“Fuck, dude. Can you please stop moping? It’s really getting on my nerves now,” I growl, throwing a handful of popcorn at Eddie as we leave the movie theater.
We tried to cheer him up by taking him to the latest horror slasher flick.
It didn’t work.
Now we’re at the mall shopping for shit for his parents, and he’s still sulking.
Ever since he and Amber broke up, he’s been a miserable fuck. Not because she cheated, because that definitely tore him apart, and not because they called their wedding off with only three months until D-Day. He’s been a mess over that, too. No, the man is sulking in a pit of self-loathing because he finally caved and fucked Pippa the night he and Amber broke up. Now the girl is even more obsessed with him, and he can’t shake her.
The sad part is, he thinks Rich and I don’t know, and because we care about the guy, we stay quiet.
“Sorry,” he mumbles, kicking at the dry Nevada dirt. “I’m just in my head again.”
“Well, get out of it,” I challenge, pushing him playfully. “You’re supposed to be having fun.”
“How am I supposed to have fun when I keep seeing her everywhere, Wes? That girl looks like her,” he says, pointing to a blonde cutie walking by. “That girl could be her twin,” he adds, motioning toward a girl coming out of theCheesecake Factoryin a hurry. “It’s exhausting seeing her in every woman I see.”
But there really are two girls coming out of theCheesecake Factory, and one of them I can’t tear my eyes away from… Poppy.
Rich clears his throat. “Um, I hate to break it to you, buddy. But that’s definitely Amber.”
Eddie’s head shoots up, his eyes narrowing when he sees two dudes chasing them down the steps. When one grabs Amber by the elbow, and we hear her scream something at him from across the parking lot, Eddie starts running.
“Shit, looks like we’re running now,” I shout, chasing after my friend. The last thing I want to do is rush over there and face Poppy after all these years, but Eddie’s leaving me no choice, and I’ll always protect the people I care about, even if it means putting myself in danger.
“Now you listen here, bitch. Nobody turns Finn Holden down and gets away with it. You be a good girl and give Daddy what he wants, or I swear—”
The guy’s arm is ripped away from Amber so violently I hear the breath leave him before his body slams into the concrete wall. The impact echoes across the parking lot as the few patrons on the balcony, watch us in utter fascination.
“Touch her again, and I’ll break your fucking arm.” Eddie says it with finality, like any second will be this dude’s last.
Amber’s eyes go wide, relief flashing in her irises when she realizes Eddie’s there to protect her.
The Finn guy tries to swing on Eddie, but he doesn’t stand a chance. Eddie ducks effortlessly and drops him with a single punch, crumpling the guy to the floor as blood spurts from his lip.
I step up beside him, Rich moving with me, muscle memory kicking in as we get ready to brawl. The guy wearing glasses takes a step back, stammering, “Hey, I don’t want any trouble,” as he’s pushing his glasses up his nose.
The man’s definitely intelligent.
My eyes flick her way, instantly navigating to the exotic girl with red tinted hair and freckles, hovering near the wall.
Poppy.
My Poppy.
Our eyes meet briefly, pausing for a breath we both need, the exhale slightly vicious and cruel.
We don’t say anything, just share a look before she moves straight toward Rich, slipping behind his tall frame like it’s instinct. Like she already knows he’ll protect her without question.
It shouldn’t hurt.
But it does.
I tell myself it’s because Rich is the safer option. That she doesn’t trust me because of my record, my reputation, the shit I’ve done.
Still… it stings worse than the cold air burning my lungs.
I clench my fists, stepping closer, letting the guy with glasses see exactly how much trouble he’s stumbled into.
