“Shit,” I curse as blood pools from a shallow cut.
“Go take care of that.” Concern overtakes her features, pushing away the antagonistic teasing. “I’ll watch the bar until you get back.”
Pain doesn’t register as I walk into the back office and fish out the old first aid kit that has been here as long as I have. My heartbeat pulses in the wound, but the sting was brief. It isn’t until I pour rubbing alcohol on it that the feeling returns with vengeance. A string of curses spills out as I bandage it and slip on a plastic glove to prevent any biohazard incidents.
When I return, the girls are gone…and so is Nathan.
He wouldn’t have—fuck.
No. No. No. Not him. Not anyone. Yellow ismyfucking woman, goddamnit.
My gut hollows with a black hole of devastation as my heart picks up speed in my chest. If he—if they—
There would be no coming back from that. Not only would I lose my girl, but one of my best friends too, and even Karis couldn’t pull me out of that tailspin.
Fear holds me hostage in the doorframe. Stepping back out there means accepting that reality, and that’s more than I can deal with right now. My lungs lock in my chest, constricting tighter with every second that passes.
I start to breathe again when my friend steps out of the bathroom alcove—alone.
“Thank fuck.”
His face falls as he sees my wrecked state. It doesn’t take him long to put two and two together. He shakes his head as he approaches me and drags me back into the office.
“Man, did you really think I was going to fuck your girl? I thought after all these years, you would trust me more than that.”
“I know. I do. I just…”
“Panicked?”
“Yeah.” My shoulders slump with the confession.
“Are you ready to get your head out of your ass now?” he asks, and I give him a defeated nod.
There is no way I can fight this thing. Not while she’s around, and I don’t think my friends will let her go anywhere anytime soon.
“So what are you going to do?”
“Do you think there’s a chance I can still beg her for forgiveness?”
“Only one way to find out.”
***
I don’t give myself time to talk myself out of it as I drive toward her dorm. Never mind the fact that it’s 2 a.m. on a school night and the storm has only gotten worse as the night went on. Or that she’s probably going to tell me to fuck off and that she never wants to see me again.
It’s not until I’m standing in the abandoned lobby of her building that I realize I have no fucking plan here. My entire shift passed by, and all I could think about was getting to her—not what I was going to do once I got here. I don’t even knowwhat room she’s in or how I’m supposed to get past the locked security doors. At least my only obstacle is a half-asleep kid at the front desk.
Calling her is an option, but that risks her turning me away before I can get inside, and I’m not willing to lose this fight before it’s even begun.
I’m done making mistakes where she’s involved.
“Hey,” I bark at the sleepy kid.
He jerks to attention, and his eyes widen as I approach. On a good day, I would try to make myself seem less intimidating, but today is not a good day, and he is the only thing standing between me and my girl.
“How old are you?” I snap.
“Uh…twenty-two,” he says, but it sounds more like a question than a reply.
