Page 40 of Bring You Back

Banks brings out Julian’s smile again, and my eyes roll away. I could curse myself for stopping at his place first. If I knew some real curses and believed they exist, I’d curse him just for being him.

During my reckless phase, I met a girl who believed in curses, who spewed them at anyone who dared to cross her. But I never saw said curses come to fruition, so the jury’s still out.

When I glance back, Banks has vanished from Julian’s side to flirt with some poor, unsuspecting girl I don’t recognize. Julian stares down at the flames, his eyes dancing with the sparks as he sips on his beer, his first one tonight. Hopefully, it’s his last, because if not, he’ll have to stay here until he sobers up. I could walk over and make him stop now, but it’s not worth the trouble it will bring.

His eyes shift in my direction again, but they don’t land on me. They rove around me as he struggles to avoid my stare now.

I avert my own stare to just past him, past Banks’s unfortunate successful flirtation—aim higher, girl—to Tommy who looks to be having a pretty serious conversation with Shelby. Neither are smiling. He talks and she nods, giving his arm a squeeze. He pulls her into a hug, and they embrace each other for a moment before Shelby pulls back and walks off, Tommy sighing after her.

Did they just break up?

My sisterly instinct moves me forward, gravitates me toward Tommy. When Julian notices me heading his way, his eyes find me again, boring into my own at my approach, but I don’t stick around. I have to pass Banks on my way to Tommy, so I swipe the half-empty beer bottle from Julian’s hand and march over to Banks, halting where he stands as I pour the remaining alcohol down his back. He yelps and the girl gasps as the beer runs, soaking him through his shirt.

“What the fuck?” He faces me and his eyes narrow.

“Your beer,” I say with a satisfied grin.

His scrunched-up features fall into a hard line when the meaning dawns.Jinx. You owe me a beer.

“Bitch—”

I stand my ground as he advances, and in the next second, I’m staring into the back of Julian’s head as he becomes a barrier between us.

“Don’t.”

Banks swipes away Julian’s hands that were pressed firmly against his chest and backs down. “Don’t what? I’m good.”

I’mgreat, I think with my satisfied grin back in place as I continue my walk to Tommy.

If soiling Banks’s skin and clothes with alcohol is the cake, Julian showing me he does in fact still care is the icing.

He defended me. He didn’t need to. If there’s something I’ve learned this past month, it’s that, unlike that wet idiot behind me,I’mnot all talk. I’m scrappy when I want to be. Just ask my scars.

I’m not afraid of Banks. There are worse things to handle than his lanky ass. Considering the physical fights Julian has had for Reyna’s sake, Banks knows that Julian can easily kick his ass. He almost did—this time formysake.

Protecting the ones he loves is who Julian is. He’s still here. He still has a swift, natural instinct to protect. And seeing him do that for me. . .

“Trouble in Bellsby?” I ask Tommy once I’m standing beside him, my steps catching up with my thoughts.

“I should ask you,” he says with a wide stare in Banks’s direction that he turns on me. “Whatwasthat?”

I slip my hands into my back pockets on a shrug. “I owed him.”

The meaning dawns for him faster than it dawned for Banks and he laughs around a sip from the cup in his hand. “Be careful,” he says, half serious, leaning in like he’s about to divulge some secret. “He’s a maniac.”

I snort. “He’s aposer. I would’ve been fine.” My eyes fall to the cup. “Are you drinking?”

He nods around another sip, drawing out an actual answer as he swallows before chuckling at my raised brows. “Water.”

I roll my eyes and shake my head, returning the sentiment. “Yoube careful.”

“It’swater,” he reiterates after another swallow of said water, and I laugh. “But I know. Thanks.”

The first time Tommy tried alcohol, he had no idea what he was doing, wanting more, more, more, and became so wasted that he passed out. We couldn’t wake him. We thought he had died.

That was the first longest night of our lives. The first time we all experienced real fear.

“So, what happened there?” I nod in the direction Shelby had walked and Tommy focuses his stare there.

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