Page 27 of Exile

I used it as an excuse to walk her home. I wanted her to be safe, especially knowing that a certain someone was lurking around here.

Should’ve taken my chance to expose him a long time ago.

Darwynn walked next to me, her arms wrapped around her body, her boots crunching on the gravel path.

“So,” she said, breaking the silence, “what’s the deal with you and Henry? You two looked like you could’ve had a full duel when you entered the bar.”

Mind-readers didn’t exist, but I was pretty damn sure Darwynn had that ability. It hadn’t been the first time I had thought of something, and then she mentioned that exact thing seconds later.

I huffed a laugh, shoving my hands deeper into my pockets. “That obvious?”

“Painfully.” She glanced at me, her lips quirked into a small, curious smile.

I took a moment, watching the faint waves of the water as I thought about how to answer. “Henry’s the kind of guy who’s always looking for a reason to hate somebody. When I moved here, it didn’t take much. To him, I’m just some arrogant Hollywood actor who doesn’t belong.”

Darwynn’s lips curled further in amusement. “You technically are—”

“Don’t say arrogant. I’m not.”

“I was going to say that you don’t belong. But I guess you do now. This is your home, and it’s good for you. You’re happy here, even if you don’t show it on your face.”

Yeah, it sure as fuck was my home.

And, fuck, this woman’s words never ceased to make me feel an ache in my chest. An ache that felt good, one I had never felt.

I glanced at her, meeting her perfect eyes. Eyes I wanted to stare at the whole damn day because of how rare they were.

“But why does it matter to him who you are?” she asked, genuinely curious.

I shook my head. “I think he’s just…bitter. About everything. But me? I’ve got plenty of reasons to dislike him, too.”

She raised a brow, and I had to tear my eyes off her before I couldn’t stop staring. I would make things weird. “Oh, do tell.”

I debated how much to say, but then I decided to simply tell the truth. I wanted her to know the type of person Henry was before she let him get close again. “A while back, a group of women visited the village. Tourists. They first stopped by his store, and he urged them to go to the bar with him. They agreed, thinking he would simply show them the hottest hang-out spot around here. But once they were all at the bar, Henry filled them up. Bought them drinks.” I could see in her eyes that she already knew where the story was going. I continued. “They were young. Around your age, I believe. They enjoyed themselves at first…until Henry started to be inappropriate. Touched them. Pulled them to the bathrooms one by one, doing whatever the hell he did to them before letting them return to their friends. It took us way too fucking long to realize what was happening, and we managed to get the girl to their stay safely.”

“And Henry?”

“Henry deserved to leave the bar with a broken nose.” My jaw clenched.

“But…”

My body tensed. “But he started crying and whining, saying sorry over and over again and explaining that he just got dumped by his long-distance girlfriend—who I’m pretty damn sure didn’t exist—so what he did was his frustration’s fault.”

“Please tell me nobody believed him,” she begged, her nose scrunched.

I let out a heavy laugh. “You think in a village like this, where everybody knows everybody, they wouldn’t believe him?” I shook my head. “They took him home, let him sleep off his “frustration,” and forgot all about it the next morning. I guess he’s still angry at me for holding that against him.”

“You have every right to!” she clarified, then muttered, “What an ass.”

“Exactly,” I said, my voice rougher than I intended. “I managed to talk to the girls and ensure they were okay. Luckily, they didn’t let Henry get to them physically. Still, they didn’t deserve that. No one does. Henry’s always been like that. Entitled, rude, small-minded. He only gets away with it because no one sees who he really is. But I do.”

“Is that why he’s so scared of you? Because if he messes with anyone ever again, you’ll call him out on it?”

“I won’t just call him out on it. I will personally break every single bone in his lanky body.”

She didn’t flinch at the harshness of my words. No, she looked like she would join me instantly if that ever happened.

“Honestly, I had a bad feeling about him from the beginning. He was too…flirty.” She paused and tilted her head. “I officially dislike him, too.”

---