even here. She’s enjoying a night out with friends, and I should leave.
“Is this seat taken?” a woman asks.
“No, go ahead,” I say, not looking at her.
“Are you here alone?” she asks.
I nod.
“Want to buy me a drink?”
I turn. She’s a cute redhead. “Does that mean you’re here alone?”
She smiles. “I am.”
I glance at my phone. “It’s ten o’clock. This is the city. You shouldn’t be alone.”
“I don’t have to be.” She touches my thigh.
I move my leg away. “You shouldn’t come to bars by yourself. There’s safety in numbers, you know. You should bring a friend.”
A waitress is bringing Bria a drink. She points to someone at the bar. He raises his glass. Shit. He sent her a drink. She politely shakes her head and puts the drink back on the tray.
Attagirl.
The redhead says something. “What?”
“I said, I don’t have any friends. I’m new to the city. I’m looking for someone to show me around.”
“I don’t live here, so I’m not your guy.”
“We could explore together.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“You’re not interested in buying me a drink or … anything?” She runs a finger down to her cleavage.
“Still not your guy.”
“I’ll buy you a drink,” the man on her other side says.
She smirks at me over her shoulder. “Your loss.”
The guy who sent Bria a drink is standing at her back. He leans down and says something to her. She smiles and shakes her head. He says something else. She shakes her head again. He puts a hand on her shoulder.
“Fuck this shit.” I toss money on the bar and stride over to her table.
Bria sees me approaching and is dumbfounded.
“Want to get your hand off her?” I say to the man.
“Didn’t know she was with anyone.” He removes his hand. “My bad,” he says and leaves.
“What are you doing here?” Bria asks.
“I’m having a drink.”
“A half-hour from your mom’s? Are you here alone?” She narrows her eyes. “Are you following me?”
I take out my phone and wave it at her. “You were all over town. I was making sure you’re okay.” I glare at the jerk. “Obviously you weren’t.”
“You track her phone?” Katherine asks sharply.
Bria picks up her phone and taps around on it. “Not anymore.”
“What are you doing?”
“You can’t show up when I’m out with friends.”
Lola huffs. “Are you stalking her?”
“I’m not stalking her. I’m her goddamn boyfriend.”
“And you think that means you can’t be stalking her?” Lola says accusingly.
“You should go,” Bria says.
“I think I should stay.”
The man who sent the drink is back. “Is there a problem?”
Bria shakes her head. “No problem.”
“Yes there is,” Katherine says.
The man puts a hand on Bria. “Maybe you should leave. The lady obviously doesn’t want you here.”
His hand on her makes me see red, and I ball my hands into fists. “I’m her goddamn boyfriend.”
He laughs. “Doesn’t look like it from where I’m standing.” He takes Bria’s hand. “Come on. You’ll be safe with me.”
I tackle him, then punch him. Bria and her friends scream at me to get off him. A bouncer comes over and lifts me off the jerk. He bends my arm against my back and escorts me outside.
I crane my neck around and see Bria is crying.
The bouncer thrusts me out the door, and I fall to the sidewalk. “Get out of here before someone presses charges. We don’t allow that shit here.”
Bria doesn’t come after me. And the jerk is still in there with her.
I sit on a bench for an hour, watching everyone who leaves the bar. Finally, the jerk comes out with his friends. Bria isn’t with them. They get in a cab.
I breathe a sigh of relief but wonder how many more like him are still inside.
She hasn’t come out at midnight, and I leave. But I don’t go home.
~ ~ ~
I shift around on the pavement, my ass getting sore from sitting here for so long. A cab pulls up. I check the time. Bria opens the door and stumbles out.
“Really? It’s two in the morning, and you just fell out of a fucking cab.”
“What are you doing here?” she slurs.
“How drunk are you?”
She fumbles with her keys. “Not drunk enough to forget that my so-called boyfriend tracked my phone, stalked me, and then punched someone out—again.”
“He had his hands on you!”
“Crew, be quiet. Someone will call the police.”
“Let’s talk upstairs then.”
“You’re not coming inside.”
“Why not?”
“When are you going to learn you can’t act like this?”