Shifting Priorities

They stumbled along through the neighborhood arm in arm until they reached a door in a row of two story apartments. Vivian hammered on the door until they heard the heavy thump of approaching footsteps. She grinned at Kyle but he could see she was struggling to remain calm. He put his arm around her and gave her a comforting hug.

Her nervous grin turned into a grateful smile just as the door flew open. Kyle looked up into the angry eyes of Vivian's ex. Kyle's eyebrows went up as he took measure of the soon-to-be ex-professional cyclist. He was wearing shorts and a tight, sleeveless undershirt which showed off his physique. He had to be at least 6' but he was slim and hard muscled. He was also gorgeous in that male-model-in-a-cologne-ad kind of way. Kyle struggled to recall if he'd seen him in one of Gwen's fashion magazines.

"Who the hell is this?" Mathieu growled.

"He's my lover, Kyle!" Vivian growled right back. "I'm here for my stuff! Get out of my way! I want you out of my life so I'm here to collect my dainty unmentionables!"

"Except for the ones he's wearing, of course," Kyle snorted, liking Vivian's game and how Mathieu's face got all screwed up with confusion and anger.

Vivian barked out a laugh as she pushed past the flustered man. She headed up the stairs as Kyle stepped inside as well.

The tall man glared at Kyle who just smirked back at him. This did nothing to ease the anger building in the ex-boyfriend.

They could hear Vivian opening and closing drawers and doors upstairs and Kyle could tell Mathieu wanted to go upstairs to stop her so he decided it was his job to keep him downstairs. He leaned around Mathieu to get a look at the living room and saw a bunch of awards and photos of the athlete in various races.

"I guess that's all you have left. Awards and photos of your glory days. What happened? Lose your nerve? Giving it all up to work a desk job?" Kyle said with a sly grin.

Rage flared in the man's eyes as Kyle struck a nerve. "You know nothing!"

"Maybe not, but I know you hurt a very special lady and that makes you a worthless piece of shit."

Mathieu grabbed Kyle's shoulders and shoved him violently against the wall making Kyle's head slam into the hard surface. It made his head ring and spin. That wasn't a good sensation with a buzz going on.

"Owww! Hey! You need to chill out!" Kyle barked and immediately regretted yelling as his head rang some more.

"You do not tell me to chill out in my home!" Mathieu yelled right in his face and Kyle winced from the echoes in his head.

"What's going on down there?" Vivian yelled from somewhere upstairs.

"I think Mathieu is trying to slip me a little tongue!" Kyle called out with a grin and watched the man's expression flash from shock, to horror, and finish with full blown rage. Distantly, Kyle realized this could be a bad thing but he was too far gone to stop himself. He laughed.

The closed fist struck his left cheek with a sickening double crack and Kyle's head rolled with the punch. There was no pain at first, just a sickening dizziness. A split second after that awful impact sound came a high pitched squeal which drilled into Kyle's brain. As his head rebounded from the punch his stomach said, 'Fuck it! Eject!' and Kyle's dinner heaved up and out rather explosively.

Mathieu was too busy screaming in agony from his two broken fingers to see the incoming spray until it splashed over his face. His screams turned into choking gurgles as he caught the hot mixture in his eyes and mouth. Instinctively he flung himself backwards away from Kyle, slipped, and went down in a pile on the hallway floor, slamming his right elbow against the leading edge of the stair's lowest tread. The sound of the joint cracking and tearing was audible.

The French man coughed to clear his throat and mouth then sucked in a mouthful of air to scream in agony once more.

Fear and adrenaline flushing most of the haze from her brain, Vivian raced back down the stairs tugging her suitcase behind her. She saw Kyle leaning back against the wall, trying to stay on his feet with a huge welt on his cheekbone. Mathieu was rolling on the floor, squealing and covered in... oh, gross!

She carefully stepped over the prone man and went into the kitchen. She dialed for an ambulance then brought Kyle a glass of water.

"Rinse your mouth out and spit in the sink," she instructed.

He staggered away with the glass in hand and she heard the sink running. Moments later Kyle wandered back munching on something green and leafy. She looked at him curiously.

"Found some parsley in a basket on the window ledge. Nature's breath mint," he said groggily. He touched his cheek. "My face hurts."

Vivian pulled his fingers away from the welt and examined the area. "Keep your hands away from it."

"Yes, dear," he said sweetly and looked down at Mathieu. He then looked at the suitcase. "Are you done? Can we go?

"Just waiting for the ambulance. It should be here shortly," Vivian sighed. She looked down at Mathieu and sighed once more. "You may be pretty on the outside but now I see you're rotten to the core."

There was a sharp knock on the front door and Kyle opened it. "Hello?"

Vivian pulled Kyle back as a police officer stepped inside. Her face lit up with a smile as she recognized the older man. "Jean-Pierre! I'm so glad it's you! What a mess!"

The official smiled and accepted the cheek kisses from the blond. "What happened?"

Mathieu began to shout and Jean-Pierre shut him down immediately with a few terse words in French.

"Earlier this evening Mathieu told me he was breaking up with me." The officer made a sound of dismay. Vivian nodded with a sad look. "He is moving to the States to get a job with a pharmaceutical company and he's marrying the company president's daughter."

Once more the officer made sympathetic noises.

"After dinner, I came back with Kyle here, who is one of the guests on the tour I'm leading." Jean-Pierre looked at Kyle who smiled at him as he swayed on his feet. "We had wine with dinner and are a little drunk. I went upstairs to get my belongings." She pointed to the suitcase. "I heard Mathieu yelling, a loud slap sound, then he was screaming. I rushed downstairs and saw Kyle leaning back against the wall with an injured face and Mathieu on his back covered in sick."

"I think I did that... after he punched my face," Kyle offered helpfully. "My face hurts. Can I go now?"

Jean-Pierre lifted Kyle's hands and inspected the knuckles. He saw no cuts, bruises, or abrasions. The same could not be said for Mathieu's right hand.

"You hit him?" the officer snapped.

"He came into my-"

"You. Hit. Him?" Jean-Pierre asked once more, forcefully.

Mathieu glared at the officer then nodded.

Jean-Pierre turned to look at Kyle. "You may go."

"Thank you," Kyle said softly as his head began to pound again. He reached back and winced at the goose egg bump he found on the back of his head. The officer leaned him forward and winced himself when he saw the bump. He glared at Mathieu who was painfully trying to sit up.

"Vivian, please take your guest back to his hotel," the veteran officer said.

"Thank you, Jean-Pierre!" she said with a smile and kissed his cheeks again. She grabbed her suitcase and without another look at Mathieu she guided Kyle outside.

They walked slowly through the village but soon they came within sight of the hotel. Kyle's buzz was quickly wearing off and with it the pain relief. His face was throbbing badly as was his head from the bump. He was truly grateful when Vivian walked him into the lobby.

"OH MY GOD! WHAT HAPPENED TO KYLE?" Fiona wailed as she ran out of the entrance of the bar towards them. Helen, Skye, and Kimberly were all right behind her. They'd been waiting and watching for him from there.

He closed his eyes painfully and held up his hands to get them to lower their voices as his head felt like it might explode otherwise.

Vivian quietly explained how her ex-boyfriend had dumped her, how she and Kyle had gone to dinner and had too much wine, and how they'd gone back to her ex-boyfriend's place to get her things. When she told them how Mathieu punched Kyle, the ladies squeaked in sympathy and his head spiked again.

"Can I just go to my room?" he pleaded.

"Gwen is there. She was still registered as the second guest in the room so she signed in and went to it to wait for you," Fiona said gently. "Your bag is also in the room."

His already unhappy expression turned grim. "Which room is it?"

"303. Third floor," Helen offered.

He sagged some more. In Europe that meant eight flights of stairs as ground floor was considered floor zero. He wouldn't make it up all those stairs. He was already feeling his pulse as hammer blows in his head. "Elevator?" he asked hopefully.

Fiona pouted in sympathy. "Sorry, no. You'll stay with me in my room tonight. I'm on the first floor. Helen and Skye will go up to speak with Gwen to get your bag."

He gently nodded then turned to Vivian who was hovering with a worried look on her face. "I can honestly say you are better off without Mathieu. Aside from that last bit at the end, I had a lovely time tonight. See you tomorrow?"

She nodded then ducked forward and kissed his uninjured cheek with a shy expression on her face.

He gave her a lopsided smile. "Don't worry. I won't report you for that."

She gave him a brilliant smile then walked away dragging her suitcase.

Fiona helped Kyle up the stairs, pausing now and then to allow the pounding in his head to calm down.

When they reached the first floor Kimberly tucked herself against his body for a hug then kissed his good cheek before saying good night and heading up to her room.

Helen and Skye said they'd be back shortly and continued up the stairs.

Fiona brought Kyle to her door and let them inside. She led him to the bed where they sat on the edge.

"Did you eat?" he asked her.

"Yes, we walked into town to look for you and ate at a nice restaurant in the main square. We kept an eye out for you but you didn't show. When we got back to the hotel we asked if you'd returned but they said no and that Gwen was waiting for you upstairs. Carl and Larissa waited with us for a while but they needed to get some sleep. The ride this afternoon wore them out."

There was a knock on the door and Fiona got up to answer it. In the hall, looking frustrated and angry, Helen and Skye stood before Gwen who was clinging to the duffle bag with a death grip, looking very nervous but defiant.

Helen handed Fiona Kyle's helmet and spoke first. "She insisted on speaking with Kyle before she'd give us the bag. I managed to convince Skye not to take the bag by force but just barely."

Kyle appeared in the doorway behind Fiona and took the helmet.

"KYLE!" Gwen gasped as she took in the bruising on his face. She saw him wince. So it was true and the women hadn't lied just to get the bag from her.

"Please keep your voice down. My head can't take the noise," he growled quietly. He found the pain actually made it easier to deal with her.

"I'm so sorry! Can't we talk?" Gwen pleaded.

He looked at her balefully then sighed. "Tomorrow. At breakfast. 8AM. Please give me my bag."

She moved closer, Helen and Skye barely moving aside so she had to thread her way between them.

Gwen glanced nervously at Fiona who stood in the doorway, giving her a hard look.

"Please-" she began.

"Tomorrow. 8AM. Bag," Kyle gritted between his teeth with his hand outstretched. His heart was pounding to see her so close and in such distress. This went straight to his headache.

Wide blue eyes held his and she held the bag out to him. He took a grip on the bag, stiffly turned and walked away, back into the room. Fiona smirked at her and stepped back to close the door in her face.

"You heard the man. Go back to your room and leave him alone until tomorrow," Skye spat.

Gwen looked at her then eased between them to rush away, heading upstairs.

With a nod to each other, mother and daughter headed off to their own room.

Inside, Kyle sat on the edge of the bed once more and fished his toiletry kit from the duffle. He pulled out a bottle of pain relievers. Fiona brought him a bottle of water and he sucked back three pills, gulping the cool water. He closed his eyes and rested for a moment.

"Why don't you just lie back?"

"No, I need a shower. Then I can sleep." He opened his eyes and pushed himself to his feet.

Fiona assisted him to the shower, undressed him, and while she enjoyed the view of his hard muscled body, she refrained from taking advantage of his nudity. Once he was clean and dry they went to bed and turned out the lights.

"I think you did very well speaking with her tonight. You were very firm," Fiona said.

"That was only because of the pain. I was ready to crumble seeing her in distress like that. I- I have very little control around her. As I told Vivian, she's inside my head. Even though, intellectually, I know how much she's manipulated me for her own happiness, my heart still wants her."

"No! You can't take her back! You can't let her control you again!" Fiona gasped as she clung to him.

He enjoyed the feeling of her body on his but his head was still not enjoying an elevated heart rate so he did his best to calm himself.

"I know." He thought about it for a minute. "I do believe she realizes she's made a mistake. I also believe she wants to go back to how it was. I won't do that. Now that I see how much I gave up, I can't allow that to happen again."

"Good!" Fiona asserted.

"Let's see how it goes tomorrow. I can't think straight tonight," he said with a sigh.

Fiona tucked herself against him and was soon breathing softly on his shoulder.

Even with the pain killers dulling his senses, sleep was not quick to claim him as all he could think of was the desperate look in Gwen's eyes tonight.

He'd never heard her beg before.

Chapter 9

He was relieved that the bump on his head had greatly reduced overnight though his cheek remained tender and slightly swollen.

The headache was gone and he was able to do his morning exercises without pain. Well, headache pain at least.

He showered and dressed for cycling. He had only a day and a half of cycling left and he intended to enjoy the fuck out of those days. Regardless of the lack of quality sleep he got the night before, he actually felt a little clearer headed this morning. He was up early so he leaned over Fiona's sleeping face and gently pressed his lips against her cheek.

"Mmmm... good morning," she purred.

"Good morning. I'm just going for a little walk before breakfast. I'll see you down there. Can you bring my helmet with you?" he asked quietly.

She smiled and nodded. "A kiss before you go?" she begged cutely.

He smiled and kissed her sensually, pulling back before she could wrap her arms around his neck.

"Fuck! You're a great kisser!" she gasped.

He smiled down at her and noticed her nipples were poking up against the sheet. He gently pinched them and Fiona gasped as her hunger for him flared.

He moved to the door smiling back at her.

"Oh, you tease!" she scolded with a grin on her face. Her eyes promised payback.

Slipping out into the hall, he listened to the subdued noises of the staff moving around, getting started on the day's preparations.

Downstairs he went, then out into the dawn streets for a walk, aiming for the main square of the village. When he eventually reached it, he watched the early morning sun bathe the old buildings in a cheery glow. All signs pointed to another hot day.

As he walked back to the hotel he saw Vivian and Dita preparing the bikes in the courtyard before the building. He smiled at the women and was surprised when Vivian rushed over to him and gave him a warm hug. Dita was right behind her to get a hug from him as well.

"How are you feeling this morning?" Vivian asked, turning his chin so she could get a better view of his cheek. She winced in sympathy.

"Actually, I'm feeling pretty good all things considered. How are you doing?" he asked looking her in the eye.

She understood his emphasis and shrugged. "I had another little cry when I got to our hotel but I'll be fine. You were right. I am better off without him," Vivian replied with a smile. Her expression turned serious. "How did it go with Gwen last night?"

It was his turn to wince. "She wouldn't give me my bag until she saw me but I convinced her to wait until this morning to talk. Wish me luck!"

"Will she be riding with us?" Dita asked.

Kyle stopped and stared back at her. "Shit! I hadn't thought of that! I hope not but she might want to. She's not getting Kimberly's upgraded bike!" he said with a scowl.

"We have Kimberly's original bike. It should fit Gwen," Vivian said and he nodded.

He walked inside and heard the murmurs of people talking and moving around in the dining room. Taking a deep breath and steeling his nerves he forced himself to walk in and look around. It didn't take long for him to find Gwen. She was sitting in a sunbeam at a table for two by the window. His breath caught in his throat as she looked... beautiful.

Forcing that down he made his way across the room and spotted his friends at a nearby table.

Carl and Larissa looked up in shock when they saw the welt on his cheekbone.

"You ok, Kyle?" Carl asked.

Kyle tore his eyes away from Gwen's to look to his friends. "Yeah, I'm ok. Thanks!"

Larissa glanced over at Gwen. "We're here if you need us."

Kyle heard and felt her concern and gave the couple a warm smile. "Thank you."

He continued until he was standing next to Gwen's table. "May I join you?"

"Of course!" she said and he did.

They sat facing each other, both wanting to speak but neither wanting to start off on the wrong foot. Finally, Kyle began.

"Ground rules. No tears. Nothing emotionally manipulative. If, for one second, I believe you're trying to manage me, I'm gone and we will never speak again. Is this understood?" he said stiffly. Her mouth was open and she appeared to be about to protest so he shut her down. "Is. This. Understood?"

Her mouth closed and her frown was back. She was not used to Kyle dominating their conversation. It threw her off her game. She nodded to him.

"You've changed," she said.

He snorted. "Yes, but that was the point wasn't it? During our entire relationship the only constant was how I was changing. Changing for you!" Once more she made a sound of protest but he interrupted again. "Not every change you pushed for was bad. I will agree that most were beneficial. I dress better. I eat better. I'm fit and I fuck better. All of these things I owe to your constant pressure and demand for me to improve. None of these things I'm upset about."

Gwen's eyes were wide with surprise.

"What upsets me is that none of these things were for me. They were all for you. You saw potential in me to be someone you wanted and you carved away the bits you didn't like. My friends. My hobbies. My favorite foods. My choice of books, movies, and television. Even my choice of words. I changed the way I speak for you! And I was so consumed with loving you, I willingly and gladly gave it all up. I forgot who I was and became a blank canvas for you to create your perfect boyfriend and I was only happy when you were. I lost me."

"But you were happy!" she insisted.

"Not for me! For you! Always and in every way for you! When you left for France and we began that long distance torture it was a terrible struggle for me as the most significant part of me, you, was missing. Those months were hellish but I gradually began to heal. I used to do the exercises only because you wanted me to. When I was alone without your opinions I discovered I liked how working out made me feel. I allowed myself to stop eating the really nasty stuff you insisted I eat but I didn't replace it with the crap I ate before. The brightest spots during those months were the few times I visited you and even then, I could tell you were becoming distant. It was only when you finally ripped yourself from my heart that I realized how little of me was left! I'm only now beginning to consider my own desires. Like, what would I like to do with my life? What do I want for me?"