Page 48 of Hypothetical Heart
“Talk to a girl like that again, and I’ll break every bone in your goddamn face,” I tell him sternly.
Noah makes apfftsound, like he doesn’t believe me.
“You need to leave,” Briar speaks up. “Leave. Now.”
“You fucking–”
“You heard her,” I say.
Right then, it becomes clear Noah has had enough of me. He straightens up his chest, trying to seem bigger than he is, before lunging at me, shoving me backward.
I catch his arms, pushing him against the bar and getting a singular punch in, and I hear the crunch of his noise when it makes contact with my fist before I’m pulled away.
“Fuck you!” Noah’s screaming, aimlessly throwing a punch and completely missing me.
But then I see a familiar blur of brown hair hit the ground, and my stomach drops like a sack of rocks. More guys have gathered around, and a few of them manage to detain Noah, pulling him toward the exit.
I’m not worried about that. I’m more worried about the fact Briar just got socked in the face. “What the fuck? Are you okay?” I grab her by the shoulder, lifting her off the ground and onto a barstool.
Her nose is bleeding, and I almost throw up at the sight. I can’t believe I let that fucking douchebag hit her.
“I’m fine,” she says, head lulling. “Can you—Will you get all these people out of my house?”
Genevieve and Winnie grab either of her shoulders, keeping her steady, while Eloise grabs a water bottle and paper towel behind the bar.
I cup my hands around my mouth, yelling through the yard, “Everybody! Parties over! Get the fuck out!”
People filter out of the pool, backyard, and house while the girls are still tending to Briar.
“Do you need to go to the hospital?” Luke asks, coming up behind Eloise.
“No.” Briar shakes her head, closing her eyes in a wince. “I’ve had a broken nose before, so I know it’s not broken. Hopefully, the bleeding will stop soon.”
“I’m so sorry that happened, Briar.” I can’t lie and say I don’t feel guilty because I do. Briar should have never been in front of Noah, and I should have never let her get punched.
Her eyes soften, and she pulls the tissue away from her nose. “Logan, it wasn’t your fault. You didn’t even know I was behind you.”
I nod, running my hands through my hair, trying to comprehend everything that happened in the past ten minutes.
A few minutes later, Briar’s nose took a while to stop bleeding, but now she has a bottle of vodka in her hand. We all had advised her against it, but she was determined not to ruin everyone else’s fun, which had led us to where we are now, sitting around a campfire in the back of the Hart’s property.
Even Jameson finally showed up. I’m not sure where hewas or how he got here. All I know is that he’s likely going to be staying at his girlfriend’s house tonight.
Genevieve is sitting on his lap, kissing his neck every so often, a telltale sign that she’s drunker than she intended to be, while everyone else—besides Winnie—passes around the bottle of vodka.
Eloise even took a sip of my vodka Hawaiian Punch concoction. She grimaced and handed it right back.
And by the time Jameson takes Genevieve home, Eloise drags Briar upstairs, and Winnie gets me back out to my car. I’m drunk.
“Yeah, it’s time to go home,” Winnie sighs when she finally buckles my seatbelt.
“I couldn’t agree more,” I slur, my head leaning back against the seat. But before she closes the door, I reach out and grab her wrist, stopping her. “Hey, Win?”
She pauses, looking down at me, her eyes soft in the dim light of the car’s interior. “What is it, Logan?”
There’s something about the way she’s standing there, her hair falling around her face, and the way her lips are slightly parted that makes my heart stutter. The alcohol in my system only amplifies the emotions I’ve been trying to keep at bay for so long.
“I’m really glad you’re here,” I admit, my voice a bit more vulnerable than I intended.
