Hellion, a New Adult Romance Novel(75)
My hands fly to my face. I just assaulted a chick in a shit bar. I’m a monster. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Colin shows up behind me and I turn around to find his face near my shoulder. He’s way too happy.
“What are you smiling at?!” I shout, reaching around to smack him on the shoulder, my concerns about being a monster disappearing just like that.
He ducks a little but keeps up the grinning. “That was awesome. Did you see that, Mick? Chick fight … over you!” He laughs. “Hilarious!”
Mick scowls at him as my face flames red.
“I was not fighting over Mick.”
“Yeah, whatever you say.” Colin walks back to the bar, leaving me standing in front of Mick.
“Mick, I’m sorry I messed up your date.” My entire body sags. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m obviously losing my mind.”
He drops his hands and steps closer to me. “Just let it go. It’s no big deal. She’s a leech and I’m glad she’s off me.”
“Really? Cuz I thought I was picking up on that vibe and so I just acted on it. But if you tell me I was wrong, I’ll hate myself forever. I’ll go apologize.”
“No, you weren’t wrong.” He sighs. “Get me a beer, would ya?”
“Here,” I say, taking the one nearest me off the bar. “This one was mine. I think. I don’t want it.”
He takes it and looks around to see if anyone else is claiming it. “You probably shouldn’t have anything to drink right now,” he says.
“No, you’re right. Save me from myself,” I agree, urging him to drink with my eyes.
“Bottom’s up,” he says, lifting the glass at me first before taking a very long series of drinks. He drains the mug in seconds.
“Wow. That was impressive … in an alcoholic olympics kind of way.”
He laughs. “Silver medalist. Colin’s always getting the gold ahead of me.”
We both look over and watch him drain what might be his third beer.
“Why is he like that?” I ask quietly.
Mick stands next to me as we watch him joke around with the bartender. “He doesn’t deal with losing people very well, and he’s lost a couple.”
“Everyone does eventually,” I say, getting a lump in my throat as I imagine my parents leaving this world.
“Yeah, and most people get over it. Colin doesn’t. Ever.”
“That’s sad.”
“Yeah. That’s why I don’t totally hate him, you know?”
We turn and face each other and Mick continues. “I get why he’s angry all the time. He’s alone.”
“But he has you. And Rebel.”
“We know that, but he doesn’t. He’s always on the outside looking in. That’s what he thinks, anyway.”
“Maybe you should be nicer to him,” I say, loving that Mick and I are standing so close now and that I can smell his beer breath as it hits my face. I totally want to swap spit with him right now.
“He’s too much of a dick most of the time. He drives people away.”
I chew the inside of my cheek, wondering why this feels like it applies to me.
“Your hair is pretty,” he says, taking a lock of it in his hand and running his fingers down it.
I’m too shocked to speak at first. Where in the hell is this coming from?
“Did you do something different to it?”
“I … uh … yeah … I, uh … brushed it.”
He laughs, dropping my hair. “And usually you just … what? Don’t?”
“No. Yes. I mean, I have frizzy hair so…”
He raises his eyebrows, waiting for my answer.
I sigh. “Can we talk about something else please? My hair is boring.”
“Fine. What do you want to talk about?” He signals the bartender for another beer, and Colin joins us when it’s delivered.
“You guys wanted to know what happened in the meeting, right?” I ask.
They both nod.
I take a big breath, collecting my thoughts so I can give them the highlights. “Okay, so … apparently, Teagan’s step-mom is saying that her dad was bonkers or whatever before he died and that she was in the process of having him committed or something, so all that data that he sent Teagan was confidential legal stuff she didn’t have a right to have. So it can’t be used in a lawsuit against them.”
“What? That doesn’t make any sense,” says Mick. I love how he’s getting all defensive over it. It’s exactly how I feel, and now I know I’m not alone.