Page 17 of Kiss Me Ever After
Immediately, I realised what was happening. I raced towards Lennon, kicking out at the boy on the floor, who landed in an untidy heap.
“I asked you what you thought you were doing.” I grabbed him by the collar of his t-shirt and yanked him up. He fought me, arms and legs flailing as he tried to escape and gather as much cash as he could at the same time.
He took a swipe at me, making contact with my forearm, and I felt a scratch. Distracted, I looked down to see a line of blood staining my skin.
The fucker had a knife.
Instinctively, I drew away. I had no intention of making this worse than it already was.
He stood up, waving the knife at Lennon and me. “See, if she’d have served us the beers we wanted, none of this would have happened.”
“All this mess for an underage pussy who can’t order a beer?” I let out a harsh laugh.
“Who are you calling a pussy?” the boy hissed, advancing towards me.
“If the cap fits.”
“Justin, stop it!” It was the first time Lennon had spoken since I’d got there.
My head snapped around to look at her, which gave the boy the opportunity to run. Before I could do anything, he’d fled the cafe, the door banging in his wake.
Lennon sank down to the floor next to my feet and placed her head in her hands. Her shoulders heaved with quiet sobs and I wondered how long the boys had been there terrorising her. I dropped to my knees beside her, placing a gentle hand on her back.
“Are you okay?”
“What kind of a dumb ass question is that?” she shot back through tears. “Look at this place!”
The cafe was total carnage, tables and chairs knocked over, broken plates and glass under our legs. A glance towards the kitchen confirmed it was in the same state.
“Bryony will go completely ape shit. She’s got her sister-in-law staying and the last thing she needs is to come and sort this out.”
“We can clean it up. I’ll help.” My hand rubbed her back.
Lennon looked up and turned her face towards mine. Tears stained her cheeks, mascara ringed her eyes, hair awry and pulled out of its usually perfect ponytail.
She looked fucking beautiful.
I shook my head. Not the most helpful thought in the moment.
Before I could say anything else, she caught hold of my wrist. “You’re hurt.”
Her fingers pressing on my skin burned, taking me away from the actual pain.
“It’s nothing, only a scratch.”
“Let’s get it cleaned up.”
She got to her feet and led me into the kitchen. Flour, eggs, jam, sauces and God knows what else squelched under my feet as we went to the sink. Lennon located the first-aid box and opened it, pulling out a sterile wipe. She stepped towards me and retook my wrist, wiping the blood away.
“You’ll have to report this.” I bit my lip, wincing against the sting of the antiseptic. “They got away with pretty much all the cash in the till.”
“I need to speak to Bryony first.” Lennon sighed, her focus on cleaning up my arm. “I hope they have insurance.”
“Of course they will,” I reassured her. “New business owners, savvy people from the city, they’ll know what to do.”
Lennon didn’t say another thing while she finished dressing the cut. “You can go now if you want,” she said, tidying away the blood-stained tissues and cleansing wipes. She avoided any kind of contact with me.
“Like hell I’m going anywhere. I’m not leaving you alone.” I crossed my arms over my chest and fixed her with a glare.
