Page 59 of Sunflower Persona
She walks through the door with Morgan in tow. She beelines for the girls, leaving her boyfriend on his own by the door.
He gives me a sheepish smile as he approaches and sits on one of the ratty stools.
“Let me guess, Evelyn was involved,” I say while I grab a bottle of his favorite beer and place it in front of him.
“Yup. James said something about showing a certain bartender what he’s missing out on.”
I groan and drop my head back to look at the ceiling. Like I need any reminders. Bubbling laughter draws my focus back toward the women. The sight is nothing new to me. After a fewdrinks, Evelyn begs anyone who will listen to dance with her. But seeing Kori added to the mix, laughing with a smile on her face, builds uncomfortable pressure in my chest. Don’t get me wrong, she’s awful at it. Her limbs move awkwardly off beat, which is even more pronounced when contrasted with Evelyn’s natural grace. But that smile—carefree and unfiltered—I don’t think I’ve seen anything more beautiful.
I’m not the only awestruck idiot ensnared by the trio’s bold display. Karis and Morgan watch the girls move with intense heat in their eyes, and that hungry expression is mirrored on the face of every hot-blooded man in this bar. Which isn’t saying much given the current occupancy, but the point still stands. Nathan is the only one not affected. It’s not that he doesn’t look at them. But his gaze is more watchful than lustful; he’s a sentry, not a suitor.
Because of that, he notices the pair of men approach them before I do. They are young, almost certainly still in undergrad, and carry themselves with more confidence than is warranted. At that age, they all act like the world can’t touch them. I know I did.
Nathan’s spine stiffens as the cocky kids orbit the girls, keeping their distance but making their attention known. He leans forward with a scowl, his eyes narrowing on the pair.
It hits me hard that, once again, my best friend is paying closer attention to my girl than I am.
Dread pools in my gut as the two fuckers hype each other up, building up the courage to make an introduction. After several seconds, one takes the plunge, and my dread turns to ice when he approaches Kori.
The only thing that keeps me behind the bar is he doesn’t touch her. Fuck me if he isn’t actually respectful in the way he catches her attention. This is worse than if he had been a dick about it. Then I’d have a reason to intervene. Instead, I’m forcedto watch as this bashful idiot tries to flirt with my woman and, worse yet, as she doesn’t push him away.
Come on, Yellow. You know you’re too good for him.
Or she doesn’t, because she laughs at something he says, and twists a long braid between her fingers.
“Are you seriously going to sit here and watch this?” Nathan snaps at me.
“What would you have me do?”
“Step in there and make it known that she’s yours.”
“She isn’t mine.”
“Whatever, man.”
He goes back to scowling at the kid flirting with Kori, and I’m sure my facial expression isn’t much better. Every smile he pulls from her lips is another nail in my already ravaged heart, but I welcome the pain. It’s what I’m owed.
The kid says something that makes Kori’s face pinch for a brief second before her expression hardens into resolve and she nods.
And then the motherfucker touches her.
He places a hand on her waist and steps in closer. She fumbles with her hands for a second before placing them on his chest, and then they start to sway together without any regard for the beat.
I’m sure they would have figured it out eventually, but I don’t give them the chance.
The second he touches her, rational Gage gets shoved into the passenger seat while the need to stake my claim takes over. Nathan scoffs and mumbles a quiet “of course” under his breath when I dart out from behind the bar, but he falls in step beside me as I stalk across the room toward the girls.
I resist the urge to rip his slimy hands from her, tapping him on the shoulder instead, and when he turns, I growl out two simple words. “Hands off.”
His arms are in the air in an instant as he takes a large step away from my girl.
“Sorry, man. I didn’t realize she was taken. My bad.” He doesn’t wait for my response before scampering off with his friend.
Smart kid.
Kori, on the other hand, isn’t the least bit frightened by my possessive posturing.
“Yeah. I didn’t realize I was taken either,” she snarls at me, dropping her hands to her hips.
