“Sure thing.” He turns to me. “You gonna be okay?”
Rolling my eyes, I pat his shoulder. “I’ll be out front. See you in a few.”
“You sure?” he asks, stepping in front of me.
“I’m fine. Seriously. Now, let me go so I can find a booth for Jake to hang out in tonight, okay?”
The indecision is clear in his gaze before he releases a sigh and steps to the side of the dark hallway. “I’ll be out in five.”
“Yup. I know. And thank you for keeping an eye on me. You’re a pretty good friend, Gibbs.”
With a smirk, he challenges, “Only pretty good?”
“I mean, it would be nice if you did my laundry and didn’t play the guitar at three in the morning. But hey, there’s always room for improvement, right?”
He laughs. “Go find a booth for Jake, ya little shit. I’ll see you in a sec.”
I wiggle my fingers back and forth. “Bye.”
Then I head to the front of the building. The place is pretty crowded as I grab a washcloth from behind the bar and scan the area for an open seat. A recently vacated booth catches my eye in the back.
Perfect.
I bob and weave between customers, then start wiping it down when a familiar voice chills me to the bone.
“Hey, baby,” the voice slurs from behind me.
Flinching, I turn around. My pulse skyrockets as I look Ian up and down. “W-what the hell are you doing here?”
“Rocky said you like to hang out here.” He casually examines the place while nodding his approval. “Ya know, I like it too. We should come here more often.”
I wring the dirty rag in my hands and rise onto my tiptoes, desperate to find Gibbs. Or Jake. Or even Ashton.
It wouldn’t take a genius to see I’m freaking out right now, right?
“Y-you shouldn’t be here,” I whisper.
“Why the hell not?”
“Because we’re over, Ian.”
“We’re not over, babe. We were just taking a break. And you were right. I should’ve never let you go. I was being selfish. I swear I’ll never be selfish again. I just need you. Come on. Let’s get outta here.”
Aaaand, he’s officially lost it.
“Ian––”
Leaning closer, his pungent breath makes me gag as it fans across my face. “Look. My brother fired my ass. I’m lonely, and I miss you, and I just want to talk.”
“We’ve already talked multiple times.” My gaze darts over to the bar where Gibson is yet to be present.
“You cheated on me,” he mumbles, looking more hurt than anything else as he reaches for my arm. Not roughly. More like I’m a precious artifact that could break if it isn’t handled carefully.
I shy away from him and shake my head. “You cheated on me, Ian.”
His shoulders hunch, but his hand drops back to his side. “She didn’t mean anything.”
“I didn’t mean anything to you, either.”
“Will you just listen to me?”
“Why did you deliver the pictures to my brother?” I ask.
He shakes his head back and forth. “What pictures? Reese, I’m here ‘cause I love you. I want you back. You gotta understand––”
“Don’t play stupid, Ian––”
“I’m not playing––”
A gasp escapes me as he’s wrenched away like a ragdoll. I cover my mouth in surprise before my saviors come into view. With Gibbs on Ian’s right and Jake on his left, they step between us, using their massive frames as a barrier before crossing their arms and giving me their backs.
“It’s time for you to leave, Ian,” Jake growls. “The cops are looking for you.”
I peek around my protectors and watch the situation unfold like a damn train wreck in slow motion.
“W-what?” Ian’s face drains of blood. “Wait, why?”
“Because you broke into her fucking house, moron,” Gibbs spits. “She filed a restraining order a few hours ago. I suggest you turn around and get out of this bar before they find you on the premises.”
“Dammit, Reese!” Ian seethes, his confusion morphing into anger.
The band stops playing, and the constant chatter surrounding us ceases, making my flesh prickle with awareness.
I can feel everyone’s eyes on me. Their curiosity. Their confusion. Their pity. I can feel all of it, tainting my skin like a thick tar that I want to wash away. But I don’t know how. I want to run. I want to hide. I want this night––hell, this entire day––to be over.
“You need to go, Ian,” I whisper, choking back the need to curl into a ball and hide. My entire body is shaking like a freaking leaf, but I don’t know how to make it stop.
A pair of giant bouncers sense the commotion and zigzag through the onlookers before their sausage hands dig into Ian’s collarbones from both sides.
With a reddened face, he starts screaming my name over and over again. “Reese! Reese!”
My fingers dig into Jake’s navy blue T-shirt as I squeeze my eyes shut and try to block out the sound, but it’s no use. It’s already etched into my memory.
“Hey, what’s going on?” Dove squeaks.
I jump and clutch my chest. “Where the hell did you come from? I thought you weren’t working today.”
“I wasn’t, but my sister was particularly grouchy today, so I decided to give her some space and come listen to the band instead of tiptoeing around our apartment all night. I’m glad I did. Is everything okay? You look spooked.”
“That’s my ex. He’s been…”
“Stalking her,” Gibbs finishes for me. I can almost see the smoke coming from his ears as his face turns red with frustration. “He’s been stalking her. But the cops can’t arrest him for showing up in a bar when he hasn’t been served the restraining order yet. Ashton just called them to let them know where Ian is, but other than that, there’s not much we can do right now.”
His phone buzzes in his pocket, and he takes it out before giving us his back. Then he answers it in a hushed voice.
Looking helpless––and like my Jake for the first time today––Jake asks, “What can I do, Reese? How can I help?”
“I just want to go home,” I mutter under my breath, rubbing my hands along my bare arms.
I’ve been here for what? Ten minutes? But it’s too much. First, Jake. Then, Milo. And now, Ian. What the hell am I supposed to do? And how did it spiral out of control so quickly? I’m so emotionally drained that I just want to curl into a ball and sleep for a week. Right now, there are too many stares and too many witnesses to the drama in my private life that should’ve never been aired out at work. It’ll be a miracle if they let me keep my job.
Dove pulls me into a quick hug before I even register her arms around me. “I’ll cover your shift.”
“You don’t have to do that,” I whisper. My focus drifts to the concrete floor beneath my scuffed sneakers.
“I want to. Besides, I might as well get paid if I’m here to listen to the band, right? Go and get some rest. It looks like you need it.”
I purse my lips. “Gee, thanks.”