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I’ve got his attention now.
He rips his sweater off by the neck and tosses it at me.
“Thanks.” I chirp happily, closing the door. I knew that would work.
There’s a few moments of silence as I put the sweater on before he speaks again.
“What has she told you about me?” He asks, his voice barely audible through the door.
I open it and point for him to sit on the edge of the bath while I try to salvage my top. It’s not a recent purchase but it’s one of my favorite pieces to go out in so I’ll be really bummed if I have to throw it away.
“Six?” I ask him, closing the door and bending over the shirt to continue scrubbing it.
“Yeah.”
“Nothing. She doesn’t talk about you.” I say, looking back at him and watching as his jaw works, the muscle in his cheek jumping agitatedly. His eyes flash and, try as he might, he can’t hide the frown that pinches his eyebrows. “Do you want her to?”
“No.” He says, rigidly.
“Happy days then, right?” I ask him.
I give up on trying to save my top and throw it in the trash next to the sink with a frustrated breath.
He stands and hesitates. “Why did you bring her up before then?” He finally asks, opening the door and letting me go first.
I walk out and look back at him as I answer. “Because I have eyes, Phoenix.” I tell him, as I bump into something rock hard.
It feels like an actual brick wall and completely stops my momentum as I look up, up, up, until I see Rhys.
“Fuck me.” I hear Phoenix mutter from behind me.
Rhys’ face is black with rage as he looks first at me, then down at my clothes and finally, excruciatingly slowly, over my shoulder at Phoenix who comes out of the bathroom after me.
“Mackley, I–”
He doesn’t let me finish.
He sidesteps me in one move, walks up to Phoenix and punches him square in the jaw.
Phoenix’s face snaps to the side with a sickening sound and blood immediately flies from his lip, but he doesn’t fight back as Rhys punches him again.
“What thefuck, Phoenix?” Rhys hisses, grabbing his friend by the collar and slamming him against the wall. The floor has emptied out, with people finding a place to hookup or going downstairs to get booze, so we’re alone. “Did you fucking touch her?”
“No.” Phoenix bites out with a resigned look on his face as he takes the hits that Rhys unleashes on him. He bends over with the force of the blow thrown at his abdomen, his breath hissing through his teeth.
I can’t watch this anymore.
“Stop!”
Rhys’ face snaps towards me as he spears me with a venomous look, his nostrils flaring wildly as he takes me in again.
Gone is any trace of the joviality that’s usually present on his features.
He looks ready to maim and kill now.
“Stay out of this.” He grunts, his tone equal parts frigid and intimidating. “I’ll deal with you later.”
“No, let him go.” I say, stepping between them, “Phoenix was just helping me.”
