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Issac Matthews
"What the fuck happened?" I growl, crawling into bed next to Love. Her dark brown hair falls around her face in a mess of waves. "You smell like stress."
"I was asleep," Love groans into my pillow. Her beautiful face is red and swollen. She's been crying.Motherfucker. Her blue eyes are beet red as they blink up at me.
"Yeah," I agree. "You were and your pillow is still wet with tears. Dexter got dressed and stomped out of the house ten minutes ago."
Her lip quivers as she squeezes her eyes shut. She bites her cheek. I know that trick. I've seen her use it a time or two when her dick of a father made her cry. An agonized sob rattles out of her chest.
I have to clench my fists to keep from tracking Dexter down and fucking him up. Love is pregnant, she should not be this stressed out. It's not good for the baby. Not at fucking all.
Her body tries to curl up into the fetal position, but I block her legs.
"Love, what the hell is going on?" I ask, studying her face.
She shakes her head. I don't even think she's breathing. She's trying so hard to keep it together. It's a trait I respect because I'm the same way. I fall apart in front ofno one. But I'm the one person she's supposed to be able to count on for anything.
I've got a pretty good idea of what's going on. Maybe not the specifics, but I'm aware Dexter thinks he's in love with Love. I also know Love has been fucked over before, by a guy who reminded her a lot of Dex.
That fucking Peter Pan syndrome bullshit guys want to pull when they can't hack commitment.
"Okay." I nod. "You don't have to tell me right this second." I stretch out beside her and pull her head to my chest. "I'm here, Baby Love. I ain't going anywhere," I tell her softly. "You won't be doing this shit alone. No matter fucking what. I swear to you, as long as I draw breath you won't be alone."
Love clutches my chest, crying even harder, and that's okay. Sure, she's crying over my best damn friend, but that's all right, too. I've known for a while they're in love. They're both too damn stubborn to see it in the other person.
I'm fucking lost on how to help her, but I do my best to wade around in the mud. I tell her what I know she needs to hear, murmuring it in a soft, comforting voice.
Love's biggest fear is being left all alone. I'm sure that's a big fear of all kids who were perpetually neglected. Her folks couldn't even fake having love and care for her.
Dexter grew up the same damn way. Maybe even worse off than Love because at least she had a clean, safe home, and meals on the regular.
Dexter Clark didn't have that. He knows he's a street rat who lucked out when we made it. Hell, the both of us are.
Dex's biggest fear is not being good enough. Love's piece of shit father didn't help Dexter's self-esteem at all. The shit thatfuckwad has spewed over the years is vile. I let that garbage roll off my back like water off a duck, but Dexter lets it eat away at him, and I fucking hate it.
For whatever reason, Dex constantly weighs himself against others and decides he doesn't measure up.
It's ridiculous. Two people are never going to go head-to-head and come up equal in the same categories. He's got different skills and abilities, but he only seems to recognize his faults. I've always done my best to stay out of their shit, but it's hard.
They're both insecure in different ways. So much so that without someone else in between them they'd never work. Those two in a traditional relationship would never fly.
"I'm sorry," she whispers against my chest as I rub a finger over her cheek.
"Nah, none of that. You know we don't do like that," I remind her.
"I love you, Izzy," she murmurs. "I think I did something stupid."
"I love you, too, Baby Love. How are we going to fix it?"
Love and I are a fucking team. If she's got a problem, then I've got a problem.
I'm a big motherfucker. Most people don't want to make a problem out of me.
"I think I fell in love with Dexter," Love sobs.
Aww, hell. She was almost calm again. Her body shakes against mine as I hold her to my chest.
"Did you tell him that?" I ask, licking my lips and trying to figure out the puzzle of what went down.
