Chapter 32
Luke
“Are you sure we have to do this?” Annie asks as we are putting our shoes on. We’re headed to Lenny’s to meet Grant and Devin for a drink, and I'm even having trouble finding the silver lining in how tonight will most likely go.
I haven’t had much time to think about it, not since Annie and I decided that confronting Devin about what she did to us—to me—was something we owed to ourselves and our relationship.
It’s not that I think we need this conversation with her for our relationship to work, but I don’t want anything, especially something as shitty as what Devin did, hanging over our heads for the rest of our lives.
“I didn’t think anything scared you.” I know that seeing Devin and Grant is hard for Annie. It’s going to remind her about what happened at Grant’s party and the night before, but it’s also bringing up everything else she endured during high school.
Since we’ve gotten back together, she’s been more open about her experience.
I’ve learned more about what Devin and the other girls did to Annie in high school, and how the bullying has had a lasting effect on her. I wish she would’ve been more open with me about it when it happened, but I’m glad I can be here for her now.
For someone like Annie, to let me in after closing herself off for so long, takes a lot, and I’m so proud of her.
Annie is almost unrecognizable today compared to who she was back then, and I know she is proud of who she is now, proud that she doesn’t let anyone determine her worth anymore, and she isn’t bounding herself to the background like she used to.
But that doesn’t mean that seeing people from high school doesn’t bring up those memories and feelings.
I don’t blame her for not wanting to go, but I also know that my Annie girl doesn’t back down from a fight.
She crosses her arms, narrowing her eyes. “I’m not scared of Devin, dummy. I’m scared for her.”
I lean down and press a kiss to her forehead, the lines there instantly softening. “That’s my girl.” I open the front door, gesturing for her to lead. She’s trying to hide the smile on her face as she lets her arms fall down to her sides and starts to walk out the door.
As she does, I slap her ass as she walks out. “Let’s go get ‘em, honey.”
When we get to Lenny’s, Emmett is bartending with Ava, and the only people here on a Sunday night are three yahoos in a corner booth who look oddly familiar in their black sweatshirts with the hoods up, one with a baby strapped to their chest.
Annie and I look at each other, shaking our heads. I glance back at the bar where Emmett is looking over at them and doing the same. Next to him, Ava has a hand over her mouth, covering up a smile.
We walk over to the booth, both of us crossing our arms and looking down at our friends—who we can now see are also wearing sunglasses as if the sun didn’t set almost two hours ago.
“You guys look so stupid,” I say with a laugh.
“Shh! We’re incognito,” Mia whisper-yells, but this just makes me laugh louder.
“You don’t think it’s more suspicious that the only three people in here besides us are three idiots dressed in black and wearing sunglasses at night?” Annie asks, and she’s fighting a smile.
“I told you two this was a stupid idea,” Eddie complains, taking off his aviators and unzipping his sweatshirt, letting it fall off his shoulders, his sun and rain cloud tattoo he got when I got my rose looking darker than the rest of the tattoos on his arms.
“You didn’t have to come,” Drew retorts, but she makes no move to remove her “disguise”.
“Yeah, let Ava go home. You can help Emmett behind the bar,” Mia adds, blowing a kiss to her husband. He groans, and then walks over to the bar.
“Are they here?” Drew whispers over Lennon’s head, and Annie and I both shake our heads.
“Do you guys have a plan?” Mia asks, her voice also in a whisper, even though we are still the only people here, even more so now that Ava is going home.
“This isn’t a top-secret mission, you guys,” Annie says, finally letting herself smile. “We’ll suffer through the small talk, and I’ll fake a smile through Devin’s comments about how Luke and I are still together, and then I’ll confront her about the video and how shitty it was that she did that to Luke when he was drunk.”
“And I’ll be there for moral support,” I add, slinging my arm over Annie’s shoulder and pulling her in so I can kiss her on the temple.
Before Mia and Drew can complain how boring that is or whatever they’re about to say, the door to Lenny’s swings open, and Devin and Grant walk in.
I haven’t seen Devin since high school, but the way she carries herself is the same. I watch as she looks around Lenny’s, not even bothering to hide her distaste, and she looks out of place with her designer bag and high heels, even more so compared to Grant’s long-sleeve t-shirt and worn jeans.
“Luke!” Grant booms, his dirty blonde hair shorter than when I saw it in the summer. I grab Annie’s hand, walking us over to them and meeting them at a high-top table not too far from the bar and close enough to the booth where Drew, Mia, and Lennon are.
Out of the corner of my eye, I notice both Emmett and Eddie not even bothering to make themselves look busy, both of them standing behind the bar and keeping an eye on Annie who reluctantly sits down at the high-top table, not saying anything to either Devin or Grant.
When I glance at her, I notice she’s watching Devin, who’s still looking around the bar as if she could contract a deadly disease by spending too much time here.
“I’m glad we could get together,” I lie, standing next to Annie’s chair, squeezing her hand before letting go and gesturing to the bar. “You guys want a drink?”
“I got it,” Grant says, looking at Annie and giving her a once-over that makes me clench my fists. “What can I get you, Annie?” he asks her.
“Gin and tonic,” she answers, giving him a small smile that doesn’t reach her eyes, but at least she’s looking right at him.
“You got it,” he replies before turning to me. “Come with me to the bar? ”
I look at Annie with a raise of my brow. She gives me a small smile and a slight nod, telling me she’s okay. Grant is asking what Devin wants to drink, both too busy to catch our exchange.
“Yeah, I’ll go with you,” I tell Grant, not necessarily wanting to leave Annie alone with Devin but knowing that she can handle herself.
We walk over to the bar and order two beers for us, a gin and tonic for Annie, and Grant orders a glass of red wine for Devin.
I turn to see Devin saying something to Annie, but I can’t hear it over Grant trying—and failing—to make conversation with Emmett over the Metallica t-shirt he’s wearing.
I watch as Devin wipes the chair across from Annie with her hand before sitting down, her face twisting in something that’s meant to be a smile but has a menacing look to it.
Whatever Devin says, Annie doesn’t wait long to reply, looking at Devin as she answers, and Devin’s eyes slightly widen, her body leaning back just an inch before she covers up her surprise quickly.
“Luke?” I hear Grant say, and I have to turn my attention to him.
“Sorry, what were you saying?” I ask as Eddie sets down two beers and a glass of wine in front of us while Emmett makes Annie’s drink.
“I was saying how I’m not surprised you and Annie are still together.” I watch as Grant follows my prior gaze, looking directly at Annie and Devin. The two must have given up the small talk and are both looking at their phones, and I don’t like how most of Grant’s attention isn’t on his own girlfriend .
“Yeah,” I say, giving him a noncommittal answer. The guys on the hockey team always tried to give me shit about my commitment to Annie, especially when I didn’t join in on their excitement for the girls they were hoping to meet in college, despite most of them having girlfriends. I never entertained it, so they eventually gave up.
Back then, I didn’t care about anyone’s opinion about my relationship with Annie except for Annie’s. The same is true now.
Grant shakes his head. “I never got your thing for her in high school, but I see it now. Never thought I’d be jealous of you hitting that .”
Emmett and Eddie both freeze, and I feel their eyes on me. Grant’s eyes are still on Annie, and it’s Grant’s lucky day that he has to deal with me rather than her.
If Annie heard him say that, he would’ve met a similar fate to Ava’s douche of an ex-boyfriend, probably worse.
I’ve never been outwardly possessive over Annie—it’s not really the kind of guy I am. I feel protective over her, wanting to protect her, but I learned over the years that she doesn’t need that from me.
But right now, I don’t care. I feel a rush of adrenaline funnel through me. “Watch your fucking mouth,” I bite, and Grant finally stops looking at Annie and faces me.
“Relax, dude. I meant it as a compliment.”
“Look at her again, and she’ll be the last thing you see.”
Grant tries to laugh it off, looking at Emmett and Eddie as if they’ll be any help to him right now, but when he sees the way the two are staring at him, the laugh quickly dries out.
“Whatever,” he scoffs, grabbing his beer and Devin’s wine and walking back over to the table.
“Get those fucks out of here,” Eddie growls, not at all concerned about his volume.
“You have five minutes,” Emmett adds.
“Don’t worry,” I reply, watching as Grant stands behind Devin’s chair, Annie looking up at him and Devin. “Annie will have them out in three.