One
Asher
“You stupid, son ofa...biscuit!”the beautiful woman with long, black hair shouted at the man wearing a full suit as she took the hedge shears and cut more roses from the rosebush.
I leaned against the garage door and grinned as I watched the scene unfold in the front yard next door.We hadn’t lived on Crimson Cove very long, but it was already proving to be entertaining.I had met Violet several times and helped her with a few things while her boyfriend was out of town for work.She was always shy and a little withdrawn, so it was fun to see her releasing all of this feral energy as rage filled her eyes.
“I swear to god, Violet, if you don’t stop your shit,” he warned as he pointed at the massacred rose bush.“Thoseare mydead grandmother’sroses.She loved that rosebush, and you know it.”
“I don’t give a flying rat’s tooshie!”She narrowed her eyes as her hand reached higher, cutting a big chunk of the bush off and laughing when it fell on the grass between them.“It is OVER!”
I chuckled under my breath, wondering just how hard this had to be for her.The way she struggled to say any actual curse words made me think she wasn’t someone who used them often.But she was definitely pissed off, and his face confirmed a mixture of embarrassment that she was putting their business on public display, while also looking like the guilty asshole he probably was.I didn’t know the guy well, but he just had that energy about him.Without ever speaking to him, I already knew she could do so much better than him.
“Oh yeah?Where are you going to go?You know you need me far more than I need you.Now stop your shit, and let’s go inside and talk about this.”He reached for her, but she moved quickly out of his way as her eyes widened and she pointed the sharp end of the shears at him.My eyebrows rose in surprise as a warmth of pride flooded through me.I nodded, even though she didn’t see me, giving her my approval.
“I’m not going anywhere with you.You slept with your boss, Jared!You bent her over your desk and had sex with her!And you know how I know??Because you left your stupid iPad on, and the screen turned on when I bumped it while cleaning.I had tosee youhaving sex with another woman, so save your lies, we are OVER!”She screamed the last word, drawing the attention of more neighbors as they came out of their houses to see what the commotion was all about.While it was supposed to be a quiet area of town, the houses had been built quickly—and poorly, if you asked me.I hadn’t met a single person living in the new housing development who hadn’t complained about the lack of privacy and shoddy construction.
“It wasonetime, Violet.Can you please stop being so dramatic about this?”
She took a deep breath in and let her shoulders fall as she started cutting more of the rosebush, letting the pieces fall at his feet.I covered my mouth with my fist and laughed.I had never seen anyone take out their anger on a rosebush, but she was determined to ruin the entire thing just to prove a point to him.
“It,” she snarled as she cut a branch off.“Is.”She cut a few more, leaving the bush almost empty of any roses.“OVER!”she shrieked as she cut a huge piece off and threw it into the pile before tossing the shears and almost hitting him.
“I don’t think so,” he roared, reaching for her as I pushed off the wall and walked their way.“You don’t get to decide that we’re over.”
While I tried to stay out of others’ business, I wasn’t about to sit back and let this asshole treat her that way.She had made it clear that things were over between them, so I had no problem making sure he fully understood the message.
“I think she does,” I said, standing behind him with my hands shoved in my pockets to keep from hitting the asshole.Her eyes widened as her cheeks flushed a lovely shade of pink, and she peeked out from behind him.I gave her a smile and a nod in greeting, loving the way she blushed as she looked away and gave me a quick wave before lowering her hand.
“This is none of your business,” he said, looking me up and down before turning back to face her.
“Oh, but I think it is my business becauseyou’remaking it my business.Look around, the whole street is watching.Everyone came out when she started throwing your clothes out of the upstairs window.I stuck around to watch the show when she started destroying the rose bushes.”I leaned past him and locked eyes with her.“Bravo, by the way.Great job.”
He spun around and faced me again as he narrowed his eyes and clenched his jaw.She stole my attention when she lifted her head and wore a proud smile at the compliment.I loved seeing that look on her face and wanted to see more of it.In the short time I’d known her, she only ever looked truly happy when he was out of town for work.The rest of the time, it was like she cowered behind him and wasn’t meant to be seen.
“Stay the fuck out of my business,” he snarled.
“As long as you continue talking to her like that, this is very much my business.”I took a step forward, towering over him enough to see the fear spark in his eyes.God, I loved the feeling of putting assholes like him in their place.
I heard the footsteps approaching and didn’t have to look back to know that this had drawn Enzo’s attention as well.He had been in the shower when I slipped out, so I hadn’t bothered to tell him.It wasn’t like he hadn’t heard it through the thin walls, just like we did their other fights.This one just happened to be worse, and it was apparent that neither of us was going to sit back and allow this douchebag to continue treating her like shit.She wanted to be done with him; we would make sure that happened.
“What seems to be the problem here?”he asked, standing beside me with his arms folded over his chest.
“It seems she wants to leave this asshole, and he thinks he’s going to stop her,” I explained, my posture matching Enzo’s.
“Is that true?You want to leave him?”Enzo asked her as she stepped out from behind the dickwad.
She nodded and clasped her hands in front of her as she looked everywhere but at us.The confidence she wore just a few minutes ago was already fading.I couldn’t tell if she was just naturally shy or if Enzo had already had an impact on her, like he did on most women.
“Well then, why don’t you move out of the way so the lady can leave?”Enzo said, taking a step toward her and shoulder-checking the man in the suit as he extended his hand to her.“You’re good.I got you.”
She nervously took his hand, not looking behind her as she walked away from the asshole she was now leaving behind.
“Don’t you dare come back here, begging me to take you back,” her ex growled, nostrils flaring.
“Trust me, that won’t be what she’s begging for,” Enzo muttered so quietly that I was the only one who heard it.I chuckled and shook my head, knowing exactly how much trouble we would be in if we allowed ourselves to get too attached to her.
I walked behind them as he guided her to our house with his hand on her lower back.It was going to be an interesting day indeed.
