It’s surreal being here and being a part of the group. I don’t feel like an outsider anymore. Liv joked that Thea was the sun, that everyone revolved around her, but if she’s the sun, Liv is the atmosphere.
She pulls you in like gravity to earth, keeping you close and making you belong.
I know I belong with her.
“This is my song! Let’s go!” Callie grabs Jo’s hand and pulls her onto the dance floor as Natalie and Liv suck down the last of their drinks before joining them.
“You coming, Thea?” Liv asks as she scoots closer to the dance floor.
“No, you go! I need to conserve my energy to last all night.” She waves Liv away, but her face falls quickly.
“Are you okay?” Jesse asks her.
“I’m fine, the sickness is starting to come and go.” She smiles weakly. “I’ll be fine. I just get to hang out with you guys.” She sits down on the stool between Jesse and me, leaning against the table.
“Yeah, we’re thrilling,” I tease. “Lochlan is having the timeof his life.”
Lochlan glances at me. “I hate this,” he grumbles
“Jo is having a great time, so you love this.”
He ignores me, drinking his beer, but I see the spark in his eyes watching her have fun.
“I’ll get you a Sprite,” Nathan states without waiting for an answer from Thea, and goes to the bar. He’s a different level of protective when it comes to his baby sister. I don’t know how she or Callie get anything done.
My eyes stay on the dance floor where Liv and Natalie grind all over each other, practically losing their balance because their legs are so entangled. I smile as Liv throws her head back and laughs.
“Do you ever get used to it?” I ask Jackson, and he turns his head to acknowledge me. “Loving a woman who might cut your dick off if you piss her off.”
“No.” He takes a drink of his water, but then he smirks. “It’s quite a thrill, though. I wouldn’t change it for anything.”
For a moment, we’re lost in the entertainment of watching the women in our lives lose themselves to the music, and peace settles over me. Maybe all the years of suffering were leading me here, and now the second half of my life begins. Uninhibited happiness with Liv.
A delicate hand grips my forearm with force, and I glance down at it.
Why is Thea touching me?
Thea has never touched me…
My gaze goes from her nails digging into my skin to her other hand on Jesse’s thigh, and when I look up, Jesse is looking at me with just as much confusion.
We both look at her at the same time, but she’s intenselyfocused on something across the room.
“Him,” she utters, hauntingly.
“What?” Jesse says, scanning the crowd, trying to find what she is seeing.
Her head snaps to the side, looking at me with wild eyes. “Get Liv!” She yells, and chaos erupts.
Every man at the table is on their feet, dispersing into the crowded bar. I’m barely dodging people and spilling drinks as I sprint to the dance floor.
I’m within feet of the squared-off section when Liv’s eyes find mine. She stops dancing and grabs all the girls, seeing the trouble on my face.
My arms are around her and her friends within seconds as I whip my head around, still looking for the person that Thea saw. If only it were as easy as having a red beacon arrow over their head, but no one stands out.
Lochlan is at my side, clearing a path to get the girls back to the back corner as curious bar patrons stare at our odd behavior.
We get them to the table where Jesse is holding Thea behind his back and effectively put a wall around all of them.
