holds his out toward me, palm up. “How bad does it hurt?”
Right now I’m still on an adrenaline high, so I can’t tell him for certain, but it does hurt. “It’s okay.”
His angry eyes meet mine. “Stop saying it’s okay. It’s not fucking okay.”
“Okay,” I whisper, and his jaw twitches. “Sorry, I mean it hurts a little, but ice will help.”
Without another word, he pulls me from the bathroom and takes me to the front of the bar. Lifting me up, he plants me on a barstool, then accepts a bag of ice from the guy who was standing at the end of the hall earlier. Tyler holds the ice to my knuckles without a word or a look in my direction. I’m at a loss for what to say or do. I refuse to feel guilty for what I did, but I feel bad he’s so upset.
Four cops arrive, and when they get to the bar, the man behind it takes them down the hall. When they reappear a few minutes later, two of the officers escort the guy with a bloody face out of the bar with his hands cuffed behind his back, and the man returns behind the bar.
“Drink this. It will help with the shakes,” he says, and I swivel to face him as he places a glass of clear liquid in front of me.
“Thanks,” I whisper, giving him a crooked smile while picking up the glass and taking a sniff. It smells like vodka, pure vodka. I take a sip and then another, allowing the liquid to calm my nerves.
“Since this rude fuck isn’t gonna introduce me, I’ll introduce myself. I’m Alan.” Alan starts to reach for my hand, then shakes his head, pulling it back when Tyler grunts at him.
“Nice to meet you, Alan, and thanks for the drink.” I hold it up.
“Anytime.” He moves from behind the bar to stand next to Tyler when the two officers come over to talk to me. I tell them what happened, with Tyler standing over me, and the more I talk, the angrier I feel him get. I ignore him and give my statement, then watch them go talk to the girl across the room, who’s been sitting with Eli. When the officers leave, she comes over to me.
“Are you okay?” I ask softly when she’s close enough to hear me.
“Yes, thanks to you.” Tears fill her eyes. “I . . . I told him to leave me alone, but . . . but he wouldn’t let me go. I . . . I don’t know what would have happened if . . .”
I notice that Eli, who’s standing close to her, looks furious.
“I’m just glad you’re okay,” I murmur, cutting her off, and she wraps her arms around me, catching me off guard. When she lets me go, she looks up at Tyler. “I’m going home, but I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Wait, what? I look from her to Tyler and wonder what she’s talking about. “See you tomorrow, Bell.” He gives her a hug, and when he lets her go, she gives him a shaky smile.
“It was good seeing you, man,” Eli says, looking at Tyler, and then his eyes come to me. “Thanks, Leah.” He wraps an arm around Bell’s shoulders and leads her away.
“You know her?” I ask Tyler, and he finally looks at me.
“She’s my cousin. My mom’s brother’s stepdaughter.”
“Oh.” My stomach sinks. I thought his mom hated me before, but after she hears I got into a fight at a bar, she’s really going to dislike me. This just keeps getting worse and worse. I pick up the glass of vodka and shoot the rest of it back. If I get drunk, it won’t matter. Maybe I can stay drunk the rest of the weekend and pretend this has all been a bad dream.
When I feel a soft touch on my hand, I look at Tyler and notice his eyes are watching my hand as his fingers run over mine, inspecting my swollen knuckles. “I’m fine,” I tell him softly. “It’ll probably hurt for a couple days, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.”
He doesn’t respond. He looks behind the bar. “What do I owe you, man?”
“You’re not paying,” Alan says. “Drinks are on the house.” His eyes move to me and then back to Tyler. “Now and always for you and your girl.” He grins. “She’s a badass. She deserves to drink for free.”
“Shit,” Tyler mutters. “Do not fucking encourage her.”
“Not too