Aiden's POV
I sat at the dimly lit bar of the gambling club, the low hum of voices and the constant clink of glasses blending with the sound of chips hitting tables in the background. The place was buzzing with energy, but it barely registered. All I could think about was the mess I’d made of my life—of Jenna, of everything.
This was where I went when I wanted to shut out the noise in my head. The chaos of the club was easier to deal with than the silence that greeted me back home. It distracted me from the regret that gnawed at me.
I took a swig of my drink, the burn of the alcohol doing little to numb the frustration. Jenna. The name lingered in my mind like a dull ache, and no matter how much I drank or gambled, I couldn’t shake the image of her from my thoughts.
“Same as usual, huh?” Daniel’s voice cut through the noise, and he slid into the seat next to me, signaling the bartender for a drink.
I barely acknowledged him, my focus on the half-empty glass in my hand.
“Still stuck on Jenna, aren’t you?” Daniel said, watching me carefully. “You’ve been coming here more often ever since she broke up with you.”
I clenched my jaw, setting my glass down with a little more force than I intended. “She didn’t just break up with me, Daniel. She walked away like I didn’t matter. Like everything between us was just some... game.”
Daniel let out a low whistle. “That’s cold, man. But can you blame her after everything with Clara?”
I shot him a sharp look. Clara. Of course, it always came back to Clara. “I told her it wasn’t like that,” I muttered bitterly. “But I guess she didn’t believe me.”
Daniel sighed, leaning back in his seat. “Look, you messed up, Aiden. Big time. But drowning yourself in whiskey and poker isn’t going to fix things.”
I knew he was right, but admitting it felt like a weight I wasn’t ready to carry. “It’s easier than thinking about it,” I said under my breath.
There was a pause before Daniel spoke again, more seriously this time. “What are you going to do if Felix is serious about her? You saw them together, right?”
Felix. The thought of him with Jenna sent a fresh wave of anger through me. “I don’t know,” I muttered, running a hand through my hair. “But I’m not going to let him win. Not this time.”
Daniel shook his head, his expression unreadable. “This isn’t some competition, Aiden. If you really care about Jenna, you need to figure out a way to fix what’s broken between you two.”
I didn’t answer. I wasn’t even sure if there was a way to fix it anymore. But the thought of Felix, smug and self-assured, thinking he could take Jenna from me—it was unbearable.
I downed the rest of my drink in one go, the burn not enough to drown out the anger boiling beneath the surface. One thing was clear: I wasn’t done fighting for her.
“And also, let me just say, this is your fault too,” Daniel continued, his voice stern. “You shouldn’t have let her slip away and fall into Felix’s arms. You let your pride get in the way because of some stupid bet.”
His words stung, even though I knew there was truth to them. I clenched my fists, trying to rein in the frustration that was bubbling up inside me.
“And this is how you’ve always been with your women, Aiden. You keep them at arm’s length, thinking they’ll always be there, waiting for you to figure things out. Remember when—”
I cut him off, slamming my glass down on the bar. “That’s enough, Daniel,” I snapped, glaring at him.
Daniel raised his hands in defense, but he didn’t back down. “I’m just telling you what you don’t want to hear, man. If you keep acting like this, Felix is going to take her for good. And this time, it won’t be anyone’s fault but yours.”
I stared at him, seething. As much as I hated to admit it, he was right. I had let Jenna walk away. I let my pride, my mistakes, and my history with Clara poison everything. And now, Felix was swooping in, playing the hero in Jenna’s story while I was cast as the villain.
“I’m not going to let that happen,” I said through gritted teeth, my voice low. “Felix doesn’t deserve her any more than I do.”
Daniel sighed, shaking his head as if he was tired of my stubbornness. “It’s not about who deserves her, Aiden. It’s about who’s willing to fight for her the right way. If you keep going down this path, you’re just going to push her further away.”
I leaned back, my thoughts racing. The truth was, I didn’t know how to fight for Jenna without messing things up even more. But the thought of her with Felix—of her laughing with him, looking at him the way she used to look at me—it was something I couldn’t stand.
“I’ll fix it,” I muttered, more to myself than to Daniel. “I have to.”
But deep down, I wasn’t sure how.
"You have to? How? When Ai—" Daniel started again, but I cut him off sharply before he could finish.
"Are you going to bring her up again? Can you not?" I snapped, irritation rising in my chest. "Whose side are you on, Daniel?"
He raised an eyebrow at me, unfazed by my outburst. "I’m on your side, Aiden, but I’m also not going to let you keep avoiding reality. You're stuck in this cycle—Clara, Jenna, Felix—it's all connected."
I clenched my jaw, refusing to let his words sink in. "I don’t need a lecture right now. What I need is a way to fix this."
Daniel leaned back, crossing his arms as he studied me. "And how do you plan to do that? By avoiding the real issue? By pretending that Felix is the only problem? Let’s face it, man, you’re still hung up on Clara, and it's screwing up everything."
My fists tightened on the edge of the bar. Clara. Her name was like a wound that never fully healed, always there, just beneath the surface. And Daniel wasn’t wrong—my history with her had bled into every relationship since, including the one I’d just lost.
“Jenna’s not Clara,” I said firmly, though the words felt more like a reminder to myself. "She’s different."
“Exactly, so stop treating her like she is,” Daniel replied, his tone softer now. “You want to win her back? Then stop playing these games. Be real with her. Or else Felix is going to do exactly what you’re afraid of—he’s going to take her from you for good.”
I stared down at my drink, the weight of his words pressing on me. Deep down, I knew he was right. But I wasn’t sure if I was ready to face all the things I’d been running from. Not Clara. Not Felix. And definitely not Jenna.
“I’ll figure it out,” I muttered, but the uncertainty in my own voice betrayed me.
Daniel sighed, giving me a look that was equal parts sympathy and exasperation. “You better, Aiden. Because time’s running out."
"And maybe, just maybe, try telling her your secret," Daniel said as he stood up, leaving me alone with his parting words.
My secret.
I watched him walk away, his figure blending into the dim lights of the club. The surrounding noise faded as my mind focused on what he said. That secret—my secret—was something I had buried long ago, something no one else needed to know. It was a part of my past I had promised myself I'd never revisit.
Past is past, I reminded myself.
But as much as I tried to convince myself of that, there was always a lingering doubt. The kind that crept in late at night when I couldn’t sleep. The kind that made me wonder if it was really over. If the weight of what I was hiding was slowly eating away at me, affecting everything in my life—especially with Jenna.
I downed the rest of my drink, the burn of alcohol doing little to numb the unease growing inside me. Daniel didn’t know how complicated things were. No one did. And I planned on keeping it that way.
But then, Jenna’s face flashed in my mind. The way she looked at me before everything fell apart. The way she used to trust me completely. Could I really win her back while hiding something so big?
I gripped the empty glass, frustration boiling inside me. I didn’t know if I could ever come clean. Not without risking everything. But how much longer could I live with this secret between us?
The truth was, I couldn’t shake the feeling that if Jenna ever found out, I’d lose her forever.