Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 63854 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63854 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
“I don’t love you, Joseph. We’re over,” I say.
On the other hand, the loud music means it’s probably hard for anyone to hear me screaming for help . . . I mean, if it gets to that. It may not.
I remember there were bouncers at the door, though.
“Say that again.” Joseph’s wearing an angry scowl, even as his eyes fill with water. It’s a strange, scary sight.
He reaches toward me, and I stumble backward. The shot of vodka I downed earlier is starting to rise to my head, but Joseph’s not grabbing any part of me tonight.
“Which part?” I ask with defiance. “‘I don’t love you’? Or ‘we’re over’? Oh, look at that. I just said it all again. Silly me.” I stare into his eyes, even though it’s getting hard for me to focus. “Leave me alone,” I tell him.
The fire in Joseph’s eyes only grows stronger. His jaw is tightened, and his hands have balled into fists.
Oh, no. Did I do the wrong thing? Should I have let him down more gently?
I’m not surprised when Joseph grabs my waist roughly and pulls me right up against him. No, I’m just angry and scared.
I don’t want to repeat the whole on-and-off cycle again with Joseph. It was so hard for me to cut him out of my life. I can’t go through that again.
How long is it going to take me until the next time I manage to get this far? Am I cursed to repeat this cycle, again and again, until Joseph and I are both old and grey?
“You’re drunk,” he says with a strange smirk. “I’m going to take you home. You’ll be safe there. I’ll keep you safe.”
I try to push Joseph away, but he won’t budge. He’s right; I am drunk. And even if I weren’t, he’s still stronger than me.
A deep sense of doom descends upon me as Joseph slings his arm around my waist and pushes me toward the exit. Goosebumps erupt all over my body. This feels so gross.
Can I scream for help when I reach the exit and get the bouncers’ attention? Will I even be able to see the bouncers? They could be busy checking IDs or something.
I was too optimistic when I decided to challenge Joseph earlier. I didn’t count on the stupid shot of vodka affecting me this much. It has been a while since I drank any alcohol; Joseph didn’t like me drinking at all.
I look up at Joseph as we shuffle to the exit. The dancing lights behind him make it hard for me to focus, but I can see a thin smile on his face as he rushes me out. It fills me with dread.
Then, Joseph notices something. He stops and says some angry words loudly. His face is red, and there’s a vein popping in his neck.
Next thing I know, I’m falling. But before I feel the impact from hitting the floor, my world turns black.
Noah
I catch Ava in my arms as the asshole who was harassing her loses his grip.
His face has turned red, although I don’t know if it’s from the alcohol or his anger. He’s obviously not happy about Mason pushing him. If I were him, though, I wouldn’t mess with Mason.
The asshole—that’s what I’m going to call him—probably wouldn’t either, if he knew Mason’s an MMA champion. But I’m not telling him.
Liam’s saying things in Mason’s ear, no doubt trying to dissuade him from starting a bar fight. He’s probably talking about criminal charges and liability issues—all things Mason doesn’t care about.
This is going to be good entertainment.
I glance at Ava, who seems to have blacked out on my arms. Her eyes are closed, and despite the furor all around us—loud music blaring and angry men shouting—she looks so peaceful.
I like watching people when they’re zoning out, daydreaming, or sleeping. That’s when they’re completely themselves, without any pretense.
And I like what’s written on Ava’s face right now. Even though there’s chaos all around her, she seems so serene.
It’s like her world’s gotten so riotous that she’s clocked out and gone to a calmer place.
Something inside me stirs.
I want to give her that calm, not just in her dream world but in real life. I want to protect her. I don’t know where that idea came from, but I do. I want to give her shelter from whatever problems she’s facing.
I look up at Nathan, who’s watching the fight intently with his fists ready to fly into the asshole’s face. Although not as skillful or artful as Mason when it comes to fighting, Nathan’s perfectly comfortable with using a little bit of violence to solve a problem.
Ollie meets my eyes. “Take her home,” he mouths.
I nod. That’s exactly what I had in mind.
I wrap Ava’s arm around me and pick her up by the waist. Getting up, I tell Nathan, “It’s time to leave. We need to take her home.”