My heart swells at their touch. Luke is now giving me the same shit eating grin my brother wouldn’t stop doing.
I let out a huge sigh full of relief.
“It’s good to see you Mav',” one of my oldest friends say, before placing his hand on my shoulder, Girls still firmly attached to my sides. Pretty sure I hear one of them choke out a sob.
“Well, this is unexpected,” I let out a nervous laugh.
“Hey, you were our friend, too.” Iris looks up at me, same sparkle in her eyes that she always had. I plant a kiss at the top off her head.
“You still could have chosen a better greeting though,” Hope says, shoving me with her weight. At least they’re happy to see me and relief sweeps over me.
However, they’re still trying to protect my girl.
Our girl.
“Yeah, clearly wasn’t thinking,” I reply, taking a large swig of the whiskey Luke handed to me.
“Some things never change.” Luke winks at me.
Starting to relax into my setting, the front door to the bar swings open with such force I’m surprised it doesn’t blow off its hinges. Upon seeing the dark figure in the doorway, I automatically know who it is.
My best friend.
However, right in this moment?
My worst fucking nightmare.
Colter Riggins.
Throughout our childhood, I’d seen Colter in different states of anger in the past. Hell, I helped him beat the shit out of so many people as teenagers. I dove in without hesitation. Punch now and ask questions later. As he did for me on more occasions than I care to admit. It was our motto.
Was...
I’d seen him so high and drunk, many times both together, we’d have to carry each other back to the Riggins house, arm in arm, shoulder over shoulder. Mabel would always be sneaking us in through a window or a back ledge so we wouldn’t get caught by our parents. Neither of our parentswould question the other falling through each other’s doors at night.
As long as we let them know what house we were sleeping at that night, we would be good to go. Contrary to our parent’s beliefs, these were the nights I snuck into Mabel’s room, having her legs wrapped around my torso until sun broke.
I’d seen Colter at his weakest as kids.
And at his strongest.
I watched his little heart crave over girls who were always taken. Namely the little brown-haired girl who is standing next to me currently.
Did they did ever take the leap?
He glares at me now, refusing to take an actual step into the bar, a mixture of anger and pure heartache etched over his dark form in the doorway.
A few people turn to see who smashed the front door in with the force it came, however due to my brother still giving the performance of his life, those people didn’t even bat an eye when they see who it is.
I take in a sturdy gulp.
This is gonnabe painful.
And I’m in some serious trouble.
Colter has always thought with his fists first, never his head. I doubt that’s changed in the years I’ve been gone.
Sure, I tried reaching out to him over the years.
