Innocent Temptation

Chapter Sixteen: Taste of their own medicine

AIRA was filled with negative energy, something she never thought she could feel. She had always been forgive and forget type, always running away from conflicts and confrontations. But right then all she wanted was to make sure that she put that big hulking man in his spot for thinking that he could order Aira like she was his pet.

So when she returned to the backyard, she found Greg and refused to leave his side. When he asked, “When are we leaving?”

Aira told him that she’d like to stay and have dinner with everyone, because she wanted to let the man, who thought of himself as her guardian and had the audacity to lecture her on what's good and bad for her, know that she was indeed ignoring his so called warning and was still with Greg and enjoying herself— which she definitely was.

“Here…”

Greg handed her a plate of chicken wings and she took it as she was still lost in her mind but when she looked down at the contents of the plate, she almost dropped it.

She quickly made her way to the food table and put the plate down. “Who gave that to you?” Mrs Colson asked.

She sighed. “Greg handed it to me.”

“So, he doesn’t know that you are vegetarian?” When Aira shook her head, she said, “I made you veg Kababs,” Mrs Colson grabbed the covered bowl and slid it towards her. Kissing her head, she said, “I’d never invite you and not make sure that you eat, my sweet.”

“Thank you,” Aira murmured, but her mind was still occupied with Mac.

As if sensing her whirling thoughts, Mrs Colson asked, “Is there something that’s bothering you, sweet?”

At first Aira shook her head but then she thought better of it and asked, “Ma, what should I do if someone keeps butting into my business?”

“Is this about Jay? You know that little boy was only trying to protect his big sister. Let him be."

Aira shook her head. “It’s not about him.” But she didn’t want to tell her that her son was the one making her feel all these feelings of wanting to get back at him when she wasn’t even that kind of person.

“Well, if it’s someone else,” She looked up over Aira’s head and with a secretive smile added, “You might want to give them a taste of their own medicine.”

“What?”

“If that person is bothering you then stop running away and do something that you know will bother them. You are too sweet for your own good, just try to stand up for yourself and give it back the same way so they know how much it hurt you. For once, stop thinking about hurting someone else and do what you want.”

Aira felt her bottom lip tremble as she gazed in the older woman's eyes. For all purposes, Mrs Colson was her second mother. And she was grateful for the love and compassion she showed Aira. She hugged Mrs Colson as she murmured, “I am going to do exactly that.”

Mrs Colson patted her cheek affectionately. “You do that. Jump over the lines you’ve drawn for yourself and maybe you’ll finally get what you’ve always wanted.”

Aira’s eyes widened but before she could say anything, Mrs Colson gave her another knowing smile and walked back to the other ladies. And as Aira stood there contemplating what she should do with her Mac problem, Greg made his way toward her. When he saw her holding the veg Kababs, he asked, “If I knew you didn’t like wings, I’d have plated something else for you.”

“No, it’s fine. I actually don’t eat non-veg.”

His eyes widened. “You are vegetarian?” At her nod, he asked, “How did you survive in Paris?”

She gave him a smile. “I managed.”

Now that she was standing where Mrs Colson was not two minutes ago, her eyes went above Greg’s head and she realized why her neck was prickling like someone was watching her. Because someone was. Mac stood in his bedroom, looking down at them from the window. And even though his bedroom was shrouded in dark, she’d know his silhouette anywhere.

She put the dish down and looked back at Greg. She said, “Want to sit?” Without waiting for his response, she tugged him with her and pulled him across the backyard near the fence where it gave Mac the direct view of them.

And even as she was aware of his hard gaze on her, she tried very much to ignore it as she focused on Greg. “So, it’s like a close knit group here, huh?”

She nodded. “I have known these people all my life. And in this small town everyone knows everyone, and here people are always helpful and kind, a bit into gossip but they mean well.”

Greg nodded. “Sounds good. I never had so many people around me to worry about me.” At her questioning glance he said, “My parents divorced when I was a kid and then I was sent to boarding school so never got a chance to be with either of them to form bonds, but here it seems you are lucky enough to have not just one but two sets of parents.”

Aira put her hand on his and gave it a comforting squeeze. “I am sorry.”

“It’s fine.” He looked around them, at the people laughing and smiling with each other, eating together. He said, “You know, it’s my dream to have something like this one day. A family, large enough to erase all the loneliness I had growing up.”

Aira swallowed, and looked down at their hands. She hated herself for not feeling the attraction and connection she should toward this man who had been nothing but kind and gentle with her. The entire time she had been talking to him and sitting beside him, she was doing it to throw it back in Mac’s face that she wasn’t going to listen to his warnings and now she felt guilty as Greg turned his hand and intertwined their fingers.

He said, “I am hoping that I won’t have to look for too long to make that dream come true.”

Her lips fell apart and she didn’t know what to say to that. So she was glad when Jay interrupted them with Cara by his side. She let out a breath and realised that it doesn’t matter if she tried her best, she could never be what she wasn’t. She didn’t know how to pretend and even doing so for an hour had made her feel depleted.

Against her wishes, her eyes lifted to the first floor, to his bedroom window but he was no longer there. A strange mix of sadness and resolve settled in her heart, and she told herself that even though she couldn’t do this pretending, she at least has to work on herself to achieve the dream she has been carrying in her heart since she was a little girl. And for that, she has to do everything in her power to stop herself from taking the same path to Mac that always resulted in rejection and heartache. She couldn’t keep questioning what Mac felt for her when he himself refused to voice it. It was time she truly tried to move on—even if it meant pretending she didn’t care.

Mac watched through his bedroom window, his expression tight and blôod filled with need to go down there and throw that slimy fûcker over the fence. His eyes followed them around and narrowed as Aira put her hand on his. He bristled silently, hating that he couldn’t turn around from the image even as it hurt to look at her with someone else.

He couldn’t digest the fact that she was smiling at him, giving her sweet smiles to someone who wasn’t worthy of her. He knew he didn’t deserve them either but once upon a time he had been granted those smiles. Once upon a time Aira had looked at him with her wide blue eyes filled with sparkles and offered him her sweet smiles. But not anymore. Now, she looked at him like she’d like nothing more than to get rid of him. To not look at him.

His fists clenched as he saw how Greg kept touching her. Her hand. Her shoulder and then he had the fûcking audacity to brush her cheek with his thumb. It grated on his nerves like nails on a chalkboard. He caught her looking up at his bedroom window, and he took a step back. With his eyes narrowed, he regarded her and then watched as she shifted slightly away from the fûcker.

And suddenly, he realized that she might be putting on a show for his benefit which only made him furious. He had warned her. And here she was trying to test his patience. Did his warning meant nothing to her?

In the past Aira had always shied away from any confrontation, especially if it involved him. But now it seemed the little girl he had deliberately kept his distance from has grown up, enough to challenge him.

But he hated that a part of him wondered if this wasn't all an act. If she really liked him. And if Mac was a gentleman, he would've let her be. Let her find her happiness with someone else when he knew that it couldn't be him. But Mac was selfish enough to not let anyone have her if he can't, especially not this Greg who seemed like he'd fold in a slightly dangerous situation. And, Aira didn’t belong with someone like Greg—too smooth, too shallow, and definitely not right for her. So, he'd help her get rid of him and won't even ask for a thank you. He was magnanimous like that.

The fûcker didn’t even know that she didn’t like red roses. He didn’t know that she was a vegetarian. And, Mac was sure that this good for nothing, shallow human, didn’t even know that Aira hated rain. He probably didn’t even know that how kind and beautiful her heart was. He probably didn’t know that she deserved everything in the world and some more. He probably didn’t know that she slept with her stuffed animals because she likes cuddles. He probably didn’t know how much she liked to read romance books with happy endings.

Definitely getting rid of him and she'll be glad, he was sure of it.

Something twisted in his chest as he watched Aira walk with Greg, hand in hand, to the backdoor. She was probably walking him out of the house. Good riddance. And he hoped that she was ready for the consequences of her actions. Consequences for ignoring his warnings.

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A. Gupta