Dangerous & Anew (Sequel to Inhaling Alongside You)✔️

Chapter Sixteen: Chandlers Equals Chaos, Equals Peace Restoration?

It is easy enough to be friendly to one's friends. But to befriend the one who regards himself as your enemy is the quintessence of true religion. The other is mere business.

-Mahatma Gandhi

I live in a world where greed and evil is everywhere you look. Your friends, they are not your friends. Your family, no such thing as the word. You yourself, you can't even trust. There's always deception, corruption. There's always consequences. Therefore, I keep my guard up, but yet my heart resides openly. I know I shouldn't, but still I do. I know I should walk away, but yet I still walk towards. I can't help it.

I just can't.

I've been contemplating, raking my brain as I try to figure out what's next. Where do I go from here? So many people are telling me "This is your route!" Or "No, no that is your route!", but they never give me a chance to decide. I never get a breathing chance to understand for myself. That's my dilemma. This is what has been eating at me.

I don't know what to do.

Every since the dinner with the Chandlers, Bill and I have been barking down each other's throat none stop. He has an opinion and so do I. He thinks he's always right, so do I. I just want my peace, I don't want to fight about the people I allow into my life, nor do I want to fight about the decisions I make. I'm tired of being put on a leash. I'm not a child, but a man. A man who is becoming illy fed up.

"You left your pregnant fiancé to take that damn boy to a soccer game?! Are you really trying not to have a wedding?! You're so damn... So damn naive!" He barks, flexing his hands towards me.

I hold my ground, glaring at the man with nothing but animosity. I don't hate Bill, but my feelings for him are certainly close to it.

"You know... Debbie had to call me two hours ago about the girl stressing out about you?! Do you not understand how selfish you have become?! Dammit Michael... You want to be a grown man.. But you're acting like a child... A fucking child...pouting when told he was wrong... It's tiring" He sighs, suddenly calming down.

He glances towards the left wing of the foyer, his eyes softening at his new focus. I close my eyes for a long minute, knowing exactly who he is staring at.

"You told me you were at the studio..." She sighs, her voice a little hoarse.

I give Bill another glance. He shakes his head, turning to walk away. Feeling there to be no use to lie or even tell the partial truth, I sigh once again, heavily and turn towards her.

"I was... Then June called about Jordy... He wanted to go somewhere and because it's a day before his last treatment, I thought why not... So I had Scotty and Rafael take us there and-"

"Why?" She trembles, her eyes beginning to well.

My heart is shattering, slowly but surely shattering. I hate seeing her cry, especially because of me.

Then why make her cry?

"I don't know..." I answer, more so directing it towards my conscience.

She shakes her head and steps closer. I'm honestly scared about what she will do when she's inches away. But soon enough she's inches away and my thoughts halt when she places her palms on my jaw.

"I'm loosing you Michael. I'm loosing you to a child... I'm loosing you to a child that isn't ours... You care more for Jordy than our baby. I don't know what I'm going to do, what you're going to do when the baby arrives... Is Jordy still going to be around? Is Jordy going to always be the head of your life?" She stresses, her eyes following mine as I try to look at anything but her.