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There was no way I was going to get my hopes up in any case. There was too much at stake now to worry about my broken heart. I needed to focus on the little heart beating inside of me instead.It had become my new nightly ritual. Standing outside of The Heights for several minutes at a time during peak hours. I’d be outside smoking while I watched things from afar through the windows.
When nightfall hit, the lights inside the restaurant gave me the perfect view of the hostess stand. The glare on the windows meant she couldn’t see me watching her.
Being inside for long periods of time was too much for me lately. Plus, I needed to smoke even more, as if it were somehow going to take away this feeling that I couldn’t even describe inside of my chest.
I would smoke cigarette after cigarette, alternating between nodding to patrons as they entered and peeking in the window to make sure Gia was okay, that she wasn’t standing too much.
Everything had changed.
And yet nothing had changed.
I still felt everything I always had for her; the only difference was, I couldn’t act on it anymore. That fucking killed me. It killed me to admit to her that I wasn’t cut out for what she needed. It killed me to see the sadness in her eyes when I did. But I wasn’t going to risk letting down a child. That’s where I draw the line.
She would find her way eventually; she would. I just needed to help her land on her feet. Then, I’d encourage her to move back to the City once I knew she was gonna be okay—that they were gonna be okay. In the meantime, I wanted her here where I could keep an eye on her.
Smoke billowed out of my nose as I alternated between staring out at the water and over at Gia through the window.
I’d just put my butt out with my foot and blew out the last of it when I looked up to find two men lingering around the hostess station.
An alarm went off in my head. One guy was leaning into her and being too damn aggressive for my liking while the other just looked drunk, laughing like a fool.
A few minutes later, they were practically up her ass, blocking my view of her.
That’s it.
I was done watching.
Storming inside, I charged over to where they were standing. “Can I help you with something?”
“No, we were just enjoying the company of your gorgeous hostess here.”
“Well, she’s not here for your enjoyment. She’s doing her job. Give her some goddamn space.”
Gia interjected, “Rush…it’s really okay.”
I ignored Gia’s plea, vowing not to leave until they were out of her hair.
Both men refused to move from their spots.
I took two steps closer to them, clenching my first. “Did you not hear what the fuck I just said?”
“Dude, I heard you. I’m just not listening.”
Then his friend made the mistake of getting up in my face with his beer-infused breath. “Who the fuck are you to tell him what to do?”
I completely snapped, grabbing the man by the neck and dragging him with all of my might out the door onto the street. The other guy followed us outside.
“I own this place, motherfucker, and I can do whatever I want,” I spat in his face before releasing him from my death grip.
Oak, who had been up on the rooftop when all of this went down, came running outside.
“Keep these guys out,” I spewed before brushing past him without giving any further explanation.
All eyes were on me as I walked back inside. Not the most professional decision of my career. But that was the last thing I was worried about at the moment.
Gia looked alarmed as she returned from seating some customers. “Don’t you think that was a bit of an overreaction?”
“No,” I bit out. “Now get back to work.”
I spent the rest of the night alone in my office ruminating. While I didn’t regret throwing those assholes out, it was the bigger picture of what it represented that was eating away at me.
If I was gonna stay away from Gia, I had to stop being so emotionally invested in her—so damn possessive. It was a hard habit to break.
It was just before closing. I suddenly jumped out of my seat and walked through the restaurant without making eye contact with Gia or Oak.
I ventured straight out into the parking lot, got into my car, lit a cigarette then grabbed my phone. I scrolled down to her name.
Was I really doing this?
I needed to.
I typed out a text.Rush: You around to fuck?Barely a few seconds passed before a response came in.Everly: What makes you think I’m still talking to you after the shit you pulled last time, standing me up.
