Page 11 of Kissed in the Dark

“Where do you think he’d go?”

“Bar,” I say, heading downstairs. She follows me and I want to turn around and touch her but I don’t. I keep walking.

As soon as we walk in the door I see Chris at the bar with a woman on each side of him, holding a glass and chugging the red wine like he’s in a drinking contest in college. The two women giggle and hold onto his arms like he’s a god.

Heather gasps beside me, her wide eyes shocked and uncertain. I stride up to him and grab his arm, gently moving the woman out of the way. “Excuse me.” Then I tug at Chris’s arm. “Man, you need to go back and get some sleep. I don’t know what exactly you’re thinking of doing but it’s not going to go well.”

He turns blank eyes on me. “I’m having a drink and toasting to these two lovely ladies. Both of them toss their feathered headdresses and shimmy their jeweled hips. Heather flinches.

“Ugh,” she whimpers.

“Hey! Your sister is over there and you’re about to make an ass out of yourself. Get yourself under control and go upstairs and sleep it off.”

He shakes his red head and glares at me. “I’m gonna have some fucking fun tonight, Jude, and you can’t stop me. I need this.” He reaches out to pull the other girl tight into him and kisses her so long that I worry he’s gonna pass out from lack of oxygen.

Heather gasps and I lose my head. I grab him and jerk him away. “Listen, buddy. I know that you’re disappointed but you’llget over it. We’ve all been disappointed in love once or twice. You’ll survive.”

“Oh really,” he snorts. “You’ve had more pussy than any guy I know so don’t tell me that you’ve been disappointed in love, asshole!” He turns away and grabs the girl and fury sparks in me as Heather flinches.

“Asshole! The girl I love is someone I can’t fucking have! So don’t fucking tell me I’ve had every woman I’ve ever wanted.”

“Oh yeah,” he scoffs. “Who?”

And like a complete utter idiot I blurt out, “Your fucking sister, asshole! I’ve loved her my whole life.”

Heather gasps as his fist hits me right in the gut and I drop to my knees, gasping.

“My fucking sister!” He snarls. “Have you touched her? She’s too good for the likes of you, asshole! I told you that. Many times. You better not have touched her.”

I stand up, wheezing, as Heather grabs his arm and tugs at him.

“Don’t do it again, Chris! Don’t you dare!”

I stand up straight and stare at her. “Let him. I deserve it. I shouldn’t have touched you. I knew it but I couldn’t. I’ve been in love with you since you were sixteen.”

Chris jerks his arm out of hers and growls, “Fucker!” His fist connects with my face and I stumble, but I don’t defend myself. I deserve this. I hurt her.

My face is throbbing and I want to stumble away and curl up, forget it all happened.

Chris charges at me and Heather screams as he tackles me, his head butting my aching belly as he slams into me. I grunt and he slams us both to the ground. His fist hits me again and then strong arms grab us both and drag us apart. Heather is standing at the bar, tears streaming down her beautiful face, her cheeks pale and her lips bloodless.

I smile at her through my bloody lips. “I deserve it, baby. I hurt you. I made you cry yourself to sleep. I was too rough and I’m so damn sorry, Red. I’m a bastard. I don’t deserve you. Nobody does. You’re too good for all of us mere mortals. A fucking goddess.”

And then the guys drag both of us out of there, Chris still screaming for my blood.

We’re both dragged out by the cops and I lie my head back in the cell where I ended up to sleep it off.

My whole body is aching but it doesn’t hurt nearly as much as my heart does.

For just one second today, I had it all. And now I’ll never have another day in heaven. Another day with my very own angel.

I’ve fucked it all up and lost the girl and my best friend all in one day. There’s no fixing that.

HEATHER

“Did he say he loves me?” One of the dancers standing there smiles .

“Yeah, he did.”

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