Page 31 of Love Under Siege

"Okay, but -

She waves her hand dismissively. "No! No buts. Just accept that you're stuck with me," she teases.

"Now, let me handle this asshole!" Lana says, typing furiously on her phone. Each ding of a new message only increases my anxiety.

I watch Lana as she types her reply, her fingers tapping the screen determinedly. She shoots a worried glance at me before sending the message, then sighs with relief.

"What did you say?" I ask, trying to keep my voice steady.

"I warned them to back off for good—or I’ll make them regret it," Lana says, her tone lethal, leaving no room for doubt. But even in her cold resolve, I can still sense the fear she's burying deep.

I swallow helplessly, feeling a combination of gratitude and guilt. Gratitude for Lana's quick thinking and bravery, but guilt for involving her in this mess. We finish our smoothies in silence, each lost in our thoughts.

As we leave the cafe, I notice a figure loitering nearby, standing just far enough away to avoid detection. My heart races at the sight, but I force myself to remain calm.

"Lana, do you see that guy over there?" I whisper, pointing subtly to the figure in question.

Before I know it, Lana storms towards the mysterious figure as my heart races in fear. "Lana, stop!" I scream, but she is already out of reach. The man takes off in a sprint and Lana doesn't hesitate to chase him down. My mind races with panic as I watch them disappear into the darkness. Suddenly, Lana comes running back to me and practically drags me to the car. "We are leaving now," she demands, her voice stern and commanding.

As we speed towards my house, I can feel my anger building up inside each minute we sit in silence. "Do you have any idea how stupid that was? You could have been hurt or worse!" I blurt out, unable to contain my frustration.

"Well, I wanted to find out who it was once and for all," she snaps back, matching my fiery tone.

"And did you? Was it worth risking your life for?" I ask, my voice trembling with a mixture of anger and fear.

Lana slumps back in her seat and lets out a defeated sigh. "No," she admits quietly.

"So, you put yourself in danger for nothing!" I cry out, my emotions getting the best of me.

Guilt creeps into Lana's voice as she apologizes, "I wasn't thinking, okay? I'm sorry."

I take a deep breath and try to calm myself down. "Lana, I’m sorry, I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. But please understand, you scared the shit out of me. You're my best friend and I don't know what I would do if something happened to you," I say sincerely as we pull into my driveway.

Turning towards her, I grab her hands tightly. "You mean everything to me and I can't lose you over something so reckless," I plead with tears threatening to spill from my eyes.

We share a smile before exiting the car and heading inside to get ready for our class. As we prepare ourselves, the weight of the situation hangs heavy in the air.

A couple of hours later, we finally arrive at the self-defense class. It's technically a martial arts studio, but they have someone come in to teach self-defense at night. As soon as we walk in, a young man behind the desk greets us with a warm smile.

"Welcome ladies, are you here for the self-defense class?" he asks, his charming smile working its magic on Lana.

I chuckle and shake my head as I see Lana drooling over this guy.

"I...We...I...I mean -"

"Yes, we are. We're trying out the free class tonight," I say, since apparently Lana is at a loss for words.

"Great! My name is Adam, and I'll be leading the class tonight. Can I have your names?" he says, still sporting that panty-dropping smile.

"I'm Anya...no, sorry...I mean Lana," Lana giggles and then recovers. "I'm Lana, and she's Anya," she says, batting her doe-eyes and shaking Adam's hand excitedly.

I can't help but be amused by the whole situation. Honestly, I don't blame Lana - Adam is undeniably handsome with his lean muscles and dimples when he smiles. But even though it flatters me that he keeps glancing over at me, he's no Jacob.

"It's nice to meet you both. I just need you to fill out some paperwork before we get started," he says and hands us two clipboards before walking away.

"Oh. My. God! He is drop-dead gorgeous!" Lana quietly exclaims. "Is it wrong that I want to jump his bones right now?" she grins from ear to ear.

I laugh and reply, "Lana, focus! We're here for self-defense class, not to pick up guys."

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