Page 31 of Bullet
At first, a smile found my face and I just stared at him happily, but then my godfather’s voice snuck into the back of mind, bringing with it images of my father’s obituary, pictures from the accident, and Darrien’s exorbitant medical bills and I physically smacked my own face to knock myself out of it. What I had with Harrywasn’treal, at least for me it wasn’t. I had to remain focused.
“Hey, VP!” A man Ididrecognize as Harry’s former college roommate and now fellow club member, Avery, called out. “Your girl is here!”
In any other situation, the possessive phrase might have irritated me, but the way Harry immediately stopped what he was doing and crossed the bar to greet me had my stomach flurrying again. Something about beinghisgirl just sounded so good to me.
No. I couldn’t do this again, I couldn’t get caught up.
“Hey,” Harry said as he got to me. The arm that wasn’t gripping a pool stick laced around my waist and he pulled me toward him in a kiss. Several of the people standing around started to hoot, inspired by Avery who kicked it off, but Harry whipped around and glared at him, and he calmed down. “Sorry about him.”
“It’s okay,” I said. “How are you?”
“Much better now. I’m glad you came.”
“You told me you wanted to see me and that was enough for me.” This earned me another quick kiss.
He pointed over his shoulder at Nick standing at the pool table. “I’m just finishing up a game of pool with Squared and the guys. Wanna grab a drink and a table and I’ll join ya when I’m done?”
“Sure,” I replied, and with yet another quick kiss, Harry finally let me go and made his way back to the pool table.
Originally, I set a course directly for the bar, but decided against it. I was already struggling to keep my inhibitions in check around Harry without the aid of liquor. Instead, I scanned the bar for a free table, and though the place was packed, there was one small table in the furthest back corner away from all the action, that everyone seemed to have abandoned in the interest of being closer to something entertaining. I walked over and took a seat at one of the chairs and was glad for the clear shot it gave me of Harry and the others playing pool; that was, of course, until a body blocked my view. I looked up and Avery was standing above me with a pair of water bottles in his hand.
He held one out with a smile. “I saw you do a complete one-eighty from the bar, so I’m guessing you don’t wanna drink tonight.”
I took the other bottle, though tentatively. “Yeah. Thanks.”
“Can I join ya?” he asked.
The only other seat at the table was intended for Harry, but I supposed once he got there he could just tell Avery to move. “Sure.” Avery sat down in the other chair and grinned over at me. He was borderline dopey despite his good looks and I needed not wonder why none of the bar’s increased female population seemed to have their sights set on him. He was kind of intimidating by justhowcheerful he seemed. “Avery, right?” I asked.
“Or Bullseye, whatever you prefer,” he said. “Harry’s an introvert at his core, so he probably doesn’t consider me his best friend. I am though.”
It was almost sad sounding. “He does,” I assured him right away. “He actually talked about you quite a bit on our first date. Said you brought him to the club and all that.”
That seemed to improve Avery’s mood even more and I was becoming increasingly more nervous he was going to start shining like a light bulb. “Aw man, that’s awesome. Yeah, he’s like family to me, so I thought it was time you and I had a chat.”
“So that’s what this is?” I asked. “You’re sussing out the girl dividing your friend’s attention?”
He was mid-drink, and he choked a bit on the water. He coughed to clear his throat and then started laughing. “Damn, Harry was right, you aim straight. I like it.”
“I find beating around the bush doesn’t get you many places.”.
Avery let out a hum of approval. “No truer words. Well then, I’ll aim straight.” He looked over at me and his bright expression darkened significantly. He was still smiling, but it was as if he’d stepped out of the light and into a shadow. “Harry doesn’t really trust women a whole lot. Actually, he doesn’t really trust people in general. He’s more himself now than ever, and I can tell if you were to try and ghost him again, it’d crush him, so give it to me straight, since that’s what you’re good at. Is this just a game for you? If it is, end it now.”
My heart started to slam in my chest. I hadn’t said more than a handful of words to the man, but it was like he could see straight through me. “This isn’t a game.” It wasn’t. My motives may have not been clear, but nothing about what existed between Harry and I was a game, it was serious, if even for a different reason. “I know that Harry and I got off on the wrong foot, but we’re doing good. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Is that right?” Just like that, his expression went light again. Either the guy was crazy, or there was a dark side to him that he was trying incredibly hard to keep at bay. “Good then. I just had to make sure, you know, ’cause Harry’s my guy.”
As subtly as I could, I slid my chair a few centimeters further from Avery. “Of course. Hey, since we’re bonding, can you tell me what Harry’s hangup is on women? Did he get burned in a bad relationship or something?”
“Harry’s never been with anyone the way he’s been with you,” he said, and it cut through me. Who was playing it straight now? “I’ve never known the details though. Something from when he was a kid, but he doesn’t like to talk about it.”
Harry had mentioned that he was homeless for a while because he didn’t want to be at home, but I also knew he lost his birth father at some point and had lived with his foster father for many years.
Was it his mother?
I wanted to ask a few more questions. Get any information out of Avery that I could, even if it were detailshedidn’t think were important, but I could use to piece his story together, but before I could ask, Harry shook hands with Nick and then started making his way over to the table.
Avery stood up as soon as Harry reached the table, tapped his shoulder, and walked off without saying a word. Harry settled in where Avery had been and looked over at me. “You were talking to Avery?”
