Hide, Don't Seek

Chapter 10~

Istill can’t believe Bea is here. She never goes anywhere; she even gets her groceries delivered. But here she is, in all of her beauty. I thought for sure I was having a stroke when I heard her sweet voice whispering in my ear about buying her a drink. Once I turned to see her, though, I skipped the stroke and went straight for heart failure. Her eyes were sparkling with amusement, and she was so damn close I could smell the Champagne Toast body spray she uses.

Even’s been unusually quiet tonight, almost contemplative. Danny, on the other hand, is fully out of the shell he’s been hiding in. Unsurprisingly, Bea has totally fallen for his crazy-boy charm. When he’s high, he’s the most charming man you’ve ever met; could probably charm the pants off a nun. But when he’s low, shit goes one of two ways: either people die, or we have to watch to make sure he doesn’t. Either way, Even and I much prefer this side of Danny; the one currently rambling about the differences between the Dumbo Octopus and the Coconut Octopus.

I regard her as she leans in and eats up every word, giggling as he flails his arms around, imitating how the Coconut Octopus can “walk” on two limbs like a human. Her smile lights up the entire room, and something deep in my soul calls out to her, praying for a chance to see it every day.

Danny suddenly trips over the chair next to him and damn near crashes to the floor. His carefree laughter rings out and causes a chain reaction. Even, Bea, and I quickly follow, laughing until my side hurts. And just when I thought I couldn’t fall any harder for this damn woman, she snorts. Yes, snorts. One second, she’s laughing, then she tries to inhale, and the cutest pig-like sound comes out. I swear to all things unholy that it was the most adorable thing I’ve ever heard.

Of course, embarrassment takes over; her eyes go wide, and she slaps her hand over her mouth. I give her a lop-sided smile and lean in before whispering, “That was the cutest thing I’ve ever heard, and I will try to hear it from that pretty mouth every day.”

Her forehead unwrinkles, but her eyes stay wide as she takes in my words. The other two have also stopped laughing, so I know they’re watching as she battles something within her mind.

I’m just opening my mouth to assure her it was cute, and in no way were we laughing at her, when she quickly stands up, almost knocking her chair over. “I’ve gotta go to the bathroom!” she exclaims, then slips through the tables leading to the back of the bar before I can even blink.

I watch her ass sashay in her jeans until she disappears around the corner. I can feel myself smiling like a buffoon, but I could care less. This is quickly shaping up to be the best night of my life.

The moment Beatrice slips out of view, Even groans, rubbing his hands roughly across his head. Danny slides back in his stool, still laughing at his own goofiness. “What’s up, man?” I call out across the table.

“So, that’s her? That’s the woman you’ve been falling all over for the last four years?” His voice hitches a little. For the first time all night, I really look at him. He looks distressed; not his clothes, but his face, his eyes.

Tilting my head, I wait until he meets my gaze, flicking briefly over to Danny, who also looks bewildered by our dear friend’s suddenly troubled state.

Staring back at Even, his words finally settle into my mind. Shit, he doesn’t approve. Or maybe he knows she’s way out of my league…

Clearing my throat, I take a swig of my beer and look anywhere except at him. They know enough about Bea to know I obviously care for her, but I’m absolutely not ready for them to start analyzing how deep those feelings go. Especially if they don’t approve of her for some fucked up reason. And, if anyone can see through me, it’s these two.

“Uh, not falling over. Just…” I shrug a shoulder as I use a napkin to wipe away an invisible stain on the table. “We’re friends.”

“Bullshit!” Danny exclaims with a laugh. “We’ve only been talking to her for thirty minutes, and I can totally see the appeal. She’s sexy, curvy as fuck, and her smile…” He fists his hand and bites the knuckles while he groans and flutters his eyes like he’s having an orgasm. Fucker.

Shaking my head and rolling my eyes, I shove him a little while chuckling. “Fuck off, D.” He bats his lashes at me, then leans in, snuggling onto my shoulder and wiping away a non-existent tear. “Aw, Love, our little boy is in love.” With a dramatic sniffle, he pulls away and slams his lips onto Even’s.

My brows raise to my hairline. Danny’s not one for PDA, but he”s obviously just as affected by Bea as I am. Danny groans and then releases Even, who looks as stunned as I am. Then, as if nothing happened, Danny leans back in his chair and gulps the rest of his beer down. Even’s dazed expression causes me to chuff a laugh, and I have to say, I love seeing a dumb-founded Even.

Eventually, he blinks a few times before clearing his throat. Then, he leans forward and looks me dead in the eye. “No, seriously, I have to tell you-”

Bea walks up and stands almost awkwardly next to me, demurely moving her hair away from her face and maneuvering it behind her ear. The pink snake shaped like a heart attached to her industrial barbell catches my eye before I look back at her and smile.

“So, um,” she trails off momentarily, chewing on her pouty lower lip. My cock presses against my jeans, and I subtly move my lap away from her, just in case. “I should, um, get going. But, thank you, Stu. I really needed this tonight.”

She places her hand on my forearm, and her eyes sparkle with pure vulnerability. For a brief moment, I consider kissing her. I’ve thought about it for years, but never, not once, has it felt like she was open to it—open to me.

But, all too quickly, the moment slips by as she smiles again, squeezes my arm and turns towards the other two. “Even, Danny, it was truly a pleasure to meet you both. Maybe I’ll see you around.” She says with a timid smile before flouncing out of the bar before any of us has a second to respond.

Like an idiot, I stare at the now-closed door as if she may magically come back. But, as usual, she’s here one second and gone the next.

A triple beep on my phone arouses me from my stupor, and I pull it from my pocket. Knowing the triple beep is tied to my search program, I immediately open the app that connects to my home computer.

“Hey, Danny, I just got the information you were looking for,” I say casually.

But, once I click on the results page, I freeze. My mind can’t connect the information in a logical sequence. It doesn’t make sense.

I stare at the information for longer than necessary, desperately trying to figure out if I somehow mixed up the tracker codes. I know I didn’t. I wouldn’t.

“Bea’s the girl!?” I say incredulously as I whip my head across the table to Even. The moment our eyes connect, I see it- the truth.

And now things are much more complicated than ever before.