Broken Hero

We carry on with the rest of our evening as if the two men sneaking glances at us from across the room don’t exist. I almost manage to forget about the two dark blue eyes boring a hole in the back of my head. We’re discussing whether we should get another round of drinks when someone sidles up to our table.

Again?

I look up, ready to take the fight, only to be struck silent.

“Hello, girls.” Gavin’s smile is sly.

“Hi.”He leans against the booth, blocking my view of Oliver and Logan. Don’t come over, don’t come over.

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“Yes.””Care if I join you?”

I open my mouth to respond, but Mandy cuts me off. “We’re enjoying a girls night out, actually. But thank you.”

“I wouldn’t want to interrupt that, now would I?” He bends down towards me with a small smile. “I trust you haven’t forgotten about my offer?”

“No, I haven’t, which is why I’d like you to leave.”

He straightens with a scowl, like he didn’t actually believe me the first time. Well, hear me loud and clear, buddy. Not going to happen.

“Now, listen here sweetheart, I don’t know what you’re-”

But Gavin’s luck has run out. Oliver and Logan have moved like silent shadows, appearing suddenly on either side of him. They’re not smiling.

Oliver places a hand gently on Gavin’s shoulder, but there’s menace in that light touch. “Are you bothering these ladies, Whittaker?”

“Of course not.”

The tension is already high and getting higher by the second. We need to defuse this somehow. “We were having a chat, but Gavin was just leaving. Isn’t that right, Gavin?”

His eyes are sour as he ducks out from under Oliver’s grip. “Yes. Good evening, ladies.”

“See that you don’t return,” Logan says.

Oliver and Logan stand, side by side, and watch as Gavin disappears towards the exit. Oliver’s fist is clenched. The tension is clear in his shoulders and evident in every line of his tall frame.

He turns grave, blue eyes on me. “Are you okay?”

“Yes. Thank you.”

Suddenly, I’m not angry anymore. I’m tired. I’m tired of thinking about our fight and of misunderstandings. I want to clear the air between us, and I want to be in his arms again.

Mandy is giving me a faint smile. “Do you want to…?”

“Yes. Is that okay?”

She grabs her bag. “Of course. Let’s go.”

We scoot out of the booth. The guys watch us, silently.

“Heading out?”

“Yes.”Oliver and Logan escort us to the exit without another word. Logan holds the door for us and we emerge out onto the warm sidewalk. It’s gotten dark and the moon hangs like a lantern in the sky.

“This was fun,” I tell Mandy. “Thanks for coming out.”

“We’ll do it again sometime?”

“Definitely. Maybe somewhere quieter next time?”

“Sounds perfect,” she says and nods towards the parking lot. “Do you want a lift home?”

“Thank you, but I live so close, I’ll walk.”

Oliver clears his throat. “I’ll walk you home.”

Mandy shoots me a look of mixed exasperation and encouragement. “Good luck,” she murmurs as we hug goodbye.

“You too.”I wave goodbye to Logan and he gives me a faint nod. For the first time since I’ve met him, he looks almost nervous.

It seems like we all got a bit more than we bargained for tonight.

Oliver and I start to walk slowly along Main Street, both of us silent. It’s deserted at this hour, and the oak trees lining the street sway gently in the breeze.

“Are you cold?”

“No, I’m good.”

His jaw is tense, his gaze focused on a point on the horizon. He might have been the one to suggest that we talk, but I doubt he’ll be the one to start.

I don’t know how to start either. It’s important to me that he understands and respects what I do for a living. Too many people in my life have made the wrong assumptions and I couldn’t handle it if he becomes one of them, too.

He reaches for my hand. It’s warm and rough, his fingers twining easily through my own. “I was wrong earlier.”

“Really?””Yes. The last thing I meant to imply was… that. I’m not like him.”

Gavin’s slimy smile is forever burned into my mind. “I know you’re not, Oliver.”

“My reaction was jealousy, pure and simple. Not exactly noble.” He runs his free hand through his hair, mussing it up. “But I trust you. You’re great at your job, and you’re the single most…” he shakes his head, lost in thought. “You’re professional and good, through and through.”

Oliver stops and presses a kiss to the back of my hand. Determination glows in his eyes and words spill out of him like a confession. “I’m going to fuck up. I’m going to fuck up a lot, Lucy. But I promise to try to be better. I’m working on myself and on being better.”

“Oliver… I don’t know what to say.”

He cups my cheek with a rough hand, tilting my head back. The storm in his eyes isn’t gone, but it’s settled. Quieted, somehow.

“Don’t give up on me yet, Lucy.”