How to Deal – Chapter 4

Fox sat alone and isolated at the bar as he listened to the recording of Whitney Russell.

She infuriated him.

All those years he spent his days pursuing her and his nights he dreamt of her. And that's all she turned out to be. A dream.

He loved her with his whole being, but she never knew. Often times he wondered if she would have still married Chad if he had told her.

He missed his chances. Now he was alone and empty.

Pitiful. He turned out just like his father.

He turned and looked at the seat beside him. The same seat where she had sat in that night.

"I've realized that he and I will never be. When will you?"

She tried to help him. But he was too stubborn... he wouldn't listen.

She frustrated him.

She never let on her true feelings until he was so deep that he couldn't even look at her with the decency she deserved.

"She used me." he thought.

"And you used her." he reminded himself.

Heartless. Just like his grandfather.

"Fox, is that you?" a familiar voice asked behind him.

"Yeah." Fox grunted, not even turning around to view who was speaking to him.

"Man, you don't look too good." Dylan Banning commented as he sat down next to his friend.

Fox didn't answer. He just stared. He sat in her seat.

"Something wrong?" his friend asked concerned.

"No." he finally answered. "Nothing at all."

"So how have you been?" Dylan asked.

"Been better." Fox said as he took a gulp of his drink. "You?"

"Wonderful. I met this great girl and we're getting married."

Before he could finish swallowing, Fox spat out his drink in surprise. "You're getting married?"

"Yeah. In two weeks right here in Harmony." Dylan replied excited.

"Congrats man. Never thought I'd see you get married."

"She's a keeper." Dylan winked. "I'm supposed to meet her here soon, so if you'll excuse me I have to take a trip to the men's room."

Fox shook his head in disbelief as his friend wandered off.

Pathetic. His best friend was getting married and he couldn't even see any girl but her.

"You're exactly where I left you." her voice said.

Fox slowly turned around to come face to face with his latest obsession. "You." he barely said.

"Me." she replied as she sat down in her seat.

"Wha- What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Can't I visit my hometown without getting attacked with questions?" she asked defiantly.

She was still fiery, stubborn, and beautiful.

"Well aren't you going to say something?" she asked annoyed at his responses.

But she was still sarcastic, sharp, and frustrating.

"You think you can just waltz back in to my life just like that?" Fox asked angrily. "You're wrong!"

She grinded her teeth angrily.

He was still pitiful, heartless, and pathetic.

"Just in case you didn't know, I am not waltzing back into your life! I waltzed back in Harmony so I could waltz down the aisle to the only man who has ever given me what none of the men in this town can muster up." she yelled as she put her hands on her hips.

He stared at her with hurt in her eyes. How could she? How could she marry someone when he was the only one she belonged with.

Was he obsessive?

Fury replaced the hurt as he looked at the woman who haunted him.

"Tell me Theresa," he began "what did you do to get him? Did you concoct a little scheme where maybe you used a poor guy as bait to lure him in? That's what you're so good at."

Enraged, Theresa suddenly slapped him across the face.

"How dare you?" she shrieked. "You're such a pitiful, heartless monster! Tell me, are you still obsessing over her? Do you still dream of something that will never be?"

Fox avoided her questions as a sly grin crept across his face. "When you're with him you think of me... when you sleep with him you dream of me. He's your way to forget me, but you can't. I'm always there."

"Possessive." she muttered. "You're possessive."

"When you waltz down that aisle to him, I'll be standing there. When you slip the ring on his finger, it will be my hand. When you kiss him, it will be my lips. I'll be with you wherever you go."

"No." Theresa cried as she shook her head. "I love him."

"Keep telling yourself that." he turned his face from her and ordered another drink.

"Fox." she whispered. "What's happened to you?"

They sat quietly until he finally spoke.

"I'm not over you." he finally said in a heartbreaking whisper.

Before Theresa could respond, Dylan came up behind them.

"It seems like you've met my fiancée on your own." Dylan said to Fox as he patted him on the shoulder.

"Yeah." Fox said quietly as he eyed Theresa. "Good luck. You're going to need a lot of it."

He quickly rose from his seat and walked away.

He had lost Whitney and now her.

"I need a breath of fresh air before I explode."