Page 46 of Needing More
"Nope," Joel said from behind him. "Everything done. Just gotta take Sapphire home and we'll be done."
Snapping the plastic casing of a napkin dispenser shut, Sapphire swiveled around in her chair and gave Hayden a tired smile.
Hayden considered her for a moment and Vic could see the flash of something in his eyes as he smiled and turned to the jukebox. "I want you to go home and take your meds and go to sleep tonight. No staying up on Reddit and arguing with nerds about Avatar or whatever," he instructed as he went through the jukebox's playlist.
Vic turned and gave her a questioning look. Even despite her headache, she gave him a pleased little smile. "It was an Avatar the last Airbender forum and I was arguing which nation was the best."
Vic made a scoffing sound. "Earth, of course."
Sapphire threw both hands in the air in relief and nodded vigorously. "Thank you. Thank you very much. I spent I don't know how long, arguing with this one loser that the fire nation was ridiculously overpowered and should have been no match for earth benders."
Completely caught in her infectious vehemence, Vic turned fully to her and nodded. "I mean they were standing on the-"
"Ground!" they both shouted in unison, overtaken by the pure insanity of the argument.
"Thank you, God," her hand slapped the counter, her headache momentarily forgotten about. "Someone else who can see the light," she grumbled.
"Lord, you two are nerds," Joel mumbled as he stood watching them with a pitying smile.
"Anyways," Hayden interrupted but Vic could see the man's smile as he shook his head. "I want you to go to bed early tonight, but first," he paused and pressed the button on the machine for his selection.
The familiar chords of a guitar floated easily through the empty room. A slow smile spread across Sapphire's face as Chris Stapleton's voice began singingTennessee Whiskey.
"One dance," Hayden continued, holding out his hand to her.
Sliding off the vinyl stool, Sapphire walked over to him, placing her hand in his. Hayden pulled her the rest of the way to him. Holding her hand with his and wrapping his other arm around her waist, Hayden slowly danced with her in the empty space in front of the jukebox.
Vic watched from his position against the bar as Sapphire laughed in Hayden's arms as he turned them to the music. This was probably the happiest he had ever seen the man. Before Sapphire, nothing truly made Hayden smile, and sure as hell not laugh. But here he was dancing with the girl of his dreams, his grey eyes lit from within with a happiness Vic was starting to doubt if he himself would ever know.
Coming around the bar, Joel walked toward them and signaled to Hayden. And without missing a beat, Hayden raised his arm and twirled the laughing girl into the other man's arms.
Vic never once thought of what it may feel like to have your heart sawed out of your chest while you were still alive, but now he did.
Swallowing the lump of pain down his throat, he straightened away from the bar. He had to turn away, leave, or do something. Anything but stand here and watch his soul get torn into shreds as everything he ever wanted danced in front of him.
Joel passed Sapphire back to Hayden and Vic froze as Hayden's stormy gaze caught his over her head.
For a moment it felt like thunder striking across the desert sky, ominous and dangerous. All the muscles in Vic's body tensed as Hayden moved with her closer to where he stood.
Without looking, Vic could feel Joel watching them and between the two, Vic almost felt like he was in some sort of Mexican standoff. The smooth tone of Chris Stapleton's voice hitting the chorus once more filled the room.
An edge of a relenting smile tugged at Hayden's lips and Vic felt himself breathe. Hayden turned Sapphire once again and Vic opened his arms and watched as she came twirling into his grasp. He nearly laughed at the shocked look on her face. Settling her into his arms, Vic began to dance with her, in a slow rocking motion as they stepped around an invisible box.
"If anyone is surprised, I think it's me," he murmured, answering her shocked expression.
Sapphire's hand at his back tightened and Vic stopped himself from closing his eyes at the memories it brought back from that night in her room.
The music began to reach its end and Vic held back a sigh of regret. He could have stayed like this for hours. Tilting his head, he looked down at her where her cheek rested against his chest, and watched as her eyes fluttered open to look at him.
"What are you thinking?" he whispered.
For a moment she said nothing and the music reached its end with the final soft notes of the guitar fading away. Sapphire stepped back and Vic had no choice but to let her.
A sad smile crept into her eyes as she looked hesitantly over to Joel and Hayden who were talking near the jukebox. "I was just wishing the moment would never end," she whispered.
She didn't give him a chance to process her words, much less speak before she was turning and walked away from him.
The urge to throw something and laugh with unexplainable relief was an odd sensation. It was like a gasp of air to his oxygen-starved lungs knowing she had thought the same thing as him. It settled the rising doubt within him for every time he left her spent and teary eyed after cornering her in secret once again. This wasn't just a one-sided thing. He wasn't a complete predator. She wanted him too. And there were only two things standing in their way. Turning, he looked to his brothers and stared as Joel spoke on his cell to someone and Hayden, who was unsurprisingly standing next to Sapphire's chair with his arms wrapped around her.
