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“In about an hour,” Big Guy says, holding out a hand to help me up. “You can come with us if you want.”
“Oh, ah, sure. I don’t really know my way around here so I’ll take you up on that.” I give him a little nod, ignoring his hand and pushing myself up off the ground. “I’m also sorry for punching you earlier. I get why you were acting like a royal dick.”
"Dude! This little girl punched you?" Tattoo Guy asks, a mocking laugh riding his words.
"Call me a little girl one more time and I'll hit you as well," I snap with my bitchiest glare in place. I've decided that TG is my least favourite of the three of them.
"Woah! Calm down there, sweetheart. You don't want to try that with me." He sends me a cocky smile. "I'm the brawler of the group."
"Well I'm a black belt in Jiu Jitsu and a self defence teacher. I think I can take you," I flutter my eyelashes as I sneer at him. "Sweetheart."
TG looks absolutely pissed as the other two guys burst out laughing. He probably thought I was some helpless girl who doesn't know anything. I'm fucking not and if he tries to mess with me then I'll show him exactly who the fuck he's dealing with. There's a reason women like to flock to my bar over other people's, I don't fucking tolerate anything. I have a reputation in my town as someone who doesn't take any shit. I raise an eyebrow as I have a stand off of sorts with the asshole in front of me.
"Come on fighter! Let's get you something to drink," Long hair smirks, amusement dancing in his eyes. "Adam, go cool off. Riggs, did you want a drink as well?"
"Sure thing, Rhys." Riggs smiles at me.
Ah! That's their names. I guess I should use them over the nicknames I gave them. I have a bad habit of giving people nicknames when I don't know their names. I usually don't say them out loud, but I have been known to slip up every now and then. I sit on a stool that Riggs pulls out for me.
"Can I just have a glass of water? I'm not a drinker," I ask as I have a seat.
"Of course," Rhys says as he moves to grab a glass from the cupboard.
Riggs sits down beside me, smiling as I look up at him. This guy is seriously huge in a very intimidating way but I sense no malice from him. If Declan trusted these guys then my instincts tell me to trust them as well. I've fallen into trusting them quicker than I expected but I already had a vulnerable moment with them and no one made any negative moves. That on top of them being Dec's best friends tells me everything I need to know about them right now.
"So Alayna," Riggs starts. "You said you're a self defence teacher?"
"Yeah, I volunteer doing it three times a week. I own a bar for my actual job though." I smile, thanking Rhys as he hands me a cold glass of water.
"You own a bar?" Rhys asks with a shocked expression. "That's really impressive."
"Why? Because I'm a woman?" I raise my eyebrow at him, daring him to agree.
"No, because you're twenty seven years old and you don't drink. It seems like a weird and ambitious career choice is all."
"Oh," I murmur. "I guess it is. I was kind of thrown into it, but I actually really enjoy running the bar. It's become a safe haven for me. Something that I can control when so much is outside of my control."
The guys nod at this, not quite sure what to say. I wouldn’t know what to say to that super personal shit either. Too much information! Now would be a great time to bury my head in the ground to hide from the emotional word vomit that I just threw everywhere. They didn't need to know that shit. I don’t even know these guys.
Fuck, I’ve already broken so many of my own rules being here with these three strange men. I have rules for a reason, yet I let myself break all of them because they knew Declan. Like knowing Declan somehow makes them all great people who would never hurt me. Such a fucking idiot move.
“If you guys just write down the address, I’ll meet you there. I need to change into something more appropriate anyways.” My instant mood change seems to throw them for a loop, both of them staring at me with bewildered expressions. Standing up, I make it clear that I’m leaving no matter what.
Riggs looks like he wants to object, but Rhys stops him with a hand on his chest. Rhys pulls out a notepad from one of the kitchen drawers, writing down the address for me with a soft smile on his face. He hands it over making sure to avoid touching me as he does. I must look as anxious as I feel if he’s going through this much trouble to not scare me. My fight or flight has kicked in and this time flight is taking over.
“Thank you,” I mumble as I rush to the door. I can’t believe I let my guard down for so long with them. What if something happened? Fucking rookie move.
As I practically run out of the house, I barely catch a glimpse of Adam’s scowl as I head outside, straight to my car. I quickly check my back seat to make sure I don’t have any surprise visitors before jumping in. Checking to make sure all my doors are locked tightly, I grip the steering wheel until my knuckles go white. My heart feels like it’s imitating the rhythm of a hundred humming birds in my chest as my anxiety takes over. It’s hard to breathe, it’s hard to think straight.
Running through the facts in my mind, I try to calm myself down. I know that nothing went wrong. I know that I am okay and those guys didn’t hurt me. There’s so many facts telling me I was not in danger, but anxiety and c-PTSD are a bitch. I can’t convince my mind or my body that we’re not in danger. My body is a hurricane of emotions over Declan’s death, the three strangers that could have taken advantage of me, and the idea that I am truly, utterly alone in this world.
Tears stream down my face as I try to pull myself together. This isn’t the time or the place for this panic attack right now. I’m still sitting in front of their house. They could come out at any moment and yet, I still can’t move.
Five things you see
Four things you feel
Three things you hear
