Page 47 of Pirate

“And the fist coming at me was for…?” He let the question hang open-ended.

Pirate looked away from Carlos. He thought back to a few moments before he’d let his fist fly…and started to geta sick feeling in his gut. “What did you mean?” At Carlos’s raised eyebrow, Pirate clarified, “When you said you recognized Sophia’s…something. What did you mean?”

“Her voice,” Carlos answered evenly. “I recognized both of your voices as soon as I was close enough to discern what was being said. That’s when I stepped back and gave you two privacy.”

“And kept others from going down the hallway,” Pirate muttered, remembering Carlos telling him that earlier.

Carlos nodded slowly. Then asked, “What did you think I meant?”

Shame washed over Pirate as he realized what he thought Carlos had meant. Fuck. Closing his eyes, he couldn’t believe how reckless and stupid he’d been. If Carlos chose to arrest him and press charges, he’d be fired in a heartbeat from his job at the high school. Not that he cared so much for that job, it was just a job to make ends meet, but he did care about his reputation. And any arrest on his record would make finding a new job all the harder.

Knowing he owed Carlos the truth, Pirate forced himself to look at his friend and admit, “I thought you were saying you recognized her…cries.” At Carlos’s confused expression, Pirate elaborated. “Her cries of pleasure.”

Carlos still looked confused—and then understanding dawned. His stiff posture relaxed and he stood up straighter. “Fuck. She told you.”

Pirate nodded. “Last night. She thought I would be angry at her.”

“Were you?” Carlos’s question was laced with warning. Pirate deserved no less. After all, he’d just had a fistfight with Carlos in the hallway over the same topic.

“No,” he told Carlos sternly. “I wasn’t. It was a long time ago and I didn’t even know either of you when it happened. I have no right to be angry about it.”

Carlos pulled down the ice pack and pointed to his face.

Pirate chuckled and then winced when his ribs protested. “Well, I thought I wasn’t angry about it.”

“You know it meant nothing, right? We were practically kids and I’m pretty sure it was the first time either of us had ever gotten drunk in our lives.”

Pirate nodded. “Yeah, she told me. And trust me, I don’t need any more details than that.” He shook his head. “I really don’t know what came over me, man. I’m really sorry.”

Carlos nodded his head slowly. “Want my opinion?”

Needing to get off of his leg, Pirate sat on the cot behind him. “Lay it on me.”

“Just so I know I have the whole of it, you and Sophia are sleeping together, and have been for months, but you’re not dating. Then last night she told you about a drunken one-night stand we had while in college and today I get a fist in my face. Do I have that right?”

Pirate grimaced as he nodded.

“Wow. Never took you to be a dumbass, but you really got yourself all twisted up with this one, huh.” Carlos let out a long laugh. “Pirate, brother, the answer is right in front of your nose and you’re too blind to see it. Maybe you’re too close to it, but it’s there. Clear as glass.”

“What?” Pirate demanded.

“Fuck, man, you’re in love with Sophia.”

Pirate stiffened. “No, I’m not.”

“My black eye begs to differ,” Carlos rebutted.

Pirate shook his head. “No, you’re wrong. I don’t think about her that way. She’s… I mean, she’s awesome. She’s great. I enjoy spending time with her and we do talk a lot more than I thoughtwe would, but a lot of that has to do with the wedding.And,” Pirate added, just realizing something, “I wasn’t jealous when I met Fletcher yesterday.”

“Montague?” Carlos questioned. “What the fuck is that asshat doing back in town?”

“Trying to join the club and take Sophia to the wedding,” Pirate grumbled.

“Let me guess, you stopped both from happening?”

Pirate opened his mouth to correct him, and then realized he couldn’t. “Fuck,” he wiped a hand down his face. When it came back with dried and wet blood, he cursed. Since his work polo was already bloody, he lifted the hem to clean his chin and nose. “Sophia told her mom we were dating, but we both clarified to each other that we’re not. And Steel sent Fletcher to the clubhouse for Papaw to deal with.”

Carlos laughed. “Shit, I’d pay good money to see that.”

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