Page 107 of Mine

As I shrugged, the bartender vouched for me, as did three women crowded around the bar, Robbie’s friend Dan, and some other guy I didn’t know. They had all seen it; Kent had thrown the first punch, attacking me without provocation. When the manager and the bouncer showed up, they told Robbie that Kent would have to leave the club. Attacking me would not be tolerated. They asked if I wanted them to call the cops. I said that getting him out was good enough. They seemed very relieved.

Kent was surly when they got him to his feet, and he shouted at me as he was escorted from the club. I waved just to be a dick. He lunged like he was coming after me, but the bouncers were big. There was no way he was getting anywhere near me.

Landry put an arm around my abdomen, breathed against my ear. “What’d you do?”

“Me?” I was the picture of innocence.

“Trev.”

“I dunno what you mean.”

He chuckled low and kissed the side of my neck. “It was over; why would you bait him?”

“I didn’t.”

“Of course you did. Why?”

I took a quick breath so I wouldn’t yell. “He shouldn’t have said a fuckin’ word about you.”

“You’re very protective.”

“You’re mine.”

“And I love that, I do, but you cannot go around defending my honor.”

“The fuck I can’t.”

Robbie, who had followed Kent and the bouncers outside, reappeared, grabbed my arm, and walked me over to the couches. He shoved me down on one of them and waited.

I sat there and looked up at him as Landry took a seat beside me. “What?”

“You’re going to have a bruise on your face.”

“Probably.”

“Christ,” he grumbled, shaking his head. He was staring at me like he had something to say, stalling for whatever reason.

“I’m gonna go get some ice,” Landry said, quickly so I had no time to argue with him before he was gone.

Robbie watched him leave, and then his eyes were instantly back on me. “You’re so stupid,” he snapped at me, his voice changing to a sharp whisper as he gestured after Landry. “He’s pretty, Trev, I’ll give you that, but to move him in like I heard you did, what the fuck, man?” His face said even more than his words about how distasteful he found the whole idea.

“He belongs to me,” I told him.

“Are you fuckin’ kidding?”

“Do I look like I’m kidding?”

“Oh for fuck’s sake,” he groaned loudly. “The man is a piece of fluff; there’s no substance there at all. And for you to waste your time and energy on him is just so fuckin’ ridiculous I don’t—God! You’re such an idiot!”

“Are you done?”

“He’s not good enough for you,” he half shouted at me. “You deserve someone better!”

“There’s no one better, and if you’re my friend then you accept him just like everybody else has.” I smiled at him. “C’mon, man, my mom’s crazy about him, you will be too.”

“I can’t,” he said seriously. “I can’t watch you throw your life away on trash.”

“Okay,” I told him flatly, because I knew right then, at that moment, that we had ceased being friends, because he obviously didn’t know me at all.