Page 26 of Four Times Taken

"Yeah, watch it," Ryan added.

I knew why I'm protective of Lily. I knew why Eric was. But why was Ryan? As Eric and I turned our attention to him, he broke under the pressure of our gaze.

"I ran into her the other day too. She wasn't doing too well," he admitted.

"What? When? Why didn't you tell me?" Eric yelled. "What happened?"

Ryan recounted running into her at the park, about meeting her catatonic mother and giving her a ride home, which was surprising to me when she couldn't get away from me fast enough. Granted, we were alone in a dark parking lot. When I relayed her speech to him, the beeping of the microwave went off behind him, but he's deafened to it.

"I had no idea." He took a seat as though his body weight was too much to bear.

"Yeah." I rubbed his shoulder. My feelings for her aside, he's the person she trusted once before and can trust again. No one deserves Lily's trust more than Eric. "I know we said you should forget about her, but I think she needs someone." Recalling the way she spoke about Eric in her speech, I believed that someone she needed was him. "Even if all she needs is a friend, nothing more," I begged, internally.

Ryan cleared his throat and rubbed Eric's other shoulder. "Yeah, man. I agree. She needs a friend, and you used to be her best friend."

Eric's features dragged as he rested his forehead into his hands. "I shouldn't have abandoned her."

Matt scoffed. "You weren't to know, dude. You've got to let that go."

Ryan and I scowled at him, communicating with our eyes for him to shut the fuck up.

"No, this is ridiculous. You were a kid, and you were friends, not her damn babysitter. It wasn't your responsibility then to fill the missing gap, and it isn't your responsibility now. So what if you left without saying goodbye ten years ago? It was ten flipping years ago! She had a right to be mad then, but for fuck's sake, people grow up. They mature; they understand things. She isn't a kid anymore. It's her responsibility to sort out that abandonment wound and not leave that up to you to heal. You're not her carer."

"That's enough!" Ryan yelled, slamming his hand down on the counter. The room fell to silence as we all looked at him. Ryan's voice shook as he pulled himself together, avoiding eye contact with us. "She doesn't have it easy. And none of that stuff from the past matters here. She needs a friend, and the closest out of all of us that she'll trust is Eric. He can't just walk away from her," he grunted, gripping the tiled countertop before walking out of the room.

"What's the matter with him?" Matt asked. My breath was scorching as it moved through my body. Shaking my head, I squeezed Eric's shoulder, all the while thinking about Lily and needing to hug her, while also wanting to slap Matt upside the head. "Eric, I'm just looking out for you, man. You don't need that toxicity in your life," he said.

Eric jumped up from his chair. "Yeah, well, do me a favor? Don't look out for me, then. You don't get to tell me what I need." With that, he left the kitchen, his heated macaroni and cheese untouched.

"Come on, dude. You must understand," Matt reasoned with me.

I didn't look at him, because if I did, I'd slap him. "You didn't see her, man," I grunted, taking my plate to my room and leaving him in the kitchen alone.

Chapter 19

Matt

Igotta say, I didn't think a woman would get in the way of our friendship. Yet here we were. None of the guys were talking to me. All I did was speak the truth. It might have been harsh, but it was what it was. With the tension at the Airbnb, and everyone's mood sunken to the point they wouldn't appreciate the beautiful sunshine and preferred to be cooped up in the house, I headed to the local coffee shop for breakfast.

Pushing my sunglasses up on my short, brown hair, I opened the transparent doors to the ring of a bell. Sweet, baked goodness and percolated coffee kissed my nose as I made my way over to the wooden, detailed counter. The guys could let Lily's grumpiness rub off on them, but nothing's going to kill my mood. I didn't say anything wrong.

It's a tiny coffee shop. Even though it's not crowded, there's a small gathering next to the register, which is why as I looked at the menu, and the hairs on my skin stood on end from being watched, I jumped when I ended up looking into Lily's eyes. I didn't realize she was the one standing there in light-blue nursing scrubs when I first came in, but she noticed me and now, she's frozen to the spot.

"What's the matter with you?" I grimaced. That's when her eyes looked toward the door in a haste. "You know, some people just say hi, instead of stare," I said, my brows pulled together in confusion at her reaction.

She didn't respond. Instead, she spun around, bumping into the woman standing behind her. She spilled her two 'to-go' cups of coffee all over the irritated lady, who yelled at her and called her names. Lily's breathing shortened and picked up as she eyed the door in desperation, but the woman wouldn't let her through. I couldn't bear it and as sweat droplets beaded on her skin, I intervened.

"Hey!" I shouted at the irate woman. "It's just some cold coffee. Get a hold of yourself. It's clear she's having a rough day," I admitted as Lily shook. Still, even then, her defiance was strong as she eyed me with disgust.

"I don't need YOU to stick up for me." She stormed past the woman, after whispering her apology to her.

"Well, excuse me for trying to help." I waved my hands about, squirming.

She stopped on her way to the door and whipped around at me. "No one asked you to! Why are you here?" She's still shaking, but she's determined not to cower.

With her spazzing out like that, I couldn't, in good conscience, let her walk out of here. She's either on the verge of passing out or popping like a balloon filled with confetti the way her veins are pronounced on her forehead. Walking over to Lily, I tried to take her by the arm to lead her to a seat, but this got her red.

"Get off me!" she yelled.

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