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SHE JUST LEFT hooked me in the fucking jaw.
I’d been naive enough to believe there was a chance for us. Floating around like a happy idiot, thinking we were on our path to finding our way back to each other after our afternoon at Bertha. Stupid. I was so fucking stupid. Again.
When I first saw her sitting there, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I was sure it was her, though—laughing, giggling, reaching across the table to touch his arm. All I could register were the surges of white-hot flashes barreling through my veins, the sound of blood pumping ferociously in my ears, the sickening punch to my guts.
Without thinking, I moved past the glass of the storefront and entered the busy midday crowd of the pizzeria, praying it wasn’t what it looked like. After everything I had given her, all the time I had waited, could she really do this to me?
All I knew when it came to her was that she was mine—even if she wasn’t. And in a move that may have admittedly been a bit dickish, I interrupted their meal with the slip of my arm around her neck. But Angel’s shoulders tensed. Her reaction to my touch should never be one of discomfort, and the fact that it was served as a slap in the face.
The look on the fucker’s face was enough to make me want to lunge across the table at him. I didn’t know who he thought he was talking to, acting like he was going to protect her from me. She had obviously never told him who I was, which served as a second slap.
When we all wound up on our feet, the look in Angel’s eyes was one of part fright, part discomfort. I hadn’t wanted to upset her, but what the fuck was this? All this time I’d thought once she healed, we’d be back together. Or even if we weren’t, I didn’t think she’d run into the next set of open arms.
She rushed to assure me he was just a friend, but the possessive look in this guy’s eyes begged to differ. He had something for her, I could feel it.
I bit the inside of my cheek, forcing myself to be courteous enough to let her explain why, when all I wanted to do was tear through that place. When she turned to me, the apprehension on her face scared the piss out of me. And when she crossed her arms over her chest, I realized her concern was for him, not me.
Slap number three.
Then came the full-out punch. She had confided in him. She felt comfortable enough with this stranger to tell him what had happened to her when I still didn’t know the whole truth.
How could she?
I was supposed to be her rock, the place where she was comfortable enough to just be her. And now it seemed like everything I’d thought we had was a fucking lie. A game. And the joke was on me. How many times could I let this girl trash me before I learned my lesson? Took her fucking hint instead of dangling from her measly little string. If I let it keep going, she was going to leave me in a pile of dust.
So I left.
The realization that we were really done slammed into me like a bag of rocks, and I didn’t want her to see me break. When I left her standing there, I didn’t know where I should go. Every turn always seemed to lead back to her. I’d never felt so lost.
“She loves you, ya know.”
That voice stopped me.
Who the fuck was he to tell me how she was feeling? Had we really grown that far apart? “What are you, some kind of authority?” I couldn’t hide the venom in my voice. I had controlled myself once, but this guy should know better than to approach me again.
“Something like that.” The assuredness in his tone, talking about my girl, made me want to break his jaw.
With clenched fists, I turned to face him. My whole body was rigid and erect, each molecule ready to pounce if needed. As defeated as I felt, prodding me would be like antagonizing a rabid dog. My emotions were so all over the place that I didn’t even recognize myself anymore, she had me so ragged. And I didn’t know what to expect from myself at the moment. “Watch it, man. I’ve had just about as much as I can take where she’s concerned. I’d tread lightly if I were you.”
He studied me, seeming to size me up, sending a bunch of discomfort racing up my spine.
What’s this guy’s story?
Rolling up from the squat he was holding against the building, he brushed off the front of his thighs before walking toward me. “You can relax, man. I’m not after your girl.”
Tiny pebbles began to flake from my stoned exterior, that small feeling of relief nearly bringing me to my knees. I hadn’t realized how wound I was, but I knew I was one more encounter closer to an inevitable heart attack.
“So what was that whole show in there?” I jerked my chin toward the pizzeria.
Drew sighed, releasing a big puff of air. “Listen, I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a time I hadn’t hoped to be with her, but it’s not our fate. She’s wrapped up in you.” He threw a hand toward me, then paused, letting me soak that in. “And we’ve become good friends. All I want is for her to be happy. I really mean that.” He clapped me on the shoulder and held his other hand out to me.
I stared down at it, unsure of what to do. My mind raced through all of the emotional beatings I’d had to endure at this girl’s hand.
His voice lost its edge. “I mean it, dude. Far be it from me to stand in the way of what she wants. I can tell you love her as much as she loves you. I just want to protect her. We’re on the same side.”
I dragged my line of sight from his hand to his eyes to see if I saw any deceit there, but I didn't. Even if he did have feelings for her, I could tell that him wanting what was best for her trumped them. He pushed his hand toward me, and I clasped mine with his. We both cinched tight, squeezing just a pinch more than necessary as silent threats passed between us. I hardened my voice to match the fire in my eyes.
“Don’t make me regret this.”