Chapter Twenty-Four
ARCHIE
Sitting in front of a dozen screens and surrounded by a few of the men I trust with my life, it definitely helps distract me from my thoughts of Tabitha.
I’m not sure it’s giving me the purpose I’m craving.
At first, it was something to do to help pass the time.
It still does that—security business. It’s not giving me everything I need, though. The problem is, I don’t know what will.
It’s a problem for another time. My priority is still Tabitha.
I won’t be able to rest and move forward with my life until I know she’s safe and happy.
I thought I could take care of her by myself, but I know she’s ready to get to the next chapter of her life.
And that won’t happen until we solve the bigger issue—her ex.
Once we get through this weekend, my team will help me come up with a plan. There’s no other option.
My eyes flicker between the screens. I keep coming back to her—always her. A huge smile covers her face as she works and talks. She’s clearly in her element. She looks so fucking happy for the first time in weeks.
If only I could be the one to make her happy like that. I shake the thought from my head. I need to focus.
Unfortunately, my need to keep eyes on Tabitha means I also watch how others interact with her.
It wouldn’t be a problem except for the one guy who keeps getting too close for my comfort.
He clearly has a thing for her, and it’s irritating.
That frustrates me even more, since I shouldn’t have a problem with it.
I pushed her away too.
I thought it would be easy to act like we weren’t friends, to keep things professional. Clearly, only she’s capable of doing that. She’s so wrapped up in her protected little work bubble. Meanwhile, I’m forced to watch her slip away from me all over again.
This has to be for the best.
“How’s it been going?” Tyler questions next to me.
I peek over my shoulder. “Which part?”
“Over the past week.” He shakes his head. “You never said where you were, but I can take a wild guess.”
It’s possible he would guess correctly. I told him about the club a while back, when I was still trying to decide what to do.
I don’t remember bringing up Tabitha, though.
That’s a separate conversation. It’s hard to explain without starting from the beginning, and I’m not ready to dive deep about her. Not yet.
“Until recently, I hadn’t seen her in years.
” I clear my throat. I know I need to start somewhere.
“Our moms are best friends; they grew up together. So, we grew up together. Our families are close. After high school, we just went our separate ways. She went to college and got married. And, you already know my story.”
“So, nothing ever happened between the two of you?” Matt smirks.
“We’re just friends—or—we were, growing up. Life happens, people grow apart.”
“Sure.” Matt nods, but the look on his face tells me he doesn’t believe me. He goes back to looking at his laptop with a grin on his face.
“The way you reacted when you saw the email, I thought there might be more there.” Tyler speaks up.
“Looks like she has something going on with that other guy anyway.” Matt interrupts, his eyes are on one of the screens.
My head snaps up to look at the screen to see her getting close to someone. “Good for her.” I grit out. I turn to look at another screen. Any. Other. Fucking. Screen.
She needs to move on. It’s better for both of us. I don’t want to watch it happen, but I didn’t really give myself much of a choice. We’ve pushed each other away.
But, fuck, if I thought it was hard watching her get married years ago, it’s worse now just watching her flirt. Before, I didn’t know how she felt. I’d kept her up on this pedestal because she fucking deserved the world. Now, I’m stuck in my misery without a clue of how to proceed.
I stand up from my chair, nearly knocking it over. “I’m going to grab some water. Anyone need anything?”
They all say no, but I’ll bring some back, just in case. I need an excuse to get out of this room. The kitchen will give me a temporary reprieve. I’ll grab some water and snacks, then get out.
I ignore the voices and laughter coming from the next room as I make my way into the kitchen and head straight for the fridge. I grab a few bottles of water, then a few protein bars from the counter before turning to leave.
“Hey.” Max enters.
He’s Tabitha’s friend, probably the new best friend. At least I don’t have to worry about this one falling in love with her. It helps put me at ease around him.
“Hey.”
“I know she’ll never say it, but it deserves to be said.
Thank you for keeping her safe.” He steps further into the kitchen and grabs a bag of chips off the counter.
“I feel like it’s obvious to say thank you for your service too, and I’m appreciative.
It’s just—you’ve known her longer than I have.
So, I know you already know what I’m about to say.
” He sighs. “She enjoys being liked and needs to feel accepted. But, she also has the biggest heart and would give the shirt off her back to help someone else. Her ex took advantage of her. It’s good for her to have someone like you back in her life.
Someone who won’t take advantage of her and will help make sure nobody else does ever again. ”
I turn and pause. “Max, we’re just friends.”
“Considering she’s flirting with Luke, I assumed.” He chuckles.
“Good for her.” I grind my teeth together as I leave the room and head back to the security office.
So, the guy has a name. Luke. It’s not even a dorky name.
It’s a good name. This would be easier if the guy had a name I could make fun of, in my head anyway.
It’s not like he’s a bad guy either. We ran background and security checks on everyone who would be here this weekend.
There’s nothing evil about any of them. Maybe spending more on action figures than some people do on rent, but to each their own.
I groan as I push open the door of the office and deposit the water and snacks. My butt hits the seat, and I slouch in the seat before ripping open the wrapper of one of the protein bars.
“Why do you seem to be in an even worse mood than when you left? I thought food made people happy.” Matt questions.
“What did that guy say in the kitchen?” Tyler questions. “Dude, we saw it all on the feed.” He gestures to the screen in front of them.
I shake my head. “I’m not in the mood.” I crumble the wrapper and toss it into the trash bin in the corner. “And that guy is Max, one of her closest friends. He just wanted to say thanks for doing my job.”
“Sure.” Matt stands and shakes his head. “I’m going to walk the perimeter. I need to stretch my legs.”
Tyler and I sit in silence for five minutes before he flips the volume up on one of the cameras. They seem to be taking a break from recording videos. Snacks are being shared, and a few of them are adjusting their new costumes.
It’s static for a second before we hear the group of them in the living room, crystal clear. I’m not sure what I was expecting to hear, but definitely not what I do.
“Thor’s hammer, though.” A girl giggles.
“Have you seen Hulk?” Max interrupts.
“Which version. Are we talking about Banner or The Hulk?” another guy asks.
They all laugh.
Tyler flips the volume back off. “I don’t care to hear about the dick sizes of superheroes and which one is probably bigger.” He shakes his head.
“Is that what they were doing?” It clearly went over my head. “I thought they were talking literally about Thor’s hammer.” I shake my head. “Nerds.” I smile.
“Was she always into this stuff?’
“Yeah.” I grin. “Her comic collection was serious business. She never let others at school know while we were growing up, but it meant a lot to her. To this day, I’m pretty sure she left some of them in plastic wrap because they were special.”
Tyler laughs. “That’s kind of awesome.”
“Don’t even get me started on the times she made me go to midnight showings at the theater.” I close my eyes. I can picture those memories so easily.
“That’s not so bad,” Tyler argues.
“In costume.” I shake my head, then laugh as I open my eyes. “I mean, full costume, and we had to get there hours early.”
“I would pay money to see that.” Tyler bends over with laughter.
“I’m pretty sure her parents have pictures somewhere.”
I’d do it all over again. Those were the moments when Tabitha was most herself.
She was in her element and got excited. It wasn’t a fake smile like she would give others growing up.
She could always ask me for anything; I’d give in.
I wore costumes and matching shirts even after she promised it was the last time.
I took her to the movies, the comic book store, anywhere she wanted.
I’d wait hours for the release of a game, movie, or book.
I would do it all over again. Because it was her.
My eyes move to the screen where she’s dramatically telling a story.
A genuine smile spread across her face. These are her friends now.
This is exactly where she’s meant to be.
I don’t fit into this environment, and that’s okay.
I’ll protect her and keep her safe until she doesn’t need a bodyguard anymore.