Chapter 66 - plans

This time, he was happy to be making his way to the pub. He couldn’t wait to see the woman he loved with all his heart and make the entire population of Craigsburg know that they were together.
Although he already knew the entire town was aware.
He fastens his steps to the pub.
Then he bumped into his friends. Mason, Gary and Joshua.
Giovanni O’Connell did not know how long it has been since he talked with either one of them. Actually, he did.
The last time he heard from Mason asked him out on a date and he turned him down. He didn’t know if he was the one who distanced himself or if it was Mason. Regardless, he felt guilty.
So much guilt that he didn’t know how or what to tell them.
Since they seemed so engrossed in the conversation, the young man hoped he could walk past them without either of them noticing. For a while, it looked like it would work but the closer he got, the more he realized that his plan was stupid.
Plus, Gary’s gaze had already caught sight of him.
“Oh hi, Gio. How have you been?” Gary was the first to take Giovanni’s hand in a firm handshake followed by a quick side hug.
Then, Mason and Joshua did the same.
“One needs an appointment to see you these days,” Joshua remarked after he pulled away from his hug with Giovanni.
“I’m sorry about that, work has been keeping me real busy. I have a dateline to catch up with” he explained.
Guilt washed over Giovanni O’Connell. Ever since his return to Craigsburg, he had not fully hung out with his teenage buddies and he knew that they were hoping to spend some time with him too.
But a certain blonde haired girl and his job made it impossible for him to deter his attention to them.
“Yeah, real busy with the town whore” Gary said.
Giovanni O’Connell let out a deep and ruffled sigh, expressing his anger and disappointment regarding what Gary had said.
He had some nerves, calling the woman he loved the town whore. It was thanks to old-time sake that Giovanni didn’t punch Gary in the guts and also thanks to the fact that he came to his senses and immediately apologised.
Then it clicked that his reaction regarding what Gary had said about Wren may have hurt Mason, but Giovanni was surprised to look in his direction and found him smiling.
Not at what Gary had said, but the way he was apologising to Giovanni.
“Oh, shit bro! Apparently, you want to meet your maker” Mason mocked.
“Seems like it” Joshua jumped in and playfully leaned into Mason.
He studies both men before him. He has been friends with them long enough to know that Joshua wasn’t the touchy type. He hated anything that had to do with psychical touch, but now, he willingly leaned into Mason.
Something was going on.
“It was nice running into you guys, but I gotta go now” Giovanni O’Connell began to walk away when Joshua called out.
“You owe u a drink. Don’t you forget that” Joshua called out.
Although it was dark, Giovanni stuck out his thumb in acknowledgement of Joshua’s statement before continuing to the pub.
He was already used to it. The awkward silence that crept in whenever he walked into the pub. At some point, it began to bother him.
But today, it didn’t.
Because, unlike the others who had turned in the direction of the door when it was pushed open, Wren Austin was one of them.
She didn’t just stare as the others did. She smiled at him, and that made everything else non-existent for Giovanni as he focused his attention on her.
“You look so beautiful” the young man snarled his arms around Wren Austin’s small waist and pulled her in for a long and passionate kiss, making the entire pub gasp in shock.
Gwendolyn Jefferson and Topaz O’Connell who have had their faces locked together not only gasp but made disgusted faces.
“Get a goddam room you two” Topaz remarked with a disgusted face, earning an eye roll from Wren Austin who pulled away from the kiss and clapped back.
“Just like you two should have an hour ago, but I wasn’t complaining, was I?” Wren Austin clapped back making but girls instantly quiet.
Giovanni O’Connell sat on the bar stool where Wren was seated and pulled the blonde into his lap. After ordering his drink from the bartender, Giovanni, Wren, Topaz and Gwendolyn fell into a line of banter that would occasionally cause loud laughter from either one of them and subsequently, gain the attention of everyone in the pub.
Their talk consisted of mostly teasing each other about their partners and coming with plans they'll never execute.
Including Luke Junior Tequeido who sat at a secluded end of the room, where no one could spot him, but he had a clear view of everyone in the pub.
He watched with envy, anger and jealousy and Giovanni and Wren were all lovey-dovey and touchy with each other. It should be him instead of Giovanni.
Wren Austin should be in love with him. Not as arrogant and narcissistic as Giovanni.
He’s done nothing but hurt her, ridicule her and treated her worse than the others did.
And him? Well, he’s stood by her.
When the entire town condemned her and called her names, he stood by her.
He's never hurt her and yet she chose him over and over. He was the reason for most, if not all her tears. And yet she sat in his lap as though her pain and tears never happened.
She'd proven to him that she'll never want a man who loves and cherish her.
Instead, she wanted someone that will hurt her.
And Luke Junior Tequeido was ready to do just that.
He was going to make her cry and win her heart at the same time.
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