by Anna Lewis
“And?” Titus' voice hadn't changed but his eyes had narrowed ever so slightly.
“I said maybe,” Scarlett replied. “Not sure I want to, considering, but I did tell myself that if he texted before I went to sleep last night that I would give him a second chance. Kind of seems unfair to break that promise now.”
“It would.”
“Did I just totally ruin everything?” Scarlett asked quietly, hardly able to look at Titus. She managed to watch him through her lashes.
“No,” Titus said and to Scarlett's surprise he seemed to mean it. “A word once given should not be easily taken back. We better get you back home then so you can get ready.”
“Are you upset?”
Titus gave her a warm smile. “It's fine, Scarlett,” he said. “I'm just happy you didn't hide it from me. Besides, there's nothing wrong with a bit of healthy competition.”
Scarlett felt awkward on the ride back to her flat but Titus seemed fine. His hot hand rested on her knee again, warmth radiating from it up and down her entire leg and into her stomach. She rubbed her arms to rid them of goosebumps and told herself it was just because she was cold. Titus walked her up to the second floor where they stopped outside her door.
“Are you going to go meet him?” he asked casually.
“Yeah,” Scarlett said. “I kind of said I would, so...”
“I understand,” Titus replied, “but... before I go upstairs, can I give you something?”
Scarlett cocked her head in confusion. He had already given her a rose, which she thought was romantic enough and she'd cherish it until it wilted. What else could he have? She almost wanted to look behind him to see if he was hiding something. Instead she just nodded her head. She should have known what was coming, really, but her attention was so scattered now that she was back home and had to go see Hunter that she didn't realize what Titus was about until he was already doing it. His arms came up to either side of her head, hands braced against her door and boxing her in between the hard wood and his hot body. She could have easily slipped away but she found herself unable to move. Her heart made a lump in her throat that she struggled to breathe around and her stomach twisted with anticipatory heat.
Titus' nose brushed gently against her before their lips connected in a firm but brief kiss. Scarlett followed when Titus pulled away and kissed him once more, letting her teeth scrape over his lip. He made a pleased sound in the back of his throat that almost sounded like a growl and took a step closer, fully pressing her against the door. One of his hands moved to cup her cheek and tilt her head back so he could deepen the kiss. His tongue passed over her lower lip and she opened her mouth for him. He tasted faintly of beer, something Scarlett would normally have found unattractive, but on him it somehow only made her want him more. Titus sucked on her lip, hard enough to bruise, then pushed away from her and the door, a smirk on his face.
“Have a good night,” he said. “I'll see you later?”
A dazed “uh huh,” was all Scarlett managed. She watched him walk down the hall and listened to his footsteps on the creaky stairs, the jingle of his keys and the thump of his door closing. She was glad she was still leaning against her own front door because her knees felt incredibly weak and she was sure she would fall right over if she didn't have that support. She waited until she felt like she could stand without collapsing before she went inside. Every now and then, as she took a couple minutes to freshen up and have a glass of water, she heard creaking from upstairs; the sound of Titus moving around his flat. Now it was him who was stuck on her mind as she texted Hunter and told him she was on her way to meet him. Her lips still burned from his kiss. She rubbed the back of her hand across her mouth but to no avail. She had a last glass of water, ice cold, and then decided to walk to the pub, hoping that it would clear her head.
***
It didn't. She just ended up with tired feet and a red face from the chilly air and sharp wind. The pub felt suffocatingly warm compared to the outside air but Scarlett welcomed it. She loosened the grip of her scarf around her neck and squinted into the dim light until her eyes adjusted. She found Hunter sitting at the end of the bar, his back to the door, one hand around a pint of beer and the other on his phone. She carefully and quietly made her way up to him, hoping to spook him, but he turned around just before she could and offered a smile.
“Was afraid you wouldn't come,” he said.
“I almost didn't,” Scarlett replied. “How did you hear me?”
“Good hearing,” Hunter replied casually. “Good sense of smell, too. That cologne isn't yours.”
“I had a date,” Scarlett said. “With my neighbor.”
“Those the plans you told me about?” Hunter asked. There was a dark look on his face. He moved his coat from the stool next to him for Scarlett to sit.
“Yeah, you got a problem with that? You ran off, he asked me out. I had a shit night and he was nice.”
“You go out to dinner with every guy who's nice to you?” Hunter asked snidely. Scarlett was beginning to regret having come.
“You're walking on thin ice,” she warned. “You're lucky I came at all after that stunt you pulled.”
Hunter sighed and shoved a hand through his dark hair. He looked torn, a pained look on his handsome face. “I really like you,” he said. “I'm sorry I acted like a complete twat but if I told you why I left... you wouldn't understand.”
“That's a bit offensive,” Scarlett replied. “Don't just assume I won't understand something when you won't tell me what it is. That's what I don't understand. It wasn't a family emergency then?”
“No, not exactly,” Hunter replied. “It's complicated. I can't tell you anyway.”
“Then why bring it up at all?”
“Because I want you to know that I'm not an arsehole,” Hunter said loudly. He exhaled sharply and lowered his voice. “I have a... condition. It's not easy to talk about. I'm not really supposed to. It's very rare.”
Scarlett's anger melted into sympathy. “You're sick?” she asked.
“No, not sick,” Hunter said firmly with a determined glint in his eyes. “Not sick. Just different.”
“Well, why can't you tell me about it?”
“It's hard to explain,” Hunter said. He rubbed his thumb along the condensation that had gathered on the side of his pint glass. “Can I buy you a beer?”
“I was wondering when you'd offer,” Scarlett said. “It's all on you tonight, I hope you know, but I'm not staying long. Work in the morning.”
“I won't keep you,” Hunter said. “We don't even have to talk. It's enough for me just to be close to you.”
Scarlett scoffed but her face was hot. “Didn't figure you for a romantic.”
“I'm not,” Hunter said. He ordered her a drink and a second one for himself. A plan formed in Scarlett's mind. She knew how much alcohol Hunter could handle. If she got him just drunk enough maybe he would tell her about his “condition” and the real reason why he had stood her up at dinner. It felt dishonest, but Scarlett wasn't the kind of person who would take being run out on lightly. All she wanted was the truth. If Hunter really liked her as much as he said he did then she deserved that at the very least. She thought about what Jenna had said to her that afternoon. If Hunter had a valid reason for having left... what would she do? Keep dating each man until she figured out which one she liked more? Right now the only reason she was leaning towards Titus was because Hunter had left, but a true emergency, even if it wasn't a family one, was as good a reason as any to cut a dinner short, and at least he had had the courtesy to pay and hadn't stuck her with the bill. If he really intended to run out on purpose then why had he thrown down his own cash?
“Are you jealous?” she asked after her drink arrived. Hunter looked uncomfortable with the question.
“A little, maybe,” he said. The tone of his voice said that he was very much jealous of her and Titus. Good thing Scarlett hadn't mentioned anything about the kiss, and she didn't intend
to. She touched her mouth briefly.
“Why?”
“It's difficult to explain.”
“Like your condition?”
“You're being really pushy,” Hunter said.
“I just think I'm owed some answers, that's all.”
“I can't,” Hunter said. He ran his hands over his face. “I want to, but I can't. I know it sounds stupid especially since we don't know each other all that well but I'm drawn to you. Like a moth to a bright light.”
Scarlett screwed up her nose but couldn't stop a smile from blooming on her face. “Nice analogy,” she said.
“It's the truth,” he said firmly with a fiery passion in his voice. A shiver ran down Scarlett's spine. She rolled her shoulders and was tempted to put her coat back on but she knew the goosebumps on her bare arms weren't because she was cold. Hunter finished off his first pint and started on his second. “I can't stay away from you. I know I fucked up, but the fact that you're here means you're willing to give me a second chance, right?” Scarlett nodded hesitantly. “You know, your neighbor is more than he seems.”
“What's that supposed to mean?” Scarlett asked.
“Just be careful around him, that's all. Guys like him, they're sneaky.”
“He's a historian,” Scarlett said disbelievingly. “Don't try to talk him down to me just because you're jealous that we went out to dinner before I came to see you.”
“You just don't understand,” said Hunter.
“No, I don't, so make me understand. You really shouldn't judge him you know. I did and I was completely wrong. He likes sex, yeah, but he's a decent guy. And smart, too. And rich, so he says.”
“Nothing against him personally,” Hunter said. “Him and me, we just wouldn't get along.”
“Don't knock it until you try it,” Scarlett said. She realized only after how much she sounded like Jenna. Maybe it was a good idea to take her friend's advice after all. “Look, why don't we all hang out? The three of us?”
“Like a triple date?” Hunter asked with a slight grimace.
“If that's what you want to call it,” Scarlett replied. “You owe me.”
“Will your neighbor be up to it?”
“I can text him right now if you want, ask him to join us.”
“No,” Hunter said quickly. “No. This is my time with you. If you want to set up this thing then fine but this is my time with you. I'm not going to share it with him. He already had you for most of the evening.”
Scarlett was taken aback but oddly flattered by his possessiveness. She'd never had a guy who cared so much about her that he would go to such lengths. And she felt like his jealousy was sincere. The way Hunter called her his came from a place of caring rather than just wanting to show her off.
“So another time, then?” she asked.
“If that's what you want,” Hunter replied. “I have the feeling I'd do anything for you.”
“Really,” Scarlett said flatly.
Hunter looked her dead in the eye and her whole body froze, like prey caught in the sight of a predator, about to be devoured.
“Really,” he said with finality. “Now drink your beer.” Scarlett did.
***
Titus agreed readily with an amused look on his face when Scarlett asked him the next day. She could have texted or called, but in her gut she knew it would be best to ask him in person. She needed to see him. The night before Hunter had dropped her off back at her building and leaned over the centre console to give her a hug. He smelled of fresh air and pine trees and the light stubble on his cheeks and jaw had scratched appealingly at her cheek. His lips had been so close that Scarlett had almost initiated her second kiss of the night, but Hunter had pulled away before she could and said goodnight. Scarlett kept replaying the scenario over and over again in her head.
“There's nothing wrong with a little healthy competition,” Titus said.
“That's not what this is about,” Scarlett replied.
“Oh?” Titus asked He leaned against the door frame of his flat. “What's it about then?” Scarlett blushed and ran a hand through her hair. She couldn't think of an answer. Titus chuckled quietly. “Ah, I see. Well, if that's what you want,” he said. “Anything for you.” Scarlett looked up sharply and narrowed her eyes. “What?”
“Hunter said that exact same thing to me. What is it with you two?”
Titus glanced away, his face growing stony. “You're hard to stay away from,” he replied. “Text me the details.” He leaned in to kiss her cheek first, then shut the door in her face, not unkindly. Scarlett went back to her own flat to plan. She settled on Friday night. The bars would be crowded so nothing untoward would happen and she wouldn't have to worry about work the following day, leaving the night open for any number of things to happen. She sent the same text to Hunter and Titus. Again she thought about what Jenna had said, for what felt like the hundredth time. Was she taking things in that direction? She thought about the dream she had had about the two of them just after she met Titus, the feel of her body pressed in between theirs. Suddenly she felt the need for a cold shower. Her brain didn't know what it wanted, nor did her heart, but her body certainly did.
The cold shower put goosebumps over her entire body but it did help quell her desire. She shrank into herself and forced herself to stand there for a good five minutes before she quickly washed her body and her hair and hopped out. She dried herself quickly and fell into bed naked with damp hair, curling up into a tiny ball beneath her blankets. She shivered until her own body heat warmed the blankets, but she knew she would be far warmer if she had Titus and Hunter next to her. It was the 21st Century, she reminded herself, just like Jenna had said. What was so wrong about having both things she wanted? As long as everyone was okay with it. She would find out on Friday, when Hunter and Titus met for the first time.
The week passed in a drag. Jenna gave her knowing looks but didn't say anything else about what she had suggested. The more Scarlett thought about it the more she thought that Jenna might be right. Hunter and Titus were two totally different men, but Scarlett liked both of them the same amount, in different ways. The closer Friday grew the more nervous and excited Scarlett got. She hoped they would like each other, that they could find something in common other than her. She knew how men could be; jealous and standoffish. If Scarlett played her cards right and gave them both the attention they desired, then everything would work out the way it was supposed to. If it didn't... well then Scarlett would have to make a choice; one of them, or neither.
Each time she had gone out since she had met Hunter she had dressed casually. Now she took the time to make herself look nicer. She took a shower as soon as she got home from work and styled her hair, and spent a good fifteen minutes picking out what she was going to wear before settling on one of the few skirts she owned and a pair of leggings under it to combat the cold, a pair of heels, and a loose, low cut, almost see-through blouse. Tonight was an important night, worthy of more than a simple t-shirt and jeans. If Titus and Hunter didn't appreciate that, then there was something wrong with both of them and they weren't worth her time.
Titus had other business and said he would meet them both at the pub. She refused Hunter's offer to pick her up, preferring to walk, as she usually did. When she was a couple blocks away from her home, though, something in the air began to feel wrong. She huddled into her coat and walked just that much faster. It was fairly late, although early for a Friday, and Scarlett knew there were plenty of drunks around and not all of them could still keep their heads on their shoulders. Some of them could get stupid ideas in their brains and decide the best thing to do was to act on them. It made things dangerous for a woman like Scarlett. For any woman. Suddenly she wished she had taken that lift from Hunter. She was fishing in her bag for her phone when she heard loud, slurred voices from around the corner. She took a deep breath to steady herself. She was tough, she told herself. She could handle herself. She called Hunter anyway. She didn't know wher
e Titus was, but she assumed Hunter was the closer of the two, just in case something did happen. The churning in her gut made her wary.
Hunter didn't pick up. Maybe he couldn't hear his phone. If he was already at the pub Scarlett knew that it would be loud. A phone on vibrate shoved into a pocket wouldn't be heard and probably wouldn't be felt either. She tried again as she rounded the corner. A group of three lads were in front of her, clearly drunk and stinking of alcohol so potent that Scarlett could smell it from several feet away. She looked past them down the street. She could see the pub on the next corner. All she had to do was get to the end of the street and she would be fine. She made to cross over to the other side of the road, hoping that the lads hadn't noticed her yet, but had no such luck. One of them called out something obscene that made Scarlett's chest tighten with anxiety but made her flare with anger.
“Fuck off!” she called and made and offensive gesture towards them, a scowl on her face. The boys roared with laughter. All but one of them. His face darkened.
“What was that?” he slurred, coming towards her. Scarlett quickened her pace. She should have just kept her mouth shut and her head down.
“I said fuck off,” she repeated. There was no point in backing down now.
“Fucking slag,” the boy said. “Who the fuck d'you think you're talking to?”
“A twathead,” Scarlett replied. “Bugger off back to your mates.”
But he didn't. Scarlett hurried away from him but her path took her past one of the many narrow allies so prominent in British towns and cities and the boy was taller than her, with longer legs, and not in heels. He caught up easily and grabbed her arm. When Scarlett couldn't wrench away she screamed until a hand was clapped over her mouth. The lad's mates stood on the other side of the street, looking unsure of what to do. Scarlett struggled and tried to open her mouth to bite but before she could she heard a dog-like growl, followed by a startled shout and the sound of a body hitting brick. A chorus of “what the fuck”s echoed from across the street. Hunter had the first lad up against the wall by the collar of his shirt. Or at least Scarlet thought it was Hunter. Something about him looked wrong. His eyes were the wrong colour and his nails were... claws, and his teeth somehow seemed longer. Scarlett wished she had some kind of pepper spray, any weapon at all that she could use. But unless she wanted to hit what she was pretty sure was Hunter across the back of the head with her purse she had nothing, so she stood her ground.