I look over at her and she has her back to me again, I smile and shake my head, Girl has spark I have to give it to her. I check out her ass one last time and head back to the stage to finish my set.
We play for another hour, I was hoping to get Max up here but he was getting slammed at the bar, I feel kind of bad for him. After the last song I can finally relax, I am sweating like a mule, Gemma the weird chick threw something at me during the last song, I am coiling up the cables and I see it sitting there between my set list and my microphone stand, I pick it up only to see it was a condom with her phone number on it. Holy crap that chick is forward, I toss it at Eric and tell him he should call her, he laughs and puts it into his pocket.
I am just about finished when I hear my brother shout at me from the bar, I look over at him and I can see something is going on, I think Bailey and Paige are having a bust up. Drama I could do without but I walk over anyway. When I reach the bar Max tells me that some fucking dude just threatened my girl, I stop in my tracks, what the fuck, she is not my girl where did that shit come from? I shake my head to try clear my brain, I look over to see Paige starting to cry "Is that so" I ask Bailey. She is trying to play it off like it's no big deal, but where Max and I come from you never put your hand on a woman. We are standing there when some guy barges through the door, I think he a customer coming back in but then he makes his way over to Paige and starts screaming all kinds of crap in her face, I am actually in shock that this is happening. I look over at Max and he nods in understanding he is up over the bar and I grab this fucker by the throat.
I make a few threats and Max pulls him outside, the girls follow Max outside so I tag along. I know my brother can handle himself but this guy is a pussy so I am not worried about that. I just hope he doesn't try any shit with those two girls. I see Max push the guy on his ass, Bailey tells Max she is taking Paige home and we watch them walk off through the campus.
Max and I walk back inside the bar and lock the doors, I look over at my brother "What the fuck was that Max?"
He sighs and rubs his hand through his hair "Sorry bro, I just couldn't listen to that fucktard say that shit to her, I heard him scream down the phone at Bailey, saying he was going to fuck her up". I freeze with my hand hovering over the dirty glasses on the bar, I walk back over to the door and open it, stepping out onto the street I see the douchebag standing by the curb with some friends, I feel Max behind me so I know he has my back. I grab the dude by the back of the collar and pull him up off his feet, he is shaking I turn my arm so that he is facing me, I glare into his face, "If you think about touching Bailey or Paige I will fuck you up" I am about to say some more when he spits in my face like the pussy that he is.
I drop his ass and punch him in the face, I loose count how many times and I don't want to stop. Hitting this asshole is helping relieve all the shit I have been feeling lately. I feel Max's arms come over mine and I stop wailing on his face. I am breathing hard and I step back, I point at this asshole and remind him to stay away from Paige and Bailey. Max and I walk back inside the bar and lock the doors behind us. I take a seat at the bar and look at my hand, Max goes in behind the bar and grabs two beers and puts ice into a bar towel for my hand. "Don't think you'll be playing guitar any time soon" Max tells me. I flex my knuckles and they hurt, shit what was I thinking, I put the ice on my right hand and grabbed the beer with my left. I look up at Max who is standing against the bar drinking his beer, "You should have stopped me Max" I say to him. "I did," he says back. "You know what I mean" he nods and looks at me for a few minutes "I know Knox but I also know that you are dealing with shit, so I let you take it out on the fuckers face" he says flatly.
I look over at him and we both start laughing, "What kind of pussy spits in another dudes face?" I say. "I dunno bro but if I were you I would take a shower with bleach". Max finishes his beer and throws the bottle overhand into the trash like he is playing basketball. "Come on bro we can clean this place in the morning" he says turning off the lights under the bar. I laugh "Yeah we better get up early before George gets in or he will kick the crap outta both of us," I say heading for the back door. We walk over to our motorcycles and climb on I put on my helmet and use my right hand to turn the throttle, "Ah fuck" I shout lifting my hand up. Max jumps off his bike and comes over "Are you ok?" I take a deep breath and nod "Yeah It's gonna be hard to throttle this baby, so don't take off on me just in case I need to walk it" I say.
"I got your back bro" Max says and gets back onto his bike. We make it home ok but my hand is fucking killing me, "You might wanna see a doc for that," Max tells me. "I'll be fine, I just need to Ice it". I grab bag of some frozen peas from the freezer and dig out the painkillers from the drawer. I take a couple and head up to bed.
I wake up to something like needles being pressed into my chest, I look down and see Spike my mom's cat looking at me like I am disturbing him, and "Mornin Spike" I say and push him off me. I sit up in bed and swing me legs over the side looking at my phone to see what time it is, Six am. I get out of bed and pull on some sweats; I head down stairs knocking on Max's door as I pass by. "No need to be up by myself, eh Spike," I say to cat that is meowing at me. I reach the kitchen and grab his food, he is circling my legs head butting me 'Ok chill out" I put his dinner down on the floor and start making the coffee.
A minute later Max comes in yawning rubbing his chest, "Fuck it's early" he says while bending down rubbing Spike on the head, "Why am I up?" he asks me, "We have a delivery and some cleaning to do". He groans and takes out cereal, this guy is twenty-one years old and he still has cereal for breakfast, I shake my head at him and put a coffee beside his bowl. "How's the hand" he asks. "Not to bad, still sore". "You should probably get an x-ray" he tells me, I look over my coffee cup at him "Yes mother".
Thirty minutes later we are showered, dressed and on the road to the bar. We arrive just before seven am and park the bikes around the back of the building where there is a hidden alcove, Both bikes fit in perfectly and are out of view from the street. I open the door of the bar and turn off the alarm, Max heads out to the side entrance to wait for the delivery truck, I turn on all the lights inside the bar and here Max "Hey Knox get the fuck out here, quick" he shouts.
I come running out thinking something is wrong when I see a blue metallic Camaro sitting in front of the doors. Max is smiling and looking over to the street, I follow his gaze and see Bailey crossing the road. She is in the same clothes from last night and judging by the time it is now she clearly slept out last night, for some reason this pisses me off. I put my hands under my armpits so she wont see my knuckles, Max gives her shit about a walk of shame trust Max, she is opening her car door and I want her to stay, I tell her I was going to have her car towed out of here, she looks a little upset by that and I feel like a Dick, she tells me she'll get out of our way. Crap I want to talk to her; I ask her how her friend is so she will stay for a few minutes and to see if that asshole turned up at her friends place. She gives me a short answer and gets into her car, I am looking at her wondering what is wrong with her she turns around in her seat and looks straight at me. It looks like she is about to cry, I get up off the wall to go to her but she doesn't see me and speeds off.
The delivery truck turns the corner and I look over at Max, he claps his hands together and rubs them "You got it bad bro" he shouts over his shoulder. "You are doing the delivery alone asshole" I say and turn back inside.
I arrive home about fifteen minutes later, I am still tired Paige's sofa was hard and I didn't really get any sleep, there was a certain singer invading my thoughts. I park my car in the garage and go into the house. Opening the fridge I groan, I forgot I needed to go grocery shopping, grabbing a pen and notepad I get to making a list.
I filled a whole page for my grocery list and double checked it, do I really need all this stuff I ask myself, throwing the notepad on the table I head upstairs for a shower and some sleep. My phone rings as I am walking upstairs, I answer it while yawning, "Hello" "Hello sweetheart, how was your first week of college?" my dad asks me. I smile and tell him all about my classes and about meeting Paige, he tells me his design is going well and he might make it home for Thanksgiving. We chat for about ten minutes and then he has to go "Ok bye dad, love you" I say to him and hang up.
I open the music section of my phone and turn on the shower, I go into the music store and buy Mumford and Sons "The Cave" I loved the version Knox did and this song reminds me of him, I put it on repeat and get into the shower. I listen to the words of the song while washing my hair and I can relate to them, it's about being done wrong by someone and finding your way back through the pain. I wonder why he sang that song especially with such emotion.
I get out of the shower and throw on a tank top and shorts and crawl under my covers smiling, happy to be in my own bed. I leave the song on repeat and fall asleep to it, dreaming of powerful green eyes. I wake up just after two in the afternoon, stretching I decide I better get my butt to the grocery store. Walking over to my closet I notice I have worn all my favorite skinny jeans, I need put on a load of laundry too. I brush my hair into a high pony and scrub away my cottonmouth. I look back in my closet pushing clothes back and forth on the rail, fuck it I pull out a black halter top dress with a swinging skirt that sits above the knee, it has been almost six months since I wore a dress, well it would be longer only I have no clean jeans. I slip on my gladiator sandals that have two inch heals and look at my self in the mirror. My eyes are slightly puffy so I grab my Audrey Hepburn sunglasses and put them on, go big or go home I say into the mirror and then laugh.
I remember when Summer and I bought these glasses, we purposely bought them big to hide our eyes on Saturday mornings from our parents, they thought we were being stylish but we were just trying to cover up the fact we had hangovers, one Saturday I was eating breakfast with my glasses on, it was eight am and I was indoors, when Summer waltzed into my kitchen, she too was wearing hers and we burst out laughing at each other. My mom walked in a saw us; she looked at us and asked where we got the glasses. Summer told her at the mall with a smile, my mom turned to us and said, "When it comes to sunglasses girls, go big or go home" and walked out the door.
Summer and I fell around the kitchen laughing and ever since that day we always used that phrase for our hangover glasses. Well I say to my reflection this is a good as it gets I give a twirl, grab my small handbag and head out to get my groceries. I park at the plaza in downtown and decide I should eat first otherwise I will buy a bunch of crap at the grocery store, I walk into the little square a notice the coffee shop "Coffee Joe's" has set some tables and chairs outside in a patio area. I walk over to the seating area looking to see if I order first or just sit down, I am about to walk into the coffee shop when I hear "Damn Darlin you're looking sexy" I turn around to see Knox and Max sitting at one of the tables with an umbrella. This guy thinks he can throw me a line and I will melt for him, ok so I would but he doesn't know that. I slide my glasses down my nose a little "Well what did you expect according to Max here I am a fine pace of ass" I say and slide my glasses back up to my eyes. Max starts laughing and holding his hands up like he is surrendering; Knox lifts up his cup in salute and pulls out a chair "this seat is available".
I look into the coffee shop and see that it is full and I don't really want to eat alone so I do what Summer would have done, I walk over and sit down and thank him for being such a gentleman.
Now Knox is laughing and holding out the menu to me, I take it from him and let my Audrey Hepburn act drop, "So what's good because I am freaking starving" I say. Both guys look at each other like I am from another planet, "Eh the ranch salad is ok" offers Max. "Do I look like a fluffy bunny?" I ask him, he starts to laugh, "Isn't that what all you girls eat?" "No Max, not all of us, some of us like a big juicy steak" I say. I see Knox's eyes pop open at my statement and smile. A waitress comes over; I order a white chocolate mocha, a jelly doughnut and a ham sandwich. Both Max and Knox look at me up and down, "What?" I say. "Where do you plan on putting all that" Knox asks, "Oh I have ways of burning off the calories"? Max chokes on his coffee and spills it down his shirt; he gets up to go clean it off. I still have my sunglasses on and I can check out Knox without him see me do it. He has on ripped jeans and a black V neck t-shirt, I can see a piece of a tattoo peeking out but I can't make out what it is. He wipes his hands causing his muscles to flex, I notice his right hand is busted up, without thinking I lift off my glasses and pick up his hand for further inspection.
I feel him tense and look anyway "Who's face did you rearrange?" I look into his hypnotic green eyes. He pulls his hand out of mine "It's nothing, no big deal" he tells me. I eye him suspiciously but he just gives me a million watt smile. "Why are you gonna offer to make me feel better Darlin?" I smile back and put on my sunglasses without answering him just as the waitress brings over my lunch, I am thinking to myself, oh hell yes I want to make you feel better. Max comes back to the table while I am biting my sandwich, "Hey bro uncle George wants us back at the bar" Max turns to me "Hey sorry Bailey but we have to get back" I shake my head "That's ok no worries". Knox pulls out his wallet and calls over the waitress, "Hey you coming to the bar tonight? Its karaoke night" Max asks me with a smile.
"I don't know I wasn't planning on it". "Bring your friend Paige its good fun," he says to me. "I actually only just met her I don't know her all that well, last night was the first time we hung out". "Seriously" he asks me, I nod in reply.