“Well, buddy,” I sneer, “you just found a whole lot of it.”
He backs off immediately.
Finn scrambles to his feet and gets right back in Eddie’s face, running his mouth like he didn’t just eat concrete.
“You think you’re big and bad, huh? Well, try to fight me when I’m ready for you!”
He swings, barely budging Eddie.
“Fuck! Is your jaw made of steel?” He shakes his hand, grimacing in pain. “I think you fucking broke my hand!”
“Serves you right for touching my girl.”
My girl.
He says it like they never broke up, almost forgetting she cheated and broke him in two not that long ago.
I glance at Amber, then at Eddie, who’s vibrating with barely contained rage.
Finn smirks. “I see. You must be the asshole she cheated on. No wonder she looked elsewhere.”
Eddie’s fist tightens, but Amber steps in, placing her hand over his. “He’s not worth it, Eddie.”
For a second, I admire her strength. The way she grounds him. It’s actually kind of sad how their relationship ended; they’re actually pretty good for each other.
Then Finn opens his mouth again. Big mistake. “Yeah, listen to your little bitch, big man. I’m not worth it.”
Jesus Christ.
Eddie snaps, unleashing a punch that brings that bastard to his knees. Once on the ground, Eddie grabs him by the hair, forcing the bastard to look up at him even though he seconds away from pissing himself.
The fear is in his eyes, and Eddie’s consuming it.
“Let’s get one thing straight, asshole. Amber is the furthest thing from a bitch, and if you ever try to talk to her or touch her again, I’ll do more than break your hand; I’ll send you to the fucking morgue. You got me?”
Finn spits blood on the ground, smiling like he’s got nothing left to lose. “Yeah, big man, I got you. I was only on this date because Gideon promised me that I’d get laid afterward, but Ican tell a prude little tease from a mile away. And that bitch screams cock tease.”
Eddie lets go of his hair just long enough to elbow him square in the nose, the cartilage crunching, the sound invigorating.
“Get the fuck out of here. Both of you.”
The two idiots limp off, and it takes everything in me not to race after them. But this time it wasn’t my fight. It was Eddie’s.
He turns toward Amber, his hand tracing her cheek lovingly. Nothing has changed for him. He still loves her, staring at her like she’s the only thing securing him to the ground.
“You okay?”
She nods, her voice a bit shaky. Too shaky for me to care because all I can see is Poppy.
Her fingers curl into Rich’s jacket. The fear in her eyes from earlier now turns to frustration because she has to interact with me. She feels safer with Rich, and it hurts to swallow that realization down.
Somewhere in the last few minutes, they’ve agreed to go back to the mall with us, but I didn’t hear any of it. I was too busy staring at Poppy and trying to figure out how to talk to her after all these years. Now we’re all walking across the parking lot together. Rich out in front as I fall behind a few steps.
Poppy ends up beside me without meaning to.
The air between us crackles. I don’t touch her or crowd her, knowing my existence is enough to make her run.
She glances at me once, but only once.
