Hide, Don't Seek

Chapter 8~

Danny comes back with another round of beers and I tip my head in question towards Stu. Danny shrugs and shakes his head, signaling that he doesn’t know what the hell is going on either. Stu is, well… he’s Stu. He’s always a little bouncy, a little loud, and a little goofy, but he has the heart of a saint and a brain that rivals Einstein when it comes to computers.

When our company first put us together 6 years ago, I was pretty sure I was going to end up strangling him. He has the attention span of a gnat and a body that moves more than a hummingbird’s heart. But, after a few months of working with him, I learned to deal with it. Besides, he’s loyal to a fault, smarter than anyone I’ve ever met, and he’s been through his fair share of torture.

But tonight, my normally wired friend is off. Every time the front door opens, his whole body freezes and his eyes light up. Then, I watch as his shoulders deflate again and he goes back to bouncing his knee under the table.

“All right. Out with it.” I grunt over the music. His head immediately snaps to mine and meets my hard glare. Whatever’s going on, he needs to let it out.

“What?” he asks, looking completely confused. Tipping my beer bottle at him, I raise my brows and state, “You. What’s wrong with you tonight? You”re jumpier than usual. Are you OK?”

His heavy exhale looks almost painful as his eyes drop to the table. Danny’s picking at his beer bottle label which means he’s probably close to wanting to leave. This place is just starting to get crowded, and while he likes noise, he doesn’t like being around a lot of people. It makes him incredibly uneasy.

Stu sucks his labret ring in his mouth and chews on his lip. When he releases it, he meets my eyes and a rare sign of pure vulnerability flashes in them. Leaning forward, I tilt my head and try to convey that we’re here to listen; no judgment.

Taking a swig of his beer, he plops it on the table, then glances between Danny and me. “Ok. So, you know the girl I’ve been helping?”

I feel my brows pinch while one raises in confusion. “Queen Bee?” Danny asks.

Stu nods his head solemnly and seems to be figuring out how to say whatever it is that’s on his mind.

“Ok. Ok. Here’s the thing…” I can see he’s really struggling because his arms are already starting to flail and he hasn’t even started his little story.

And then, he releases it in one, full breath. “She had a bad night, and I helped calm her; which I”ve done before but not like this. She was, I don”t know, Lost in her mind. Anyway, I wanted to make her feel better so I made her tea. Me. I did! I made her fucking tea and you know what happened next? We talked. Not about anything real or important, but it was so good, so perfect, so, damn, right. So, I may or may not have pushed her a little and convinced her to meet for a drink tonight.”

With a deep, loud inhale, he sucks in a much-needed breath before deflating again. “I just, I’m nervous she won’t come. But, I’m also nervous that she will.” His voice was so low I barely heard it over the girl belting out her version of Olivia Rodrigo’s Bad Idea Right?

I’m just about to tell him that he’s a good man and to let what happens happen, but before I can formulate the words, in walks…B? No fucking way.

I blink my eyes a couple of times and squint, knowing for damn sure that won’t help. She’s here. Of all places in and around this town, she’s right here! And, fuck me, she’s beautiful. Her skin-tight, ripped black jeans hug every curve of her thighs and up her hips, disappearing underneath a long-sleeved, off-shoulder sweater with a picture of a skull with flowers growing out of its head. Her collarbone shows off that little tattoo perfectly and thoughts of me seeing it up close last night causes my dick to start knocking on my zipper.

Her hair is down, and her long bangs sweep across her forehead before being tucked just behind her ear. With the lights in the bar, you can’t see the rose-gold overlay of her hair, so it just looks like a normal, blonde highlight. But, I know better. I’ve seen it, ran my fingers through it… Oh shit.

I almost groan with how hard my cock is but I don’t want to startle Danny. He’s already close to his limit. But, what should I do? Do I tell her? Would that make it awkward?

I mean, she made it clear she didn’t want to meet outside of the app “activities,” but she’s right fucking here!

Then, those penetratingly gorgeous blue eyes find their way across the bar and she smiles; fucking smiles! Not the fake, half smile she awkwardly gave me either. It’s real and bright and I feel drawn to her more than ever. Her smile actually moves her plump cheeks up and makes the heart-shape of her face look more pronounced.

I track her as she makes her way, almost shyly, through the bar; like it’s not something she’s used to doing. I notice her eyes flitting over every person and even see her darting glances at all exits. Smart girl. Definitely been hurt before. Which makes sense, considering how she was last night.

My heart beats like a bongo in my chest as she draws impossibly closer. Her smile dims only slightly but I can tell she has her sights set on someone near us. Is it me? There’s no way she recognizes me. I was in my full COD gear.

Just as I think she’s going to bypass us and head for the open area near the stage behind us, she leans in, just behind Stu. Her smile widens, and her whole face screams flirty as she whispers something to him, and I swear to God, my heart fucking stops. What the actual fuck is going on?

Stu whips his head and is almost nose-to-nose with how close she is and I can see his damn dimple pop out. His whole energy changes as he abruptly stands, hauls her up by the waist, and hugs the shit out of her, chanting, “You’re here! You’re here! You’re actually here!”

For possibly the first time in my life, I’m stunned stupid. My brain ceases to function and nothing in this plane makes any sense. Am I hallucinating? Dreaming? I mean, how the hell does Stu know B? And how do I get her to smile at me like that?

She throws her head back and laughs as he twirls her around. After she slaps his back a few times, shrieking about being too heavy and to put her down, he slides her down his body. From here, I can see the light blush creeping on her cheeks and I find myself narrowing my eyes in annoyance.

He grips her chin lightly and leans down so they’re at eye level. Just above the noise of the crowd, I hear him tell her, “Don’t ever talk bad about this beautiful body again. You are not now, nor will you ever be, too heavy. Understood?”

I’ve never seen him take charge like that. It’s a mind-fuck, to say the least.

Once he releases her, he flashes his broad smile, throws an arm across her shoulders, and turns to face us. “Beatrice, this crazy guy is Danny, and this Viking-looking mother fucker is Even.”

Her shoulders hunch a little, and I see her brace herself in response. With a bashful smile, she reaches over and shakes Danny’s hand. “Pleasure,” she responds quietly, and time seems to slow as their gazes lock.

I glance over at Danny and immediately feel awful. Here I am having a mini-meltdown about a girl who has me twisted up and he appears to be two seconds from running across the country.

“Mine, too,” he replies before immediately blurting out, “I mean, the pleasure is mine…too. Yeah.” The contact is broken and she blinks like she was lost in her head or something. His cheeks flame with embarrassment so I subtly lay my hand on his thigh under the table, squeezing firmly to keep him grounded.

Beatrice’s eyes dart down, and I see that moment she recognizes the act for what it is. I straighten my shoulders, not in the least bit ashamed of myself or Danny, but quickly realize I don’t need to be defensive. Her gentle smile is soothing, accepting, as she reaches out her hand and shakes my free one. “Nice to meet you, too.” Her voice is as sweet as I remember and flashbacks of her bound, gag, and at my mercy assault me.

“Pleasure’s all mine, beautiful.” My voice sounds a little huskier than intended, and I see Danny glance at me from the corner of my eye. Unfortunately, I’m a bad boyfriend because I’m not concentrating on him. Nope, I’m watching that red heat wave I became familiar with last night stretch down her neck and spill out across her chest.

This night just got a whole lot more interesting. Whether that’s a good thing or not is unknown. But, I’m absolutely interested in finding out.