carefully to Henry - and he was saying everything she had hoped he wouldn't. He had feelings, and she just wasn't sure if she could return them. Not yet, at least. She had no idea how to tell him that she cared for him, but wasn't sure how to end things with Sam. She had two very different feelings for two very different men, and to one she owed loyalty, to the other she owed her happiness.


As he brought up redeploying, Brynn's gaze shot upwards. "What?" She asked him, her eyes widening a touch. "That is a stupid decision." She told him, shaking her head.


"Henry...." She sighed. "it's been two days. Like, I don't know how I feel other than the fact I really care a lot for both of you." It was an honest answer, the best thing she could give him. "I don't think you need to be talking about taking bullets and going on a suicide mission because I don't know where and what I want after two days."


She just sat down next to him, leaning against the wall, and she gave him a tiny smile. "Stay here.....for me." She said to him, in a quiet, almost inaudiable tone, her eyes searching his.


"I don't want you to go." She turned to face him again and just bit her bottom lip herself. She leaned closer to him, just kissing his cheek softly. "Just....give me some more time."

 

[Play On Words]

Henry laughed bitterly. "Brynn... It's not just for you." He said disbelievingly. Yea, he was hurt. Yea, he wanted more. And yea, she was a huge part of the reason. But it wasn't just her. "It might be a stupid decision... But I have no money. I couldn't go to the hospital if I wanted to because I can't afford the bill. Besides... I went once and it ended up fine. So I'm thinking about going again." He sighed.


"You're right. It's been two days. And you do care for both of us. One of us, you care about out of obligation. How is that healthy?" He wanted to get angry, but he couldn't get out of his very real sense of calm. "If I redeploy... It will give us both a chance to figure out where we're at. Without the option of hopping into bed every time Sam is out of sight. It gives us an opportunity. And if you have no problem being without me for two years... Then it's obvious where your heart lies." He said simply. At her next words, he paused. Was she trying to seduce him into staying?


"Give me one reason to. Just one. There's no promise of anything. So why should I stay? And don't say that you choose me, because we both know that's a lie. You're so... So stubbornly set on the idea that you can only love one person in your lifetime. It doesn't work that way. But you'll never see that. And I know, because that's exactly how I felt about Melinda. I thought I'd never fall for anyone else, that I'd only ever want to be with her. And now, just the idea of her disgusts me. We're both idiots. But I'm going to do something about it. I'm going to give you as much time as you need. I only need another month until I finish my online courses and get my degree. That's your deadline, Brynn. That's your deadline to give me one reason. Because otherwise, I'm redeploying." He said firmly.

 

[Anony]

Henry gave her a a deadline. An actual hard set, deadline. And she winced at the mention of it. Of course she didn't expect to be able to string two men along at the same time. Sure, she didn't expect Henry to just....care for her but know that he always came second. That she'd rush home to Sam the second trouble arose. Of course she didn't expect those things, but she also didn't expect a hardset deadline.


"Ok...."She said quietly, before she took a few steps away from him. "I wish I was a reason enough not to leave, Henry. You don't have to go just because I can't make up my mind right this second. What if you reenlist and I do make up my mind? What then? Are you going to take me with you if they move to base? Or are you going to leave me here? Because it sounds like you want to, despite what my answer turns out to be..."


She shook her head and just gazed at him. "Why don't you go home?" She told him, raising her brows in his general direction. Sam would likely come home sooner rather than later, and she didn't want to deal with the two of them in the same city, let alone the same room again.


"So, I guess just tell me what it is your plan is too....because I don't want to pick you and for all the sudden you be moving across the country without me."

 

[Play On Words]

"My plan? My plan is to live my own life without changing my plans based on my best friend's girlfriend!" He shouted, fists clenched. "If I reenlist, and you make up your mind... Then we can make it work. And if we can't, then you obviously made the wrong choice." He shook his head, scoffing quietly.


"I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing this because it's the right thing to do. You knew it was always my plan to reenlist. What, you sleep with me twice, tell me that the only guarantee about it is that there's no guarantee, it can't happen again, and that you're in love with your abusive boyfriend... And that changes everything about my life? Wow. What a very... Melinda-like thought process. I expected better from you." He said quietly.


"Yea. I will go home. And until you can give me a straight answer, and stand by it... My home is exactly where I don't want you." He snapped, turning on his heel and walking out, slamming the door loudly behind him. He walked to his motorcycle, anger flaring through him. After a moment, he kicked the bike hard, knocking it over and probably fucking it up. "God fucking damn it!" He bellowed.

 

[Anony]

The violence and anger that came from Henry surprised her. He was always calm and rational, and so sweet about everything. It was part of what attracted Brynn to him. But, he had a temperment. They all had known that, and they had all known that for a long time. Some said it was from the military, others said that it was because of Melinda.


Which is why when he compared her to Melinda, her face fell. His words hurt, worse than he knew. His actions hurt as well, probably more than he thought possible. Sure, he may have thought she was some terrible things for sleeping around - she thought some terrible things of herself. But to hear him call her those things, well, it hurt a lot more than she had expected it to hurt.


After he left, she just shook her head, unable to say or doing anything else. It was the most she had ever seen Henry act out, and it made her decision that much worse. She was falling out of the feelings she had for Sam over his temperment, how could she possibly justify jumping into something with Henry?


So, she left him quiet for several days the following week.

 

[Play On Words]

(I guess a time skip then. Shall we say five days?)

 

[Anony]

(that works)

 

[Play On Words]

Five days. Five days without seeing Brynn. Henry tried to throw himself into other things, namely work, working out, and school. He picked up overtime whenever he could. Unfortunately, it'd just prove Brynn right. She had always teased him for working harder when he was pissed. Told him he should get pissed more, he'd get a promotion. And he couldn't stop. Thinking. Especially, and only, about her. Mainly her face when he compared her to Melinda. It had been unfair, but he had been being honest. Because Melinda had done the same thing when he first deployed, at just 17. They had been getting serious, they got in a fight.


It had always been his plan to enlist. The instant he turned 17, he knew he'd be in in just days. And it had happened to fall right after one of his and Melinda's worst fights. So she had accused him of running off to the army to avoid having to deal with commitment. Saying the exact shit that Brynn had. And he had never told Sam or Brynn that.


And Sam was another issue. No. Henry hadn't spoken to him either. Sam had called him three times a day since five days before, as usual. Normally, Henry picked up the first time, and they pretended it never happened. But he just couldn't. And he ignored every call. Fifteen times.


"Blake!" A gruff male voice shouted. Henry pushed himself from under the car he was working out, wiping his greasy hands on his ridiculous jumpsuit. Or uniform, depending on who asked. His boss was leading a pretty young woman inside. Henry wiped his hands more completely on his 'pant' legs. "This is Theresa Hawkins. She's looking for you." His boss explained. Henry offered the girl his disgusting hand before pulling it away, smiling sheepishly.


"Uh, sorry. I'm a bit dirty." He laughed, and she smiled shyly.


"It's okay. We haven't met. Like your boss said, I'm Theresa. I... I go by Tara." She explained, staring at him, looking worried. He froze, understanding immediately.

 

[Anony]

The next five days dragged on. Sam didn't apolgoiZe. He never would, Sam didn't apologize. They went about their life as normal, they hooked up most nights, though the sex they had was lack luster in comparison to what she had with Henry. Then there was the issue of Henry in general. She cared for the man so much, she really did. But she wasn't sure if she could bail on her promise to Sam without feeling like shit.


By day four things seemed almost normal with Sam. He was being nice and sweet. He was being kind and he was being more like himself than ever before. He even took her out- something they hadn't done in forever. It felt good. Wondeful, actually. But it made her decision that much harder. He was coming through when she needed him to be an ass. To make her decision easy.


Day five, he was cuddling her in her, proclaiming his love and how he couldn't wait to spend his life with her. It was like he knew. It was like he knew he was losing her, and he was pulling her right back in, in typical Sam fashion. And that completely crushed her.


He even went so far to make them breakfast, to clean up around the house, to put in effort into things he never had. He let her concentrate on her schoolwork, and she thought her choice had been made for her.

 

[Play On Words]

Henry stared in shock at the girl. This couldn't be... Not Sam's Tara. "Please tell me that, if you are who I think you are, you aren't this stupid." He said bluntly.


"Sam talks about you. All the time. Listen, I just need to know. The past few days, he's been distant. A week ago, he was telling me he loved me, he wanted to be with me. And now... He's slipping away." She whispered, tears falling from her eyes. Henry wanted to hit someone. He wanted to hit Sam.


"He told you that, huh? He tell you about Brynn?" He asked, disgusted. "He tell you that he did the exact same thing for her?" He continued. She flinched slightly.


"He told me that he thought he loved Brynn. And that he just... Doesn't. Not anymore." She insisted. "Just do one thing for me. He never told me where he lives. Just take me there. While his girlfriend is there. I want him to be forced to choose. Because he says he doesn't care about her anymore, he just doesn't want to hurt her. And I don't want to share the man I love." She pleaded. Henry wanted to say no. As he opened his mouth to say it, his phone rang, and he pulled it out. Sam. Without thinking, he answered it.


"Hey. Don't say a word. Just... I'm going to be there in ten, alright? Brynn's there, right?" He said slowly. When Sam agreed, Henry nodded, ending the call. "Heading out, Elton!" He shouted to his boss, leading Tara out to his motorcycle. In just seven minutes, he was knocking on the door, still in his grimy work clothes. Tara was hiding nearby, out of sight but in hearing range.

 

[Anony]

That whole morning was great with Sam. And she even found herself saying words she thought she wouldn't say again. That she loved him. And Brynn really did think her decision wss made for her. She wasn't sure if it was what Henry said or if it was just guilt or if he got his fun out of his system, but she was experiencing a completely different Sam. It was refreshing. It was everything that she had been waiting for.


"I'm going to call Henry and apologize for the other night." Sam said after they had finished breakfast. "Then let's go out to the movies and a nice dinner." He suggested.


Brynn went to go get ready, putting on a pair of skinny jeans and a pretty tank top that showed off her slight curves and even put on a pair of wedges. It was nice to have a reason to curl her hair and get all done up, she hadn't had a reason in months.


When there was a knock at the door she heard Sam call out that he would be there in a moment, so she just went ahead and went to the door to answer it herself. Only to find Henry there.


"Henry....." She said awkwardly, her eyes falling on him. "Did you want to talk to Sam?" She asked opening the door wider. "He said he called you to apologize I didn't know you were coming over."

 

[Play On Words]

Henry didn't flinch when Brynn answered. He just looked over at Tara, nodding slightly. Immediately, she walked out, pausing slightly when she saw Brynn.


"Brynn. This is Theresa Hawkins." He said quietly.


"Tara." Theresa corrected slightly. "Is... Is Sam around? I really need to talk to both of you together." She asked awkwardly.


"Don't ask, he's here." Henry scoffed, leading her inside, avoiding looking at Brynn. "Hey, Sam! I brought you something!" He shouted. A few moments later, Sam emerged, looking confused. His look fell away when he saw Tara, turning into a look of pure panic. "Look what dropped by the shop." Henry said nonchalantly, looking around. He smiled when he noticed Sam's and Brynn's attire. "Aw, you were about to go on a date. Yea, consider that cancelled." He laughed. Tara flinched slightly, ducking her head. "Go ahead, T. Tell her. Tell both of them. Tell the world for all I care."


"Um... Brynn... Sam and I have... We've been... For a year, Sam and I have been dating. Seriously. According to Henry, he does for me what he used to do for you. He tells me he loves me, he spends the night almost every night. We talk about our future, getting married. Having kids." Tara said shakily, her voice breaking slightly as tears fell from her eyes again. "Until five days ago. He tells me constantly that... That he fell out of love with you, that he just didn't want to hurt you. But... Again, according to Henry... The second it seemed like he might lose you, he blew me off for you. I promised him I wouldn't go to you. Or Henry. But... I'm in love with him. And if I'm losing him, I want to know flat-out. I want him to look both of us in the eyes and I want the truth." She shrugged pathetically. "I can't be sorry for that."

 

[Anony]

Brynn stared as a pretty, young girl, walked into their home. Her eyebrows were cocked in confusion. She knew Sam had cheated in the past, they had talked about it, but it had always been a one time thing. Or so he said. This girl though? She looked terrified. She looked like what Brynn felt. She looked absolutely sick, but she was still beautiful. In a lot of ways that Brynn wasn't. And it made her heart sink, it was impossible not to compare herself.


But the other part of her was angry. Angry at this girl. Angry at Sam Angry at Henry. She was so upset. Things with Sam had just seemed to pan out, and she was finding herself happier and happier. She was convinced she had made the right choice.


"What...." Brynn said, shaking her head. "Sam...is this true?"


Sam just stared there in disbelief, the truth was bubbling up across his facial features. He did love that girl, she could tell. It was the same way he looked at her, frequently.


As he nodded in agreement, her face fell even more. "How...how could you, Sam? I've asked for months...." She felt tears welling up in her eyes, the pain was obvious.


That's when she turned back to Henry. "And you...ambushing me like this?" She asked him, her voice cracking in obvious pain. "Knowing this? And bringing her here? Throwing this in my face? What for? To hurt me, Henry?" She asked him, just choking out the words. "You could have told me. In private....not like this."


She shook her head. "Sam. We're done." She said as she went for the door. "And Henry, I make no choice." She knew Sam wouldn't know what that meant, but Henry would. That's who she wanted to hear it.

 

[Play On Words]

"Don't act like that. This has nothing to do with you, Brynn." Henry scoffed, shaking his head. "I didn't do this to hurt you. I'm not petty. I brought Tara here at her request. Because she thought you had the right to know that your boyfriend is a cheating bastard, in a way that he couldn't deny it and still keep fucking with both of you. I would've done the same thing." He sighed, walking past her and out the door.


"I'll see you in a couple of years, Brynn. It's been fun. And by the way, Sam? Fuck you." He said simply, turning back one last time. "I'll see myself out." He threw one leg over his motorcycle and put on his sunglasses by habit. He revved the engine to life, not sparing a second glance to Brynn. She wasn't interested. He'd find someone else. Eventually.


He started to drive away, face hard. He tried to show no emotion, but the pain in his eyes was obvious. He knew his plan of attack. He wouldn't. He'd get his damned degree, he'd reenlist. He'd move on, eventually. He didn't have a choice.