Bella
Three days later
“Strawberry chocolate waffle cone and a bowl of vanilla,” the boy at the counter says.
“That’s us,” Declan says and he stands up from our picnic table bench in the eating area around the little ice cream stand to go get our cold treats.
He scheduled a three-hour break into his day today to coincide with my classes and coursework. We’ll only get two hours of it outside the car though, as he thought it was a good idea to go half an hour outside of town just to try and avoid being seen. He says he doesn’t want my dad to find out second hand, and neither do I.
In the moment that Declan steps away some boy about my age approaches me. “Anyone sitting here? Thanks,” he says just sitting down before I have a chance to reply.
“That seat is taken,” I say.
“By me. Hey, listen. You’re cute. Let me give you my number and you can call me sometime when you’re ready to date someone more age appropriate,” he says.
I feel my blood boil and I literally want to hit him, but there’s no need.
“Age appropriate for a male is a way of doing things, not a number. And the first rule of being a good man is not trying to talk to another man’s woman, son,” Declan says as I watch the boy’s feet come up off the ground as he starts kicking and squirming as Declan picks him up by the back of his shirt!
Holy cow! The boy must be just over six feet tall and at least one hundred and eighty pounds, but Declan lifts him like a sack of potatoes while he’s got our ice cream in his other hand.
“Let me down,” the boy pleads.
“Not until you apologize to her for being so rude.”
“I’m sorry,” he says.
“A little more conviction. I don’t believe you.”
“I’m sorry!” he says as the other people at the ice cream stand all turn to look now and I see one guy reaching inside his bright pink chinos to pull out his phone. No doubt he’s going to film this and it will probably end up on Twitter in a minute or two.
“It’s okay, Declan,” I say, but I know it’s not. I didn’t like this interruption any more than he did.
Declan pulls the boy in closer to his body, the boy’s back separated from Declan’s chest only by his arm and the fist that he’s got wrapped around the boy’s shirt.
“You bother her, or any woman who’s already spoken for again, and the next time I won’t be putting you down on your feet. You understand me?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Now get the fuck outta here,” he says extending his arm out tossing the boy forward which sends him into a modified run as his hands come down to the ground as he tries not to fall onto his face from the force.
At least he does make one good decision. He doesn’t turn around to look Declan in the eye as he takes off running in the other direction.
“Why don’t you do that for me when guys bother and whistle at me?” I hear a girl say at a nearby table.
“You see how big that guy is? I’d have to spend a year in the gym to be half his size.”
“Get to lifting then,” the girl says and I can’t help the smile that cracks the corner of my lips as I take Declan’s arm in mine as he sits down next to me.
“He won’t bother you again,” Declan says.
“I know. And neither will any of the guys who just witnessed that. I just hope it doesn’t go viral.”
“Viral? He had an infection?”
I bury my head in his arm and giggle. “It’s a social media term when something spreads quickly like a virus. When there is a piece of content that seemingly everyone sees, especially in a short period of time.”
“Why would anyone see it?”
“That boy was filming you?”
“Who?” Declan asks.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It does matter. Who?”
“The one in the pink pants,” I say. I know what’s coming next and I can’t say I’m not going to enjoy it. And I’d never withhold information from Declan, especially when he asks.
He stands up and walks right over to the boy, putting him in the shade of his big frame.
“Phone,” he says.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about man.”
“Give. Me. Your. Phone.”
“Just give it to him J.J.”
“Shut up,” he says and he turns to give an effeminate slap on the arm to one of the girl’s at his bench but before he makes contact Declan catches his arm in mid air.
“Oh!” the girl says. “We’re sorry.”
It’s too late for that.
Declan lifts the boy up off the bench and sticks his hand in his pants himself and yanks out the phone before dropping it right in between them and smashing it underneath his shoe.
“Next time you want to take pictures or videos of someone you make sure you have their permission. Got it?”
“Yes, sir,” the boys says just like the first.
Declan looks deep into his eyes and I can hear him growl from all the way over here as the boy’s body wiggles sideways as he cowers.
“And if you think you’re going to get this arm back anytime soon you’re going to apologize to that lady you raised it up to.”
“I’m sorry, Chelsea.”
“It’s okay,” Chelsea, apparently, says.
“Next time when a woman who’s a lot smarter than you, which I’m guessing is most, tells you something you better listen to her. She knows what’s for your own good a lot better than you do.”
The boy nods still not looking at Declan and Declan releases his arm.
Declan turns to walk back toward me and suddenly the other people at the ice cream stand eating area start cheering. I’ve never seen anything like it.
And I’ve never seen him act so possessive and although it was a bit of a scene, I have to say I like it.
I don’t like the way that boy thought he could just talk to me like that and I’m really tired of people filming everything and taking pictures of other people without them knowing. It’s not right and everyone knows it and shouldn’t have to be told.
But when Declan tells someone something, they obviously listen. What other choice do they have when he grabs a hold of them?
None.
Declan sits back down and grabs my waffle cone and dabs it on my nose.
“Hey!” I say. Then he takes a lick. “Yours is sweet, but not as sweet as you.”
“Awww,” I say and give him a hug as he hands me my cone.
I hold my cone in one arm and Declan’s arm in my other.
It’s incredible how quickly he went from brute to teddy bear and it tells me he’s in control. He can turn into the tough guy when need be. And I sure do appreciate that. I don’t go out looking for trouble and I know he doesn't either.
But if someone wants to give him some he sure as heck is gonna step up and give them a whole lot more.
The only question now is how much trouble my dad’s going to give us when he finds out about us.
“Your taking classes all through the winter period and into May, right?”
“Yep,” I say stealing a quick bite of his vanilla ice cream in a cup. “Why do you ask?”
“There’s a break between the end of the spring semester and the start of the summer session, right?”
“Yeah, about two weeks.”
“Perfect,” he says. “Don’t plan anything for that period.”
“Why? Do you have plans for us already?” I ask wondering what he’s up to and anxious to find out.
“I’ve got plans for a lifetime of things for us and even that won’t be all the things I want to do with you because I want to do everything with you,” he says.
Such a teddy bear.
I give him a quick kiss on the cheek, intentionally leaving an ice cream imprint.
“Did you just mark me?” he says.
“You just let everyone else here know I’m yours so I just wanted to do the same…make sure those other girls don’t get any ideas.”
“Other girls? There are other girls here? I only ever noticed you.”
“That deserves another kiss,” I say, and promptly give him one.
“It’s the truth,” he says.
“I know and that’s why the truth is that I love you,” I say.
He turns his body in his seat to face me more directly. “And I love you,” he says.
And our two lips meet greeting me with the taste of my man and ice cream. What could be better?
Not a thing in the world.