Page 27 of Sunflower Persona
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James and Nathan came out the gate swinging, and their intensity hasn’t wavered since the game started. I’m not the only one drawn in by their competition. Several other patrons wander over to watch the carnage—because that’s what it is. For all his cocky talk, Nathan never had a chance. At some point, Evelyn drifted closer to the table, leaving me alone on the outskirts.
“Some game, huh,” an unfamiliar voice rasps from behind me.
Too fucking close.
Hot breath crawls down my neck, thick with the stench of stale tobacco, making my stomach churn and spine tingle with unease. The pit in my gut has every alarm in me screaming.
“Sure.” I duck my head as I step away from this stranger, but he follows my movement, staying too close to my back for comfort.
“What’s a pretty girl like you doing in a place like this by yourself?”
Nausea threatens to rise as he runs a clammy hand down my bare arm before bringing it to rest on my waist with a bruising grip. Rationally, I know I can pull away and tell him to fuck off. If I make a big enough scene, the others are bound to notice, and they wouldn’t let anything happen to me…right? Regardless, my body won’t listen to my mind. I’m paralyzed—like a deer locked in place while it watches its impending doom.
“I’m not alone.” I don’t sound nearly as confident about that as I should.
Gage’s friends are less than twenty feet away, but the distance seems like forever withhimlooming behind me. They are all too wrapped up in their spectacle to notice how uncomfortable I am. I risk a glance at the counter, hoping maybe I’ll be able to catch Gage’s eye, but the bar has gotten busier since I got here, and the growing line of customers occupies his attention.
It looks like I’m on my own—not like that’s anything new.
“Sure you aren’t, sweetheart. Either way, you aren’t alone anymore. How about you let me buy you a drink, and you can tell me a bit about yourself.”
“I already have a drink,” I manage to squeak.
“Not a problem. We can skip straight to part two, then.”
“No, thank you,” I protest, but I doubt it will do anything to deter him.
“Come on, sweetheart, I—”
“Hey, Kori, are you all right?”
My whole body sags with relief as Nathan comes into view, with Morgan and Karis flanking him from a distance. I never thought I’d be grateful to see his hollow smile. Although there’s nothing but rage in his empty eyes now.
“I am now,” I say, and this time when I move away from the creep, he lets me go.
Even with his hands gone, my skin crawls where his hand touched me. I’m going to need an extra-hot shower to get thefeel of him off me. Nathan wraps a protective arm around my shoulder, and the friendly facade falls away.
“You can fuck off now,” he says with a sneer.
“Hey, the lady and I were just talking.” The creep takes a step in my direction, but Nathan angles himself so he can’t get any closer.
“And now the conversation is over. So, like I said, fuck off. Or we are going to have problems.”
The creep hesitates for a moment before stepping back with a shake of his head.
“Bitch ain’t worth the trouble,” he spits as he walks away.
Karis crowds my other side as soon as he’s gone, and on a cue I miss, Nathan transitions me into her arm and storms off toward the bar.
“Are you okay?” she asks as she guides me back to the group.
“I’m fine,” I lie.
I should be fine. He didn’t do anything more than invade my space. It’s not like he groped me or said anything particularly untoward. Still, the encounter has me more shaken than I’d like to admit. Who knows what would have happened if the others weren’t here?
“If you say so,” she says but doesn’t push the issue further, which I’m thankful for. If they make a big deal out of what happened, I might break.
