I grab him by the shoulders and throw him to the ground with all of my might, then I sit on top of him, preparing to pummel his face into a mass of blood and dust.
I throw the first punch and it’s loud enough to hear bones crunching, but I don’t give a fuck about the pain in my hand – it’s nothing in comparison with what’s going on in my heart.
When I pull my fist back for another, John and Scott grab me by the shoulders.
“Mate, what the hell is wrong with you?!”
What the hell is wrong with me?
I get off him, rubbing my fist while his friends pick him up and drag him away. John grabs my arm, asking me for an explanation that I can’t give him.
“What the hell is going on?” Jamie comes over in a fury, wanting to have a go at the guy too, but Scott blocks him off. “Did he have his hands on my sister?”
“Your…oh shit,” Scott says, lifting his hands to his face.
In the corner of my eye I see Riley hunched over in a corner with her arms wrapped around her chest and her eyes glued to the ground. Jamie goes to her, making sure she’s alright. She gives a small nod, and I free myself from John’s grasp and join them.
And when she lifts her eyes to mine, everything stops breathing.
Including me.
Because all I want is to feel her. On top of me. Just one time.
Feel her sighs in my ears, her warmth around me, her hands sliding over my body. Have her eyes, her caresses, her mouth. For me. Just for me. Forgetting about her entire world and creating a new one together, made up of just the two of us.
And when she tears her gaze away, turning her back to me and walking quickly in the other direction, I understand that I’ve lost.
I’ve lost everything.
I’ve lost her.
Riley gathers her things, speaks animatedly with a woman and a man then kisses Jamie and leaves the building, leaving them speechless and confused.
Everything’s happening too fast, but the moment she heads towards the stairs I know it’s time to make a decision. One that could change the course of things forever, could lead me to make a mistake. Another one. Huge and irreparable. The kind that destroys your life and someone else’s too.
And yet, I go for it all the same. Head and heart agree.
“Move your arse!” Jamie yells above the noise of the crowd, pointing towards the stairway.
I run up the stairs and out of the door, where I find her on the pavement. She snaps her head up and stares at me, swallowing what remains of my intentions, and the rest of my fucking life.
Because she’s got it all right there in her hand.
“Riley,” I whisper, touching her face with the back of my hand.
A group of bullets pelt through my stomach.
Touching her like this. Again.
Her breathing tickles my lips and my entire body stops with the heat of her body.
Riley takes two steps backwards, away from my hand, taking my pride and my hope along with her.
“What the hell got into you?” she yells furiously. “Why did you punch that guy? What were you trying to do, kill him?”
“He was…”
“He was dancing with me!”
