Page 12 of Comforting the Grump

“Let’s go home, Ennio.” Marnin ignored my question, his gaze never wavering from mine.

“Home? I don’t need a babysitter,” I protested, trying to reignite the dying embers of my earlier excitement. But the fire was gone, snuffed out by Marnin’s sudden appearance.

“Enough, Ennio.” There was an edge to his voice that left no room for debate. “You’re coming with me.”

With a frustrated huff, I brushed past Marnin, my shoulders slumped in defeat. As we walked away from Xtra, the pulsing music fading behind us, I glanced back, searching for a glimpse of what might have been—a dream of passion and connection interrupted by the harsh light of reality.

“Are you okay?” Marnin’s voice cut through my reverie, softer now, but I wasn’t ready to forgive and forget.

“Just take me home,” I muttered, the words heavy with longing and frustration that had nowhere to go. I sank into the passenger seat of his car, the warmth of Declan’s touch still lingering on my skin.

How had it all gone so wrong?

5

MARNIN

The car’s engine hummed a low, steady note as I steered us away from the pulsing lights of the club. Beside me, Ennio sat with his arms crossed, a storm brewing in his eyes. His jaw was clenched tight, the muscles working overtime to contain the anger simmering below the surface. There was sadness, too, a dejection that tugged at the corners of his lips, pulling them down into an unfamiliar frown.

I hated seeing him like this. The anger I could take, but that sadness made me want to tear my hair out. I had to say something, even if I didn’t know what and ran the risk of only making things worse. “Are you okay?”

He shot me a glare that could freeze over the Skykomish river, but he didn’t say a word. It only worried me more since he’d never been one to hide his emotions.

I sighed and refocused on the road ahead, the weight of his silence pressing down on me. Ennio sat rigidly beside me, his profile outlined by the intermittent glow of passing streetlights, a statue of indignation and hurt. Could I ask something else to get him to talk?

I wanted to tell him about Declan’s reputation, about the danger that lurked behind his charming smile. But the words were stones in my mouth, hard and unyielding. I didn’t want to be the one to shatter his illusions, to be the reason his optimism faltered. How could I tell him without damaging some of Ennio’s beautiful innocence?

I played out the possible conversations in my head, each a different path through a forest thick with uncertainty, but none seemed to get me to where I wanted to be.

I shot a quick look sideways as we stopped for a traffic light, but he looked as angry and unyielding as before. The engine’s purr was a steady backdrop to the maelstrom of tension inside the car. Ennio shifted in his seat next to me, a coiled spring of energy ready to burst.

“Okay, you know what? I can’t take this silence anymore,” Ennio exploded, his voice ricocheting off the windows. “You act all high and mighty like you’re the king of good decisions. What gives you the right to screw up my night?”

“Ennio, it’s not like that?—”

“Of course it’s like that! You come in Mr. Protector, Mr. I Know What’s Best for Ennio!” His hands flailed through the air as if swatting away my unspoken arguments.

“Look, I didn’t mean to?—”

“Didn’t mean to what? Ruin what could’ve been a great time? Make me feel like some helpless kid?” His eyes blazed, reflecting his anger but, above all, the underlying hurt.

The light turned green, so I had to drive, but I eased into the first parking spot I saw. I wasn’t going to have this conversation while driving. Even I wasn’t that good at multitasking.

As soon as I put the car in park, Ennio turned fully toward me, his blue eyes piercing. “Why did you interfere back there? I’m an adult, for fuck’s sake. A grown-ass man who can handle himself, not some child who needs to be protected.”

My hands gripped the steering wheel tighter, knuckles turning white with the effort of keeping my composure. The truth was a bitter pill I wasn’t sure I should force him to swallow, but what choice did I have? “There’s something you don’t know.”

“About what? Because from where I’m standing, it looked like you didn’t trust me to make my own decisions.”

“Dammit, it’s not about trust,” I snapped, frustration searing through my restraint.

“Then what is it about, Marnin?” His gaze bored into me, demanding an answer.

I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of what I was about to disclose. This was it—the point of no return. “Declan…he’s got a reputation. And it’s not for being Mr. Congeniality.”

“Reputation?” His voice hitched, and I could see him trying to piece together my cryptic warning.

“I’ve seen him around, heard things. He’s rough—too rough. And not in a consensual, fun way.” My eyes held his, willing him to understand the gravity of the situation. “And there’s talk of drugs, Ennio. The kind that his partners don’t always take voluntarily and puts them at his mercy.”

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