by E. L. Todd
“It’s pretty clear that you two are serious.”
He nodded. “We are.”
“Then…you have my blessing.”
His eyes turned cold. “I never asked for it. But I hope you understand I would never hurt Francesca on purpose. And I would never hurt someone you love.”
“Yeah, I get it.”
He extended his hand.
I took it. “Friends again?”
He smiled. “We were always friends, man.”
“Want to go out for a beer?”
“Let’s do it.”
***
“What have you been up to?” Hawke leaned back in the booth with his fingers wrapped around his beer on the table.
The place was crowded despite the early hour. A few cute girls were in the place but I stayed in my seat. “Nothing much.”
He drank his beer while his gaze remained focused on me. “Frankie mentioned something happened with Marie.”
“Oh yeah.” I grinned at the memory. “Something did happen with Marie.”
Hawke patiently waited for the tale.
“Dude, she’s awesome in bed. I mean, like, wow.”
“Really?” His tone remained the same, like he was only partially interested in the conversation.
“She’s the best I’ve ever had.”
“Sounds like a keeper.”
“I don’t know about that. I woke up the next morning and she was gone.”
“Ouch.” He chuckled. “Doesn’t feel good, does it?”
“I guess I was a little disappointed. I haven’t stopped thinking about that night since it happened.”
“Why don’t you ask her out again?”
“I don’t know…I don’t do back-to-backs.”
“Has she called?”
I shook my head. “No. It seemed like she wanted the same thing I did—one night.”
“Sounds perfect. You didn’t have to have the talk with her. I can’t count the number of times I couldn’t get a girl to get off my back. “
“Yeah, I guess.” When I woke up the next morning I expected her to be there. We could have some great morning sex and breakfast before she took off. But she was gone before my eyes opened. And we hadn’t spoken since. I still thought about the way her lips tasted and the way her legs felt wrapped around my waist. All the sensations washed over me like they were happening again.
Hawke studied me, silent as a statue. He took a drink of his beer, his eyes still on me.
“What?”
He shrugged.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“You have a funny look on your face.”
“No, I don’t.”
He chuckled. “Yes, you do. And I can tell you’re thinking about Marie.”
“Am not.” I felt like I was having a child’s argument.
“If you like her, why don’t you just ask her out again?”
“That’ll make things complicated.”
“I don’t know…she seems pretty laid back. Have you seen her since that night?”
“I was at Frankie’s house a few weeks ago.” Screaming at her and telling her to move on from Hawke.
“Was she there?”
“Yeah.”
“And…?”
“She didn’t look at me differently. It was like nothing happened.”
“If you ask me, it doesn’t get less complicated than that.” He surveyed the bar, his eyes lingering on the TV in the corner.
Weeks had come and gone and I hadn’t stopped thinking about her. It never took me this long to forget about a girl after I screwed her. How much longer would it take? A few more weeks?
The Shit Hit The Fan
Axel
We sat on Hawke’s couch and watched the basketball game. Our beers sat on the coffee table and a bag of chips sat alongside them.
“Dude, I hate to say it but I’m on the Curry train.”
Hawke nodded from the other couch. “I’ve never seen anyone shoot like that.”
“Not since Michael Jordan.” I shoved a handful of chips into my mouth. “He’s going in the Hall of Fame, for sure.”
“And he’ll be the MVP this year.”
“I wish I played professional basketball. That’d be sick.”
Hawke redirected his stare to me. “You’re not even good.”
“Excuse me?” I held the beer in my hand and stopped myself before I took a drink.
“I’m just saying you aren’t the next Stephen Curry.”
“I never said I was. That’s why I said I wish I could play professional basketball. It’s not a contact sport, they don’t have to run very far, and the games are always inside. I’d never want to play football in the snow.”
He brought the beer to his lips and whispered under his breath. “Because you’re a pussy.”
I grabbed a handful of chips and threw it at him. “Asshole.”
He wiped the crumbs onto the floor. “Dude, don’t make my house a mess. Francesca will try to clean it.”
“Is she your maid now?”
“No. But she always cleans and organizes things when she’s over here.” He turned his gaze back to the screen. “It’s pretty awesome, actually.”
I wished I had a maid, a hot one that could give me sex. “What’s she doing tonight?”
“She went to that sports bar with Marie.”
Both of my eyebrows rose in interest. “She and Marie went out?”
“Yeah. I guess Francesca is acting as Marie’s wingman. Didn’t realize women needed those.” He kept staring at the TV.
The game no longer seemed interesting in light of that information. If Marie was out drinking I could bump into her, start a conversation, and maybe she would come home with me. It was the perfect idea. “You know what? This game is boring. Let’s go out.”
Hawke turned to me, surprised. “What?”
“Let’s stop by and say hi.”
Hawke didn’t leave his seat. “I’m not doing that.”
“Why the hell not?”
“If I go down there it looks like I’m spying on her—which I’m not.”
“Who cares?” I asked. “She wouldn’t be happy to see her man?”
He set the beer down and sat up. “We got into a fight the other day about this guy she used to see…”
“And?”
“I got a little jealous and said some things I shouldn’t. If I go down there it’ll seem like I don’t trust her—which I do.”
“Whatever,” I said. “Tell her I wanted to go out.”
“Why do you want to go out anyway?”
I shrugged. “I guess I feel a little claustrophobic in here.”
He regarded me for several seconds before he figured it out on his own. “You want to pick up on Marie?”
“Maybe…”
He didn’t bother hiding his irritation. “Why don’t you just text her?”
“No. It must seem organic. We just swing by and play it cool. I’ll talk to her for a few moments and see if the chemistry flares up again. Then I’ll take her back to my place.” I wiggled my eyebrows.
Hawke sighed like he wanted nothing to do with it.
“Come on. I need you. If Francesca asks, just tell her the truth.”
“You aren’t going to stop bothering me until you get your way, huh?”
“Yep.”
He set his beer down then stood up. “Alright. Let’s do this.”
***
We walked inside the bar and moved through the crowd. When I pictured Marie I imagined her wearing a short dress that showed off her endless legs. Even if she wore a pantsuit she’d still look amazing. How did I not notice this woman until now? Where had she been hiding?
When we got further inside I scanned the crowd. A lot of people were there that night, probably to watch the game and find dates at the same time. My eyes finally found Marie at a table. She was standing next to some pretty boy, and judging their proximity they were hitting it off.
&n
bsp; That wouldn’t last.
Francesca was standing beside her and kissing some guy.
Whoa, what? Why is she kissing some guy? “Hawke—”
He was already charging at full speed. He came around the table and grabbed the guy by the neck. Like a bear he took down his opponent then mauled him with his massive hands. His fist collided with his face over and over with such brutality it even made me flinch.
“Hawke!” Francesca stepped back and screamed.
All thought of Marie evaporated. Some serious shit was going down and I needed to stop it. I jogged to the fight and came around the table. Hawke had him by the throat and pinned to the ground, wailing on him without any mercy.
Francesca couldn’t stand back anymore. She rushed in to make Hawke stop.
“Frankie, no.” I grabbed her and pulled her back. “Hawke, enough. You taught him a lesson.”
Like he was in a trance he kept going, beating the shit out of the guy even though he wasn’t even fighting anymore. He was barely holding onto consciousness.
Shit, he was gonna kill him.
Frankie twisted in my grasp then sprinted to Hawke. She grabbed him by the arm and tried to pull him off.
Hawke slammed his arm into her and knocked her back, sending her sliding across the tile until she finally stopped under the table.
Everyone stopped.
A collective gasp spread through the crowd at the accident.
Francesca slowly got to her feet, seeming unharmed.
That’s when Hawke stopped, realizing what he’d done. He turned around and stared at her, his eyes hopeless and defeated. Blood was on his hands and he slowly stepped back, leaving his first victim on the floor.
I didn’t know what to say because I wasn’t sure what was going on. But at least no one was being beaten to death anymore.
Then Hawke turned and left the bar. He pushed past everyone and got to the exit before he disappeared. The music didn’t come on the loud speakers. It was deadly silent.
A few guys rushed in and helped the dude on the floor. He was totally out of it and unconscious.
I turned to Frankie. “Are you okay?” When I examined her body it didn’t seem like anything was broken or bloody.
“I’m fine. He didn’t hurt me.”
I put my hand on her shoulder, awkwardly giving her affection. “What happened? Why were you kissing him?”
“I wasn’t. He’s a friend from school and he drank too much. He literally just kissed me when you guys walked in.”
“He didn’t know about Hawke?”
“No, he did. But he did it anyway.”
Then I didn’t feel about for him. If he kept his hands to himself none of this would have happened. “You want me to hunt down Hawke?”
“No,” she said quickly. “He needs space. Just let him be.”
“Alright. Do you need a ride home?”
“I came with Marie.”
“Well, I can take you both back.” I looked over her shoulder and saw Marie talking to the pretty boy. They had a quick exchange before he left her side and helped his fallen friend out of the bar. I wanted to ask Francesca if Marie was in a relationship but I knew now wasn’t the best time. “Come on. Let’s go.”
***
I took the girls home and walked them inside. “Are you sure you don’t want me to swing by Hawke’s place and check on him?”
“No, just leave him alone.” Francesca tucked her hair behind her ear and looked exhausted. It didn’t seem like she just went out for some fun with Marie. She somehow aged ten years since we came home. “He’ll come around when he’s ready.”
She had a lot more patience than I did. “Is there anything else I can do?” Despite how calm she was being I knew she was upset.
“No, I’m okay. Thanks for taking us home.” In a daze she walked down the hallway and immediately went to bed. The door shut behind her and the rest of the house was silent.
Now it was just Marie and I.
I’d wanted to be alone with her all night, but now that I had her it wouldn’t work. Too much drama happened in just a few hours.
Marie dropped her purse on the table then removed her jacket. “What the hell happened? One minute I’m talking to Cade and then the next minute Hawke is beating the shit out of Aaron.”
“When we walked in he was kissing Frankie. And Hawke lost it.” It was hard to talk to her about something serious when all I could think about was how pretty she looked in her dress and heels.
“What?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Frankie kissed Aaron?”
“No. She said he kissed her the second we walked in. He had too much to drink.”
“Wow.”
“Honestly, I don’t blame Hawke. If some guy kissed my girl even though he was perfectly aware of the fact she was taken I’d beat him senseless too.” I’d never had a girlfriend, at least a serious one. But if I did, I knew I’d be protective of her. “Hawke could go to jail for this.”
I shook my head. “I doubt it. The guy would have to press charges first. Since he was the one who provoked the whole thing it would be really shady if he did.”
“I guess.” She walked into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water. “You want anything?”
“No thanks.” I knew it was time for me to leave but I was trying to find an excuse to linger. “So…was that guy you were with your boyfriend?” I prepared myself for the worst possible answer and tried to keep my face stoic so she wouldn’t see my disappointment.
“Cade?” she asked. “No. I’ve seen him around campus a few times but that’s it.”
My mouth wanted to smile but I managed to stop it.
She took a long drink of water before she set the glass on the dining table. Her hair was in loose curls and it trailed down her back in an elegant way. I wanted to place kisses on the skin between her shoulder blades. I wanted to taste the area between her legs again. I wanted another night of unbridled passion.
She stared at me and waited for me to leave.
“We never really had a chance to talk after…you know.” When I woke up she was gone and the sheets were cold.
“What did you want to talk about?”
I didn’t really know. “I just don’t want it to be awkward between us.”
“It’s not,” she said. “I had a great time and it was fun. But it was a one-time thing. There’s nothing to be weird about.”
Did that mean she didn’t think about me? She didn’t replay that night in her head when she was alone? Did she want to see me again? Sleep with me again? It didn’t seem like it. “Great…”
She took another drink of her water. “I don’t mean to be rude but I’m really tired.” She glanced at the door.
“Oh, sure.” I quickly turned to the door, feeling like an idiot for overstaying my welcome. Marie clearly didn’t value that night the way I did. Did she get incredible sex like that on a daily basis? Did it mean more to me than it did to her? “Have a good night.” I walked over the threshold and turned around.
“Goodnight.” Like all the other times in the past, she shut the door in my face.
Heartbreak
Marie
I knew something was wrong when Francesca didn’t come home for two days. If she didn’t sleep at the house she was usually with Hawke. But she always checked in at least once a day. Two days had come and gone and I didn’t hear a word from her.
I started to freak out.
I called her but it went straight to voicemail. It didn’t even ring.
I called again because I assumed the line was just busy. But it went straight to voicemail again.
I started pacing in the kitchen, about to explode in fear. I thought about calling 9-1-1 but I didn’t know if that was too presumptuous. Maybe she and Hawke were making up from their fight and they’d been in bed for two days.
But it’s still unlike her not to call.
Unsure what else to do, I called Axel.
The phone rang three
times before he picked up, and when he answered he sounded different. “Hey, I was just thinking about you.”
Both of my eyebrows rose. “What?”
He paused for nearly ten seconds. “What?”
“What do you mean you were just thinking about me?”
“Uh, sorry. Thought you were someone else…”
This was the weirdest conversation ever. “I’m worried about Frankie. I haven’t heard from her in two days and her phone is off.”
“She’s probably just with Hawke.”
“Maybe. But she always checks in with me, even if it’s just a text. But now her phone is off and I’m freaking out. I can’t even think right now because I’m so terrified.”
“Alright. I’m sure everything is fine but we’ll look into it.”
“Can you call Hawke?”
“Yeah, that’s a good place to start.”
“Call me back.”
“Alright.” He hung up.
I paced in my kitchen with the phone held tightly in my hand. I kept waiting for it to ring, needing some kind of news. Frankie was my best friend and I couldn’t picture my life without her.
The phone rang and I accidentally threw it in the air because I was jolted with adrenaline. I caught it before it hit the ground and answered. “What did he say?”
“His phone is off too…”
Now I was really freaking out. “Axel, I’m scared.”
“It’s okay, baby. I’m sure they’re both fine.”
I didn’t like the baby comment but I was too upset to care. “What do we do?”
“I’ll go to his apartment and check it out. They have to be there. If not, we’ll call the cops.”
“I’m coming with you.” I could barely wait for him to call me back. There was no way I was going to stand around and wait for him to investigate Hawke’s apartment.
“I’ll pick you up in five minutes.”
“Just hurry.”
***
I sat in the passenger seat of his truck and gripped the armrest in fear. My worst nightmare was playing in front of my eyes. Francesca and Hawke were butchered into indefinite pieces across the apartment. Some criminal robbed them then decided to have some fun.
Axel glanced at me from the driver’s seat. “I’m sure they are both fine, Marie.”
I bit my nail, something I never did.