Page 12 of Into The Light
I take the snack and munch on it. "Thank you," I say, after chewing and swallowing.
She pats my knee. "You're funny."
I frown, unsure what I did that was funny. “Okay."
For some reason, this makes her laugh even more.
After that, she seems to think it's her job to feed me. She scoops guac onto a chip and shoves it into my mouth every so often, much to the amusement of her friends. I don't get the sense of being mocked, though. More like they just don't know what to make of me, or more likely, what Noelle was thinking when she brought me along.
After a good thirty minutes of chatting and snacking, I've had three glasses of ice water, necessitating a trip to the restroom. I take care of business, wash my hands, and push through the crowd back to the table.
A pair of young men have crowded into the space where I was sitting, ignoring Thomas and Colin as if they didn’t exist, clearly harassing the women. Raina looks uncomfortable, Ashlynn looks ready to throw silverware at them, Kyle is trying to slink under the table, and Noelle is scanning the crowd, looking for me.
I let my feet fall heavily on the creaky hardwood floors behind the two little douchebags. I cross my arms over my chest and wait.
One of them, dressed in expensive jeans and a pale blue polo with the collar popped, reeking of expensive cologne and entitlement, shoots a glance over his shoulder without seeing me. "Go away, dude. I'm talking to these lovely ladies.”
I let out an irritated sigh that's part growl.
This gets his attention. He straightens, turns, and looks up at me. Pales.
I lean down and put my face closer to his. "Fuck—off."
The twinkie little douchebag grabs his buddy and drags him backward away from the table and into the crowd without a word.
Noelle sighs in relief, and so does everyone else. “Thanks, Bear. Idiots like that are so darned annoying."
"He probably sends unsolicited dick pics," Ashlynn says.
"Oh for sure," Kyle adds. "And he probably thinks it's gonna make every woman swoon at his feet."
"The popped collar?" Thomas says, snarky and acidic. "Asif. That'ssoearly aughts. And it was never cool in the first place."
Colin just nods at me. 'Thank you."
I just shrug. "Yup."
Thomas giggles. "You're really committed to the strong silent type bit, aren't you?"
I’ve never heard a man giggle before. It's funny—I almost smile. I just nod instead. "I guess."
"So, Bear. What brings you to Three Rivers?" Ashlynn asks, elbows propped on the table, chin on her fists.
"Work."
"What do you do?" she asks.
"I work for Crowe Demolitions." I hope she'll leave it at that.
Thomas fans his face. "Ohmygod. Riley Crowe. Colin, I love you to bits, you know that, but if Riley fucking Crowe ever turned gay, I'd leave you for him in a heartbeat. That man is sex on toast."
Colin just rolls his eyes. "Riley Crowe is a shameless manwhore."
"Well, duh," Thomas shoots back. "He's a himbo, but he's hot as balls."
Raina snickers. "Balls aren't hot, Thomas. They're wrinkly, hairy, saggy, and weird."
"That's just because you haven’t found the right balls," Thomas answers. "When the right balls come along, I promise, honey, you'll want to lick them all day long."
