It’s crowded. And loud.
And I’d be lying if I said it didn’t put me on edge. But my best friends are here. That helps.
The moment I walk through the door, the jukebox kicks on, blaring the Skrillex remix of “HUMBLE.” by Kendrick Lamar.
Who the hell keeps lining up bangers in this backwoods bar?
The bass thrums through me, and suddenly I feel untouchable.
For the first time in days, my body settles. I can breathe without bracing for the break. The weight in my chest eases. Even the bugs under my skin finally go still.
I’m nowhere near fine, but fuck, I’ll take this moment of peace.
Ezra packed a few scarves from my closet. Flowy, soft things I rarely wear. But somehow, he knew I’d need them. Knew I’d run to Eve, let her drag me out, and try to crack jokes while quietly panicking about the bruises.
Tonight, one of those scarves wraps tightly around my throat, covering the worst of the bruises. A little concealer masks what peeks through at the edge. I don’t want to spend the night fielding concerned glances or answering drunk questions.
Eve and Thane sit across from me, their elbows brushing, knees bumping, sneaking ridiculous love-struck glances at each other. I take a sip of my drink and smirk.
“So, things seem to be going well for you two. You can’t keep your hands or your eyes off each other.”
Eve turns to Thane, her face soft with something sickeningly sweet.
“Yeah, Thane was so supportive when I couldn’t find you. He stayed with me and helped me make calls. He’s been great.”
Thane presses a soft kiss to her temple, and Eve blushes bright pink. I giggle, but the sound barely leaves my lips before Eve’s gaze snaps to me, suspicion flickering behind her icy blue eyes.
“Well, I guess I could say the same for you and Ezra.” Her eyes narrow. “I mean, does he let just anyone stay at his house after meeting them once? There’s something going on there.”
Shit. She totally knows.
Thane clears his throat. “Ezra let me stay at his house for a few days when I first got to town, and he didn’t know me at all,” he says, his voice smooth and diplomatic.
I flick him a grateful glance. He must sense I’m about to crawl under this fucking table.
Eve waves a dismissive hand. “Okay, fine. We can set aside yourdaddykink for now …”
Thane chokes on his drink, while I nearly inhale mine. “Eve!” he wheezes.
She grins, unrepentant … until her smile fades.
“What the hell happened with Jameson?”
Eve goes still. No more teasing, no more jokes. Just that deadly kind of calm she only pulls out when she’s worried.
“I don’t want you to tell me if it’s too much, but … fuck, I should’ve known. The second he sent that Joker meme—‘She broke me, so I became the monster she said I was’—I knew he was a creep.
“Like, are you fucking serious? That’s not self-awareness, that’s a cry for help wrapped in clown makeup. Plus, anyone who memes a picture of Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker with even an iota of pride deserves to be monitored by at least three government agencies.”
She exhales hard, fury sparking off her. “I already called Joey, the asshole who vouched for him. Tried to act shocked, but I pushed, and guess what? He admitted Jameson always gave off weird vibes. Just didn’t want to say anything. Said maybe he had ‘a few issues.’ A few issues? Are you kidding me?”
Eve reaches across the table and takes my hands, squeezing them just like she did after my mom died.
“It still feels surreal,” I whisper.
I spend the next half hour telling Eve and Thane about my shitty date and the heroic bibliophile who rescued me. Once again, I leave out the part where I bit Jameson’s dick off.
I’m not sure I’ll ever tell Eve about that.
