The side door of the bar has shut behind us, muting the violence within as the cool night air comforts me.

Justin sets Simone down and pushes tear-soaked flaxen hair away from her face. “Can you walk?”

On a sniffle she nods.

Radiating anger, Jason releases my hand and storms over to her. “What the fuck did you think you were you doing in there?! You didn’t know those guys! You and Sarah could have been hurt! If we hadn’t come in—”

“—Just stop.” She pushes him with one hand and walks away from us.

The twins are bloody and their clothes are a wreck. I’m so grateful to them I can barely think.

Muttering, “I’ve got this, guys,” I catch up with Simone.

She’s blinking heavily, trying to stop the crying. Slipping my arm around her, we walk onward in silence while the brothers remain behind us, bodyguards determined to protect us from harm. It’s very late and this is when the crazies come out to play. We just found that out. I’m having a hard time coming to terms with what just happened.

The early part of the night is kind of a blur. Right before Jason and Justin showed up I heard the guys saying something about a gang bang. But she had talked me onto that table and I was off kilter when I heard their plan. Out of my element.

I guess I didn’t really take their gang-bang comment seriously, either. I thought they must be joking around, because the idea was so foul and ridiculous to me it didn’t register as a possibility, or as something I should protect us from. I felt fear start to nag but everything was moving in slow motion. The many vodka-cranberries had clawed into my brain, making mush of everything I felt and knew.

Then I lost my balance and was suddenly in Jason’s arms, like something out of a dream. I couldn’t understand how he got there. The look on his face was horrible. What must he think of me? Does he think I’m easy? Because I’m not and I want him to know that dancing for strangers is not like me at all. I hated every second of it. I just wanted to feel attractive, so I went against who I really am.

I bet he thinks I’m…

Sarah, what are you doing with this mudslide of thoughts about him? He’s off limits. The way he handled himself in there was amazing. He’s like a superhero and so out of your league.

Jason is not a superhero.

He’s just a man.

Stop it.

Glancing back, I meet his eyes for a brief second and feel my heart skip as he locks onto me. With my stomach sinking I turn back around.

He saved Simone, not you. He cares about her.

She’s the one he just yelled at. You only get that furious when you care.

It’s her he wants. And you need to let this go.

Glancing over my shoulder again I meet Jason’s eyes. He’s already staring at me and his face is all bruised up. There’s a volcano brewing in him and it’s gonna blow soon.

Justin’s walking with his eyes on the sidewalk, just as bruised up.

They really took a beating for us. And they gave worse than they got. Watching them kick the shit out of everyone within reach was scary and more than a little hot.

I turn back to watch where we’re going since centuries of tree growth have sprung roots through the sidewalk and our path is not smooth. Tightening my hold on my friend, I whisper, “You okay?”

“I’m sorry,” she trembles.

“You didn’t know those guys would be like that. You were just trying to have fun. I should have been more vigilant. It’s my job.”

A sniffle escapes her and she burrows closer into my side.

I call back to the twins, “Let’s get an Uber.”

Justin mutters. “Fuck that. I only use Lyft.” He pulls out his phone and we stop walking. Simone and I turn to wait, huddled together. Her liquid blue eyes slowly rise to meet Jason’s glare. I watch him soften under her wounded gaze and I can’t deny that my heart squeezes in disappointment as he takes his hands from his pockets and comes to her.

“You okay?”

“Yes,” she whispers, the picture of feminine vulnerability. And so unlike me.

He licks his lips in thought, frowning as he nods. “Good.”

“Thank you for saving me,” she says.

He glances to me. To protect myself from the feelings swarming inside I steel my eyes at him. It’s a look I’ve given him a million times – complete disdain. He blinks at me and straightens up, glancing back to Simone before returning to his brother.

Justin tells us all, “They’ll be here in two minutes,” his voice deep and emotionless. He moves his sore jaw around and stares off at the cars, waiting.

Jason exhales through his nose, fading away into thought, too. Simone closes her eyes and lays her head on my shoulder. This movement in his peripheral vision makes Jason look over at us. He lingers on me a moment. A new frown pierces his brow before he looks away.

I wish so much that I could go back in time. Not just to before I said yes to getting on that table. Not even to before I said yes to all those cocktails when I knew what I really wanted was to lay my head on a pillow to make this day disappear. No, I want to travel back to before the night when that up-and-coming rap star told me about this great music producer he’d met in Atlanta.

If I could, I would steer Simone away from the club she was performing at, right after she sang her last note. I’d avoid shaking that guy’s hand and giving him my card so he could email me Jason Cocker’s website.

That way none of this would ever have happened. And by ‘none of this’ I mean the ache in my chest I’m having right now as I stare at Jason’s bloody hand, wishing mine was still in it.

Lyft’s infamous bright pink mustache on the approaching Prius’s dashboard has Justin waving for the driver to come to our side of the street. Other drunken people are attempting to claim the car but Jason shouts at them, pointing at his face, “You really want to fuck with us?”

They back off. On alert, the driver bends to look at our group. If Simone and I weren’t with the twins there’d be no way he’d let the two of them inside his spotless car. But she’s red-eyed and he quickly U-turns over, rolling a window down to ask, “Everything okay?”

“There was a fight. We need to get the girls to their hotel,” Justin tells him.

“Of course. Good thing you guys were there,” he says, correctly reading the twins as heroes since Simone and I are not trying to escape and are clearly shaken.

Our hotel is not far, turns out. Before I even have a chance to enjoy sitting down, the silent car is pulling curbside. Simone and I climb out and Jason slides over. As I go to close the car door I mutter an embarrassed, “Thank you for what you did back there. For saving Simone.” I go to close the door but he stops it with a straight arm. His familiar stubbornness is staring back at me.

“I didn’t save her. I saved you.”

My lips part and he holds my look a moment before closing the door. The driver pulls away and I watch Jason turn to Justin to say something I can’t hear.

As the taillights get consumed by the darkness Simone calls after me in a small voice, “You coming?”

“Yes,” I answer, pulling away from their departure.

“You got the key?” she mumbles.

“Of course.” We trudge up the steps with me digging through my handbag for the plastic card the clerk gave me.

Simone sighs, “What a night.”

“Yeah…” I whisper, my mind on Jason’s cryptic words.

I didn’t save her.

I saved you.

She glances to me. “You can’t find it?”

“Oh. Sorry. Forgot I was looking.”

She nods and whispers, “Yeah, I’m in shock, too.” The sliding doors open for her and she walks through. But I stop a moment and stare off down the street, the Prius long gone now.

I didn’t save her.

I saved you.

“Sarah!” she calls over her shoulder.

With the key finally in my fingers I run in. “Sorry. Coming!”