Behind them, there’s another bickering fest taking place between two demons where they scream what theycouldandwoulddo if the other didn’t stop talking. The crowd is involved—oohing and awing with every witty insult.
This looks like a poorly written but highly entertaining comedy show. Looking around the room like a headless chicken, I desperately try to spot the director of this soap opera.
A shadow catches my attention. Invisible to the crowd, the stunning woman touches the shoulders of the two men in passing, and like magic, the men areon the floorbeating the absolute crap out of each other.
My eyes follow the lean woman, and I tug my mate’s hand so he can see the exact second the woman changes appearance from a beautifully shaped woman to a muscular man who passes the women snapping at each other. Just a simple brush from him has the woman losing control of their anger and jumping at each other’s throats.
Angel snickers behind me, but my eyes are fixed on the giant man who steps into a corner booth, dropping on the sofa in a dark leather jacket and jeans.
It’s been two years, but the man who leans back with a drink in his hand is someone I can’t forget. Watching the chaos unfold with mischievous eyes and a confident smirk, I finally have the missing piece of my heart.
That’s my best friend.
The club is drowning in a crimson hue, but this is a man I can spot in a crowd of thousands with my eyes closed. Howhe messes his hair every ten seconds like an impulse makes me smile when the nostalgia of him doing the same as a kid hits me.
Rubbing his hands on his thigh, he shakes his head once before his eyes start running around the floor, searching for something. The desperate way he’s looking tells me his Divine must’ve sensed my presence.
I wait for him to look in my direction, but he snaps his eyes shut and drops his head to stare daggers into the table before him. It hurts to watch him chastising himself for even entertaining the idea of me around. I want to run to him and tell me he’s not losing his mind. That I really am here.
Angel squeezes my shoulder in silent support, and I force a deep breath. Harvey would tease me for the rest of our lives if he saw me shed the first tear.
I start walking to Harvey, my steps hurry the closer I get, but I freeze in my spot Harvey lifts his head back to glance at his left.
His face. My throat closes up when his face comes to light. I’m frozen with the realization that this is the first time in a lifetime that it’s free of bruises. He lookshealthy—more than healthy, because even sitting down, he resembles a small mountain.
When we were kids, Harvey never made any effort to style his hair, and now that his mom isn’t around to scold him, his overgrown, messy hair makes sense. I can’t believe I’m this close to him after spending two years not knowing if he made it.
Willing myself to move, I walk to stand before him with my arms crossed over my middle.
“Still causing chaos for your amusement?” My shaky whisper is enough to break him out of his trance. The second his eyes land on me, the glass slips from his palm and falls to the floor, breaking into a thousand pieces.
“Nevaeh?” Harvey pales as if he’s seeing a ghost. A real possibility for us, because we both thought death was the only way out of that dungeon.
His porcelain skin flushes as he continues to gape at me. Harvey blinks furiously and looks away, as if I would disappear the next time he looks my way. When I don’t turn into smoke after he slaps his cheek the second time, Harvey jumps up quickly and throws himself on me.
“Monkey!”
Burying his face in my hair, he exhales loudly, holding me tight like he’s afraid I will disappear. I’m clutching him just as hard, and do my darndest not to let the way his shoulders shake tear my heart to pieces.
I can’t believe I’m holding him, and I didn’t even have to sneak into his cell for a hug.
I let him hold me close as we both sob into the hug. When Harvey refuses to back away after seven solid minutes, and my lungs scream for oxygen with how tight this giant is holding me, so I choke out, “Can’t breathe, asshole…”
“Stop being a baby and let me crush you for a minute,” his voice cracks and I lose my will to move away. “I thought I lost you… I thought… I-I never thought I’d see you again. I’m so- I’m so-so sorry Nevaeh. I’m sorry, I should’ve done m-more…”
My stuttering mess of a best friend starts heaving with every word, and I hate how he still carries guilt overmychoice. It takes all my muscle strength to detach from his bear hug and cup his face in my hands. I’m irritated that I have to stand on my toes to be somewhat at eye level with him.
Why is every man in my life so unnecessarily tall?
The light stubble on his cheeks grazes my palms as I force him to look at me, wiping a few tears that escape his familiar stormy eyes.
“It wasn’t your fault. You had to leave. I would’ve blamed myself forever if they caught you again because of me. You saved yourself from that dreadful place.Neverapologize for that, okay?” Despite the tightness in my throat, I speak firmly.
“I swear on Fates, If I could—”
“You would’ve taken me with you in a heartbeat?Of course, I know that dumbass.”
Leaning his forehead against mine, he chuckles freely, something Harvey avoids in front of an audience. Wiping under my eyes softly, he takes me in, and we both try not to sob in relief in front of a hundred people.
