Page 11 of Petals of Blue: Part Two
He barely spares me a glare since he's busy watching Levi rush for the hallway where the bedrooms are. "You were down there for less than a minute. Plus, that's what you get for getting in the middle of someone else's fight."
At his reminder of the reason I was on the ground to begin with, I spin in a frantic circle searching for mybest friend while shaking Felix off of me. He can fuss later.
I deflate when I find Jared sitting at the kitchen table. Stepping closer, I notice the frozen bag of peas Jared has pressed against the side of his neck. His mouth is pursed in pain or anger; I'm not sure. Kevin hovers over him, looking pissed and worried at the same time.
Muttering about stupid decisions, I stomp over to my best friend and look him over. "What hurts?"
"Nothing," the idiot denies.
Kevin's mouth twitches like he's barely suppressing a laugh. The big hulking guy leaves us, probably to go find his husband. I salute him in a way of apology when he breezes past me, to which he lifts his chin in understanding.
"Emotions are high, and patience is being tested. No worries, man," Kevin says.
With him gone, I focus back on Jared. "Jared, I can literally see you icing your neck. What the fuck did you hurt?"
To my surprise, his gaze shifts to the ground. I'm ready to tease his show of embarrassment, but he relents. "I pinched my neck, kay?"
I can't contain the laughter that bubbles up. "Alright, old man."
"Old man? Roman can't stretch without fear of kinking his neck. I just got tackled to the hard fucking ground. Give me a break." Jared's eyes are glowing red flags. He's still itching for a fight.
"I don't think I will," I mutter, and take a seat at thetable too. Felix follows me and stands behind my chair, his presence grounding me enough to continue. "You shouldn't have thrown that punch."
"And you shouldn't have gotten in the middle," Jared fires back, fist clenching on his makeshift ice pack.
I wave a hand and close my eyes as Felix digs his fingers into my scalp. "You did first."
Silence.
"He's not wrong, Jared," Roman adds his two cents. "Levi and I are friends outside of Blue. His reaction didn't surprise me. Ididpromise to protect her. I failed."
"Wefailed," Felix corrects.
Jared's head flops forward, and his shoulders begin to tremble. Was this explosion enough to shatter his armor of anger?
I honestly hope so.
What will pull me from this pit of depression then? Now that the excitement is over, everything feels heavy again. I need to be better. For them. For Blue.
Eight
VIOLET
Everything is wrong.
Jared isn't fun, Felix isn't thinking clearly, Declan has been on the verge of tears for a while now, and Roman is having likenoreaction. Levi raised his voice and stormed into Mom’s and my apartment.
The only person who's acting normal is Kevin.
"Levi," Kevin scolds Levi within seconds of closing my bedroom door behind him. "What the hell was that?"
The guy in question hides his face in his hands. He's way too large and looks completely out of place in my small beanbag chair by the window. Levi's been in here for a few minutes already, and all he's done is apologize.
"I'm sorry," Levi says again, this time muffled into his palms.
Kevin frowns at his husband, but his attention shifts to me and his features soften. "Are you okay, honey?"
The worry and love shining in Kevin's eyes make mine burn. I've cried so much I really didn't think I would have any tears left. Alas, the man I think of as an uncle proves me wrong like always.
