I rubbed my hands across a coffee stain on the table and stared down at the video.
Raised voices came from a booth in the back of the restaurant and we turned to stare.
A blond girl stood up from the booth, her shoulders stiff, hands clenched at her side.
Elizabeth.
What the hell? I squinted, taking in her companions.
Dax’s eyes followed mine and then came back to me as I rose up from the table.
“You’re going over there?” he asked. “Why?”
“Because she looks like she needs help—and I happen to like her.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “You just met her.”
I ignored that.
He shrugged. “Fine, I’m not missing this.” He made as if to stand, but I pushed him back down.
“You stay here. If we both show up, it looks pushy. Give her some space. Plus, she’s probably still angry with you.”
He held his hands up. “Alright, I can take a hint when I’m not wanted. I’ll chill and watch from across the room.”
“Who is she?” Max asked.
“A girl we met at one of the frat parties,” Dax answered, his eyes scrutinizing me oddly, as if he were trying to suss me out. “Declan seems to have a crush on her.”
“Fuck you.”
He chuckled. “I don’t blame you. I do too.”
Max grunted. “Huh. Well, anyone’s better than Nadia. I never liked that girl. All she wanted was to ride your coattails.”
Dax’s eyes shifted over to Elizabeth. “You better hurry if you want to talk to her. She’s about to bolt.”
I ate up the distance between our tables. She turned, her face planting itself in my chest, her body flush against mine.
Heat ran through me, my groin tightening at the contact. Since the night in my flat, she’d weighed on my mind. Mostly with visions of me pounding into her. Against my wall. On the kitchen table. On the floor.
“Whoa,” I said, taking her shoulders to steady her. “You okay?”
She peered up at me, and my fingers itched to smooth out the worry lines I saw on her face. “Declan? What are you doing here?”
“Just having breakfast. Small world, huh?” I smiled down, resisting the urge to question her about the shadows in her blue eyes. She nodded, still visibly upset, as I stared over her shoulder at the table she’d left behind. A woman who resembled Elizabeth gaped at us while the man’s eyes narrowed in on me.
I glanced back down at her and spoke softly. “Do I need to kick anyone’s arse?”
“No,” she said, a look of desperation flickering across her face. “Just get me out of here before I say something I’ll regret.”
I didn’t even pause. Whatever she needed right at that moment, I wanted to give it to her. I took her hand and led her through the maze of the restaurant, sending a wave to Dax and Max as we passed their table.
Elizabeth didn’t even see them there.
We went out the doors, and she came to a halt in the carpark as she looked around in a daze. Her shoulders hunched in on themselves and she let out a frustrated sound, her hands digging through her purse. “God, I’m so frazzled I don’t even remember where I parked.”
I wanted to march back into that diner and find out exactly what had happened.
“What’s going on? Who were those people?” The lady had to be her mum, but I wasn’t so sure about the man.
She inhaled at my question and turned away from me, as if she didn’t want to face me. “I appreciate you coming over to help, but I—I don’t want to talk about it.”
“You’re hurting, Elizabeth. Sometimes, it helps to talk.” Shit, I didn’t know what else to say. I felt like a blundering wanker. But I wanted to make her feel better.
“You want me to talk? I’ll talk. I’ll tell you that my whole life is ruined and some days it’s all I can do to remember the girl I used to be. I’ve never had much, but two years ago I lost everything. My innocence, my creativity, then my Granny, everything.” Her voice trembled, rippling with pain. “And you’d think she’d understand, but no, I’m always the one reaching out and begging her—my mother—to just see me . She wanted to abort me. She doesn’t think I know that, but I overheard her telling Granny once.” She covered her face. “God, I shouldn’t be telling you this stuff. It doesn’t even make sense to you.”
I picked up her hand and took the keys she’d clasped in her fist. “Come on. I’ll drive you home. You shouldn’t be alone.”
She sniffed, and I braced myself for tears that never came, and frankly, I wasn’t surprised. She might be vulnerable, but I sensed the steel underneath.
She sighed and gave me a curious look. “What about your car?”
“I came with Dax. He can drive by himself.” I would send him a text before we left.
I waited anxiously while she decided.
She sighed and sent me a wry half-smile. “Thank you. I’m glad you were here today. You always seem to be right where I need you.”
I nodded and scanned the carpark until I found her white Camry. We walked over to it, and I opened the passenger door for her. Her blue eyes roved over my face as I buckled her in, our arms brushing. Sparks.
This girl. Her . What was it about her that had me twisted up in knots?
Since the moment she’d walked in that party, I hadn’t been able to get her off my mind.