Nick had heard enough and his blood was about to boil over. He made his way past his mother and sister, and stood in the doorway of the family room. Elaina immediately felt a rush of anxiety run up her spine. He was glaring at Henry’s back. Nick could practically hear Elaina’s stomach flip-flopping when Henry turned around. She wanted to die. Henry was trying to look relaxed even though she knew he was uncomfortable. Nick smirked at him.
“Can I speak to you in private?” Nick said in a rather abrupt tone.
“Shit,” Elaina whispered. You could never trust Nick to keep his hands to himself. Plus, Elaina knew Henry was well-versed in kickboxing. He had even hospitalized one person.
“Certainly.” As they walked past Elaina and Maria, Henry ran his hand across the small of Elaina’s back. She set the knife down. Her hands were shaking. The front door quietly opened, then slammed shut.
Nick and Henry walked out onto the front porch. Henry stood still, with his hands on his hips, watching Nick pace. He watched his every move and every muscle twitch. Finally, Nick stopped right in front of him, and they were nose to nose. Henry had no expression on his face, and zero emotion. He had slipped into program mode.
“She has had her heart broken too many times for me to tolerate it happening again. If you so much as make her shed one goddamn tear, I swear to you, I will fuck that pretty face of yours up.” Henry didn’t say anything. He just looked through Nick. “Did you hear me? Or is your hearing compromised?”
“Yup. No need to worry.” Nick grabbed his shirt. “Get your hands off of me,” Henry said in a rather calm manner.
“What are you going to do about it?” Henry smirked, and Nick shoved him into the side of the house. “Am I wrinkling your shirt, pretty boy?”
“I could care less about my shirt. The only thing I care about is Elaina. But I would suggest that you remove your fucking hands.”
Nick laughed. “And what are you going to do about it?”
“You have no idea who you’re fucking with.”
“Full of yourself?”
In a flash, Henry reached up and grabbed Nick by the throat, squeezing just enough to cause him distress, lifting him just enough so that Nick was on his tiptoes. Henry pulled him to his eye level, only leaving a couple inches between them. “Now, let go of me,” Henry growled through a clenched jaw. “Or shall we tango some? Because I’ve got plenty more of this in me all fucking day. How about you?” Nick let go, as did Henry.
“I swear, if you break her heart…” Nick rubbed his throat.
“You don’t have to worry about that. She means everything to me, and I live to make her happy. Understood?” Nick nodded, completely humiliated, and walked back inside, leaving Henry on the porch.
Nick stormed through the kitchen.
“What happened out there?” Elaina was worried about what may have transpired.
“We had a chat, man to man.”
“You leave him alone! He was the only one there for me when I had car trouble, and nobody else seemed to be able to get away from their very important bullshit while I rotted on the city street.”
“Watch your mouth, Elaina,” their mother warned.
“He was preying on a helpless woman!”
“Preying? He loaned me his phone, and we sat and had a cup of coffee until the tow truck arrived. If you call that preying, then he must be doing it wrong! And, just so you know, I’m the one who asked him out on our first date!” She slammed the knife down on the counter, and stormed out of the kitchen.
Nick and his mother heard the front door open in haste and slam shut.
“Nick…”
“Don’t start with me, Mom. I don’t want him using my sister, or making her feel like she’s obligated to sleep with him just so he’ll pay her bills! Classic user move, Mom. He’s probably just trying to get in her damn pants, the bastard,” he growled.
“Stop, just stop. She’s smarter than that.”
“Are you sure? She seems pretty smitten, and when women get that way, they’ll do stuff they normally wouldn’t.”
At that moment, Elaina stormed back into the kitchen, ripped open the refrigerator door, grabbed two beers, and stormed back out.
-November 2014-
Their home was always full of laughter, until Elaina became the difficult teenager that every parent dreaded. Nick smirked at the thought of Elaina and her famous attitude. Thomas nudged him. It brought him back to the present.
“Sorry. Just thinking too much, I guess.” Thomas nodded, but was worried that his nudge was going to drive Nick into having a mid-morning snack.
As they walked back out of the family room, Nick could see everyone else outside. He took great pause in knowing that it could very well be the end of everyone he knew and loved. The end of everything. He shuddered.