Page 99 of Fang
“Come on, little dancer. I want to dance with my old lady,” I tell her, pulling her away from Viv and Bailey.
She lets me lead her to the middle of the floor as we begin to sway to the ballad that someone put on the radio.
“Is this everything you ever hoped for?” I ask her.
She smiles up at me. “I never hope for anything. My life has always been so hard. I never thought I would be able to be happy. Then I met you. You make me happy, Jensen.”
“Maybe you were getting all your hard days out of the way so you could live in peace,” I lean down and whisper in her ear.
Her breath hitches. “I hope so. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
“If it does, it won’t matter. You aren’t alone anymore. We do this together. You are mine now. Forever. No matter what, I will be there for you, and now every single guy in this room will show up for you too. You have a family.”
She pulls back, tears in her eyes. “Really?”
I nod. “Really. I think you were put in my path so I could show you what it really means to be loved.”
“I don’t know if I will ever trust it.”
“I’ll keep showing you every day until you do. Even if it takes our whole life,” I promise her.
Before we can go any further, the song changes to a more upbeat one. Then Savage is at our side.
“Can I cut in?” he asks.
Cami looks at me. “I guess?”
“I told you. Family.”
I step back, letting Savage take my spot. I head back to the bar and watch as Savage gets Cami laughing as he spins her around.
“She’s good for you. I like her,”Bailey tells me.
“Me too,” Viv echoes.
As the song draws to an end, Loyal steps up, taking his chance to dance with her.
“I love her,” I admit to them.
“We know,” they say in unison.
After Loyal, Happy pulls her into his arms, making her laugh as he spins her around the dance floor. I watch with joy as brother after brother dances with my girl, giving their own words of reassurance. This is what it means to be in our family.
A figure at the door catches my attention. It’s Biggy. He’s staring at Cami with contempt. I keep my eye on him, not willing to let him dance with my girl, but I don’t have to worry. Savage approaches him, taking him outside.
Like I said. My family will always protect her.
I’m tucked back in a corner of the library studying with my headphones on but with nothing playing. When I first sat down earlier, there were people nearby who didn’t know how to be quiet. When they left, I never bothered to remove my headphones.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned about studying in public, headphones are a sure way to keep people away.
My phone vibrates, catching me off guard. I grab it off the table and see that it’s an email.
Students,
Class is canceled due to myself and my TA having the flu.
We will resume next week.
