Protective

RAINEY

Being with Ansel is like a breath of fresh air.

Ever since Riley and Alex left us to our own devices this morning, Ansel and I have been laughing non-stop.

I had a few errands to run: getting a new cell phone and picking up some school supplies for Riley.

Once we finished those tasks, Ansel and I spent the rest of the time window-shopping and finding humor in everything we saw.

But amidst our shared laughter and antics, I couldn’t help but notice a few girls blatantly checking him out.

Whenever we entered a store, the female employees would bite their lips suggestively or sway their hips with a clear intention.

Ansel, however, always seemed oblivious to their advances, too busy making me laugh. This led to a lot of icy glares from the girls, which I pretended not to notice.

Eventually, our stomachs started to grumble, and we headed to a restaurant Ansel suggested for lunch, the Sea Cottage.

I’d never been here before, having only moved to Crossview a few weeks ago. I’m still getting used to the city and its many neighborhoods.

“~After you, my lady.~” Ansel puts on a British accent as he holds the door open for me.

The smell of grilled fish fills my nostrils as I laugh, stepping past him. “~Thank you, my lord~.”

He gapes at my attempt, and I give him a sheepish smile. “You sounded like a Brit just then. How did you do that?”

I chuckle. “I have no idea, and I doubt I’ll be able to do it again.”

He laughs as he takes my hand in his, leading us to a table at the back. “My parents love this place. You know, my dad brings my mom here every Valentine’s Day.”

“That’s so sweet.”

“Yeah, but my mom is secretly tired of it.”

Ansel grins, pulling out my chair for me to sit, then moving to his side of the table. “They come here so often that my dad gets every meal half-price.”

“Good afternoon. What can I get you?”

We look up to see a waitress. She’s wearing a pink dress shirt with the restaurant’s logo, and a tight black skirt.

I glance around and notice that all the staff members are dressed in the same uniform, except the men are wearing black pants.

I appreciate the consistency they maintain here, and I can already see myself visiting this restaurant quite often. Maybe it’ll become a special spot for Ansel and me.

However, my plans falter as I notice the way the brunette waitress is ogling Ansel. Her eyes are devouring him like a starved woman, her plump lips caught between her teeth.

For the first time today, Ansel seems to notice the blatant attention, and he quickly shifts his gaze to me.

“What would you like, Rain?”

“Um, whatever you’re having. Suggest something.”

“The grilled fish burgers here are great. You should try them.”

I smile. “Fish burgers it is.”

He returns the smile, turning back to the waitress. “Can we have two fish burgers with fries, please?”

“Sure.” She finally tears her gaze from him, her face a mask of lust as she scribbles on her notepad.

I shift uncomfortably, hoping I can get through this order without having to confront her.

I understand that it’s her job to provide good customer service, but her entire demeanor is flirtatious, the way she was openly biting her lip at every word Ansel spoke.

“What would you like to drink, Rain?”

“Uh, do they have Coke?”

“Yeah, I think they do. Can we have two Cokes?”

“What size? Small, large, or medium?”

As she says this, she boldly locks eyes with Ansel, and I instantly realize that we’re not just talking about drink sizes here. A wave of irritation washes over me.

Ansel catches on to her hidden implication, and he looks visibly uncomfortable as he turns his gaze from her. “What size do you want, Rain?”

“Small’s fine.” My voice is barely a whisper as the waitress scribbles on her notepad again.

~If she doesn’t leave now…~

“Okay, your order will be up soon. Thanks for choosing the Fish Cottage.” She smiles. “Uh, I know this may sound unprofessional, but I really like your shirt.”

I tilt my head to the side as Ansel leans towards her. “Sorry?”

“Your shirt. It’s nice.”

He glances down at his clothes, then offers a small, awkward smile. “Thanks.”

“I’m sorry, but do you mind if I ask where you got it?”

~What is her deal?~

Ansel rubs an eyelid, a sign of slight annoyance. “I can’t remember. It’s been a while. I think my older brother got it for me.”

He nods and looks away, but the woman isn’t done pushing her luck.

“Oh, he has good taste. It’s a great shirt. It really brings out your eyes. I mean, wow, they’re really beautiful. What color are they?’

“You mean my shirt?”

“No, your eyes.”

“Blue.”

“Oh, they kind of have a shade of green mixed with this sea-blue type of—”

“Uh, excuse me, we’re kind of hungry.” I clasp my hands, trying to be as polite as possible, but inside I’ve already imagined killing her nine times, and I’m sharpening my ax for the tenth.

“So if you could get our orders and stop the unnecessary chatter, that would be great. Thanks.”

She blinks at me, and I rest my chin on my knuckles, mirroring her expectantly. She forces a fake smile, nodding her head. “My apologies. I’ll get to work now, ma’am.”

“Thank you.”

She sways away, her hips moving in an exaggerated fashion. I can’t help but cringe a little as she disappears from sight. Ansel’s soft chuckle pulls me back.

He’s grinning at me from across the table, his teeth nibbling at his lower lip. Under the warm glow of the lights, he looks incredibly handsome. I can see why women fall over themselves for him.

I fold my arms. “What?”

He just shakes his head. “Nothing. I just think you’re cute, that’s all.”

My cheeks heat up, and I look away, a small frown on my face. Suddenly, he leans over and kisses me.

My eyes widen in surprise as he gently molds our lips together, stirring up a flurry of butterflies in my stomach.

He keeps it sweet and short, pulling away to sit back in his chair, a playful smirk on his face.

I just stare at him, speechless, and he chuckles. “I think they’ll get the message now.”

I glance around, and sure enough, a few girls are scowling and looking away. I suddenly understand why he did that, and I can’t help but smile.

RILEY

~“Stay away from me.”~

~“Will you stop acting like I’m a criminal? I just wanted to help you pick up the pieces.”~

~“You don’t need to help me with anything. Just stay the hell away from me.~

~“If you don’t move away from me, I’ll stab you…”~

The words Rainey exchanged with her mother’s boyfriend this morning are still echoing in my mind.

There was something off about the way he was standing so close to her.

And even though Rainey might have seemed unfazed to him, I know my best friend well enough to know when she’s scared.

Jeff was making a move on her, but the real question is: how often does this happen?

When I’m not there, who’s there to intervene? I know her mom doesn’t care about her, and that thought breaks my heart.

A sudden kiss on my cheek pulls me out of my thoughts. Alex wraps his arms around me from behind, his familiar scent surrounding me as he holds me tight.

I giggle and tilt my head back as he kisses me. I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t notice him coming out of the restroom.

“Done taking a dump?” I tease, and he laughs, spinning me around to face him.

He takes my hands in his, playfully clapping them together. “Yes. I’m starving. What do you want to eat?”

I shrug, twisting my lips. I don’t really feel like eating, mostly because I can’t stop thinking about Rainey and that creep.

Alex narrows his eyes, then puts his hands on his hips. “Okay, what’s going on?”

I shift uncomfortably. “What do you mean?”

“When I came out of the bathroom, you seemed really distracted. I stood behind you for a good ten seconds, just watching you.”

I pretend to be shocked. “You stalker.”

“You have a slight bowleg from behind, by the way, and a really nice ass. But seriously, what’s bothering you?”

I sigh, nodding. “Yeah… I guess.”

“Come here.” He takes my hand and leads us to one of the outdoor tables at the Food Stop. I sit down, and he sits next to me, our hands still linked.

“Talk to me.”

I let out a heavy sigh, staring at my lap. I don’t know where to start, but I open my mouth and let my instincts guide me.

“Okay, I woke up this morning, right?”

Alex nods.

“But Rainey wasn’t next to me. I figured she was downstairs, so I went down, and I could hear her talking to her mom’s boyfriend in the kitchen.”

“Jeff?”

“Yeah, Jeff. She was telling him to stay away from her, and she sounded really scared.

“When I got to the doorway, he was standing way too close to her. His hands were on her waist, and he was pressing himself against her.”

Alex’s eyes narrow. “What the fuck?”

“Yeah, it didn’t look right at all, Alex.

“To him, she might have seemed tough, right? But I know Rainey, and she looked scared. Her hands were shaking, and she was gripping the counter so hard her knuckles were white.

“Alex, I don’t think this is the first time he’s done this to her. Something about it didn’t seem new. The look in Rainey’s eyes was like she was reliving some kind of nightmare.”

“That fucking—” Alex runs his hand through his hair, his eyes flashing with anger. “Have you told Ansel?”

“Not yet. I plan to tell him today. I’m scared that he…did something to her, you know?”

I turn to face him. “What if he abused her or something? I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself, Alex. Because I should have seen the signs. He’s always staring at Rain.

“And remember the night you dropped us home from that party? She got into a fight with her mom after she told Jeff to keep his eyes to himself. I was upstairs, and I heard everything.”

“I always felt like something was off about him. He’s way too possessive. Ansel said it too.” Alex looks off into the distance, his lips pressed together in thought.

He turns to me, squinting. “Do you know where he works?”

I look at him, confused. “He doesn’t work.”

“Does he ever leave the house?”

“I’m not sure.” I watch as a look of pure determination crosses Alex’s face, and I suddenly have a feeling that things are not going to end well for Jeff.

“Okay, don’t worry about him. We’ll take care of it, okay?”

“How exactly are you going to handle him?” I ask, tilting my head to the side. I catch a glimpse of mischief in his eyes before he grins and wraps an arm around me playfully.

“You don’t need to worry about that, sexy legs.” He plants a kiss on my head, and I frown up at him.

“Hold on, I’m the one who gave you the information. I think I have a right to know what’s going on.”

Alex bursts into laughter. “No way. I’m not dragging my girl into the middle of a fight, ever.”

~“Girl.” I’m going to have to think about that one tonight.~

I scowl at him, and he bites his lip, leaning in to kiss me. I turn my head away. “No intel, no kiss.”

“You can’t keep your kisses from me, sweetheart,” he chuckles. “I’ll take them whenever I want.”

I gasp, spinning around to face him. “You can’t just—”

His lips meet mine in a quick, unexpected kiss. My eyes fly open as he pulls back, a smirk playing on his lips.

I blink at him, and he just shrugs. “Told you. I take them when I want.”

My cheeks flush, and I try to play it cool, rolling my eyes and shifting uncomfortably. He laughs and pulls me closer, his arm around me.

“Don’t worry. Nobody messes with you girls and gets away with it, okay?”

I nod as he leans down to kiss my forehead.

“Nobody.”