Spark Me Tenderly: Before Him

I’d been hiding from my abusive husband for 9 whole years when my five childhood sweethearts cornered me in the café I worked in. Kylian. Ozias. Chayton. Evander. Tae. The five boys who hurt me the most. Those who swore to protect me eventually turned me down when I was forced into marriage. They looked the same, but different. Taller heights, more muscles, and stronger jaws. “Still plannin’ to run or something, Spark?” Kylian lifted my chin. I held my breath. My knuckles went white with how hard I was gripping the coffee pot. Are they going to take me back? Will they hand me over to my father and husband? “I won’t go back with you,” I said, tears welling up. “That’s not up to you. You will go back to the Inferno Demons MC with us today,” said Ozias, wiping away my tears with a fierce stroke. "There's no way we would let you leave us again, Dimples," said Tae, biting my shoulder resentfully. "Break your promise to us again, and we will punish you," said Evander, swinging me over his shoulder. "Put me down! What do you want to do?" I hissed. "What do we want to do?" repeated Evander through gritted teeth. "We won't restrain our desire for you anymore. We will chain you in our club, and claim you one by one, maybe together." —————— Blythe's P.O.V. ******************************************************* ~ Flashback, age 13 ~ ******************************************************* "Come on, you promised you'd sit with me while Tae finished our project," Ozias whined as he tried to drag me to the computer lab. "I know, but Evander just asked me if I could meet him in the library really quickly," I said, trying not to laugh at the pout on Ozias' face. "I'll only be a minute." "Oh, please, Evander is going to keep you the whole time," Ozias sulked. "I won't let him," I replied, but he wasn't convinced. "What if I just go with you?" he suggested, shrugging his shoulders. "That would leave Tae all alone, and you know I hate that," I said. "You only hate it because he hacks into your socials every time you give us more attention than him," Ozias teased. "Yeah, and last time, he posted a ton of embarrassing pictures of me," I replied with a laugh. "The double chins... I was so hideous." Ozias laughed as he reached up to cup the side of my face, brushing his thumb across my chin. My laughter died down as he stared at me. Electricity was crackling between us, and I held my breath, unsure of what to do. I don't want to pull away, but I'm also a little bit scared. "Double chins... Hideous," Ozias scoffed softly. "Would it make you feel better to know that I done things to those pictures?" My face flamed as embarrassment coiled in my belly. "W-what?" I stuttered. Ozias, as usual, wasn't phased in the slightest. "It was real, it was raw, it was unfiltered you," he replied. "And nothing gets me going more than you, Sweets. At any angle." He's joking, right? He has to be. We've been friends our whole lives pretty much. Ever since the first day of fourth grade. Ozias had stood up for me when some boys were pushing me around on the playground. I had been at school for a few days and couldn't seem to make any friends. We moved in the middle of the school year and everyone pretty much had their friend groups already. I never seemed to fit in. That day was the first day anyone was nice to me. Ozias and his friends had been on an extended weekend vacation, so it was the first day I had met any of them. Even as kids, they were all very protective of me. That day, Ozias had threatened the boys who were pushing me, and then took me inside to meet his friends. The six of us have been practically inseparable ever since. That being said, this charming attitude that Ozias has isn't new. Ever since we were old enough to know what se.x is, he's made comments similar to this. However, this is the boldest thing he's ever said to me. I blame the fact that they were all raised in a motorcycle club. The Inferno's Demon Riders MC. The demons are great, don't get me wrong. I've spent so much time in the clubhouse that it's like a second home to me. I know that they party and party hard. I also know that they make sure I don't see everything that happens there either. "Did I break you?" Ozais teased me when I just stood there with my mouth open like a mor.on. "Break her? That's my job, isn't it?" I groaned at the sound of that voice. I didn't even get the chance to turn around, or plan an escape before Chayton slung his long arm around my shoulders. Ozias smiled at our friend before they fist bumped. "You'd never break Bly and you know it," Ozais told him, shooting me a wink. "You have no idea how much I want to," Chayton muttered. I looked up at him with a frown. Chayton is just a big bully. He's rude as , but he has a big heart under it all. He's just a big ol' sassy pants. But he's so dang tall and buff, you'd never guess he was kind. You just have to dig for it. "Anyway," Chayton continued without looking at me. "What are you guys doing?" "Well, Peaches here thinks she's going to meet Evander all alone in the library," Ozias told him. "I told her that I should come with." "Oh, definitely," Chayton said, spinning us around in the direction of the library. "Let's all go have a little bit of fun." Ozias was on my other side within seconds. He was so close that his fingers brushed against my hand. I looked at him and he winked at me. My face flushed with heat and I quickly looked away. "So," Ozias said. "Want to come to the clubhouse-" *********************************************** ~ Present, age 25 ~ *********************************************** Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! My alarm clock going off pulled me from my dream. Or my memory, I should say. I groaned as I reached out to slap it, making it stop. I rolled over in my bed and stared at the ceiling, thinking about that dream. It's been years since I've even seen them. Almost ten whole years. Why do I keep dreaming about them? Probably because my time with those five were the only times in my life that I was happy, that I felt safe. Still, I wish it would stop. I hate having to be reminded of everything I lost every time I try to sleep. The good memories hurt just as much as the bad ones now. Although I would rather dream about them then- I shook my head, clearing the thoughts from my mind. I'm not going down that road first thing in the morning. Or ever, if I can help it. Slowly, I dragged myself out of bed and headed for the bathroom. My apartment is tiny, but it's just me. Well, me and Butter, my black cat that I saved about a year ago. Found him outside the diner I work at, licking a stick of butter that didn't quite make it into the dumpster. Hence, the name Butter. He was wounded, scared, and only a kitten when I found him. We've been together ever since, and he is my dearest and only friend. I talk to the girls at the diner, and we're friendly, except Abby, but... After everything I went through with my first set of friends, and everything after... I can't bring myself to trust anyone. Understandably so, but it's lonely. Lonely or not, at least I'm free now. I sighed as I looked at myself in the mirror. I look like I barely slept. I was crying in my sleep again, so my eyes are a bit puffy. I can't believe I was crying over a memory like that. I guess it wasn't that. Not for the 13-year-old Blythe. The one that thought those five hung the stars in the sky. That day was the day that we all found out Ozias was moving. The party he was trying to invite me to at the clubhouse was his family's going-away party. Ozias didn't even know himself until that night. Honestly, Ozias is the only one of them that I don't actually harbor any hard feelings for. Other than his lack of communication when he moved, he never did anything to me. Ozias never bullied me, he was never mean to me, and he always knew how to make me smile. I wonder if the reason he never wrote me a letter, or texted, or even added me on any of my socials was because of the others. Or maybe he just outgrew me and forgot about me. I don't blame him. We were kids and he didn't know. Or maybe he did know and just didn't care. Ozias' family was deep in the MC. His father was part of the club and owned a gym in town. The whole reason they moved was because The Inferno's Demon Riders opened a new chapter. It was right in the heart of whatever state was the biggest MMA scene. Ozias' dad jumped at the opportunity. I remember how the six of us spent that party. We were all sad, devastated really. We tucked ourselves in Kylian's room for the entire night. We reminisced. We promised to never lose contact. We cried and laughed and... And it all turned out to be a lie anyway. It doesn't matter anymore. We were just kids, and I was foolish for thinking that we would remain the way we were forever. My mom picked me up from the clubhouse the next day. It was something she had been doing for the last few years. I never questioned it because I was just happy that she would let me stay the night. After she announced her engagement though, I realized that I had been overlooking a lot. Like the small, lingering glances they made. The way that Tusk would always make sure he was near us in some way. The way that he would already be talking to my mom when I came down the hall. How comfortable she seemed to be there. Tusk was a great guy. He was the club's enforcer, and he was always kind to me. That didn't change when he married my mom either. No, it was other people that changed. Like his son and his son's friends. I thought that living with one of my best friends was going to be the coolest. It was anything but. My whole life changed after that. That's what happens when people around you start scheming. I rolled my eyes at my reflection before jumping into the shower, the water as hot as it could go. I need to stop thinking about them. All of them. The MC, my mom, the guys. They're all in my past. I'm moving forward now. Moving past it all. Past the MC. Past my fake friends. Past my delusional mother. And most importantly... Past my abusive husband and the scars he left me. Blythe's P.O.V. ******************************************************* "Hey, you're here a bit early for your shift," Mary said as I walked around the counter to clock in. "Jason asked me to before I left last night," I told her. "But... you worked a double yesterday... and closed..." Mary said, putting the pieces together. And here it comes. "Bly, you worked until past 1 in the morning, and you're back already?" The way she said it was accusing, like I was the one that asked for this shift. Great, so she knows that it took me forever to close last night because I had to do everything alone. Jason was supposed to help, but spent the whole night shooting the sh.it with the cook who was also supposed to be helping. I'm not even sure how long they ended up staying. Of course, Mary knows all of this already. "I was asked to come in early today. I said yes, Mary," I replied. "It's no big deal." "No big deal?" She asked incredulously. "Bly, it's only seven in the morning right now. You have to close again tonight-" "Mary, please," I cut her off as I turned to face her. "I know you're worried, but I'm fine, okay? I got bills to pay. That's all." Which was a total lie. I need this job. Not because it pays well, or because the diner is just doing so well that I make incredible tips. Because those would both be lies. It's because Jason pays me under the table and doesn't ask questions. Plus, I need a job that I can make cash at every day. Just in case I need to run again. "You're going to burn out though, and then what?" Mary muttered under her breath. I let it go, mostly because we had tables to look after. I know that even if Mary knew that she'd be short-staffed today, she would have told me to stay home and sleep. I doubt that Mary could handle waiting tables, bussing tables, and taking food and drinks out all by herself though. It's hard enough with just the two of us. Thankfully, the morning kept me busy enough that I remained wide awake. I was used to not sleeping much anyway. It also made time fly by and, before we knew it, we were in our less busy time of day. I was busy preparing silverware and marrying the ketchups when Mary stood next to me, leaning on the counter. "I cannot believe that it's already almost eight o'clock," she said. I whipped my head at the clock hanging on the way and then looked at Mary. "You were out at four," I said, frowning. "Where is Abby? She was supposed to take over for you." Mary shrugged as she started helping me. "Guess she called in to say she was going to be late or something," she replied. "Jason asked me to stay until she got here. He said he had to run to go get her because of car trouble." I rolled my eyes. Right. Car trouble. Couldn't possibly have anything to do with the fact that she and Jason are fu.cking on the side. You see, Jason is actually a married man. Not happily, which is understandable because his wife is a mega-cu.nt, but still. Jason's wife, Lora, will come in here at least once a week. She always has something rude to say, she degrades the place and all of us workers, and then she and Jason spend at least two hours fighting in his office. I try to stay out of it, but I often wonder why they're even together still. Regardless of their reasons or anything else, Jason cheats a lot. Abby is not the only one, but she is the only one who works here. And not for lack of trying either. I guess Mary and I just have standards. All the kitchen cooks are men, and I guess Jason doesn't swing that way. However, this means that Abby gets everything she wants and Mary and I have to suffer for it. We're already short-staffed because Jason keeps scaring off the waitresses. Apparently, Mary and I were just built to handle a lot. Still, I have no idea how the man hasn't been sued for se.xual harassment. If only I wasn't so afraid to be found. "Do you think that Abby's boyfriend knows that she has something with her boss?" Mary asked me, genuinely curious. I snorted. I love Mary. If I were a more trusting person, I think we could be really good friends. She's funny and bubbly and tends to be a lot of fun when we work together. She's tried to get me to hang out several times, but... I just can't. "I didn't know Abby had a boyfriend," I replied. "I thought she had multiple, and they all knew about each other." Mary let out a burst of laughter. Luckily, we only had one customer at the moment, who happened to be Silent Jay. He's an elderly, grumpy man who glares at us while he takes two hours to drink his cup of coffee and eats his dinner, and then he leaves. And with barely a tip, I might add. "Gosh, you're too much," Mary teased me, gently pushing my arm as she snorted. I only smiled and kept doing my job. I'm glad I made Mary laugh, but I was actually being serious. I've seen a few different guys come in and claim to be her boyfriend. Maybe because I work more shifts with Abby than Mary does. "Anyway, her boyfriend that I know about is a guy from the motorcycle gang in the next town over," Mary continued. I froze. There's a motorcycle club near here? I've never seen any club members around before. Though, I just work and go to the grocery store, so maybe I just never saw them? The fact that I'm so close to some random MC scares me a little. Just a little though. Despite how shi.tty my supposed friends ended up being, the club was always a safe place for me. Until it wasn't, but that was my sh.itty friends and my even shi.ttier stepsister, Everly. I never blamed the club though. The older guys were like father figures to me. After Tusk became my stepdad, they were like uncles. They were never mean or rude to me and always treated me like family. That was probably just because of my mom though. Nobody actually wanted me around. I figured that out the hard way. Anyway, being close to an MC shouldn't be a big deal. They obviously never come in here, and why would they? As long as they aren't affiliated with The Inferno's Demon Riders, then all should be fine. Even if they were, the only worry I'd really have is word getting back to my father and husband about my whereabouts. Just like last time. Whatever, I doubt that anyone would even recognize me. Right? I mean, I haven't seen the majority of them in nine years. The last time I was there, I only saw Evander. That was still eight years ago. "The guy came in here the other night, and he was fine as girl," Mary continued. I tried to keep up with all her gushing about how such a hot guy could be with an STD-riddled ska.nk like Abby. It was difficult though. My mind kept wandering towards the past, reminding me of the good ol' days. Or were they good? I thought so at the time. Those memories used to be the safe place I'd escape to when things got bad at Silent Divine. Then I came to learn the truth though. The cold, hard, ugly truth. None of them wanted me. Not my mom, not Kylian, not Tae, not Evander, definitely not Chayton. I wonder if Ozias ever even truly liked me. The more I think about it, the more I wonder if they were all told to befriend me and be nice to me. At least at some point they were told that. Probably when my mom started seeing Tusk behind our backs. Tusk wouldn't want to upset his ol' lady. Maybe I was always just a nuisance to everyone. "I told you to stay away from me for a while." "God, you're always in the fu.cking way, Shorty." "What are you doing here, Spark? We told you to stay out of the clubhouse." "Maybe you should take the hint, Dimples. No one wants you here." "Bly, are you listening to me?" Mary asked, pulling me from my spiraling thoughts. I blinked away the wetness filling my eyes and plastered a smile on my face. "Sorry, zoned out a bit," I mumbled. "Understandable," she replied. "You're probably dog-tired." Of life, yes. "Anyway, I was saying that we should go out tomorrow night after work," Mary said. "We close together again. Let's go get a drink after." "I don't know, Mary," I mumbled. "Oh, come on! Please?" She asked, pouting at me. "Just a couple of drinks?" "I'll think about it," I replied. Mary squealed like I had told her yes instead of maybe. Perhaps she took it as a yes, since I always say no, no matter what. I could probably go out for one night. I can handle that. Everything will be fine. No one knows me here. What's the worst that could happen? Blythe's P.O.V. ******************************************************* "It's Friday night, are they seriously going to stay locked in the office all night instead of helping?" Mary asked angrily. Steven, the only cook on for tonight, and I shared a look through the small widow we set food down to stay heated. "You know he love gettin' his di.ck wet, girl, let a playa play," he told Mary. I shook my head at him because I knew what was coming next. "Let a playa play?" Mary asked in a cold tone with her eyes narrowed, plates stacked in her arms. "That playa can play when his business isn't crumbling because he has no workers!" With that, Mary stormed off, flipping her hair as she did so. "Why'd you have to rile her up?" I asked as I started grabbing plates for one of my tables. "She's already angry as it is." Steven laughed. "Come on, that girl is too fun to not rile up," he said before going back to fulfilling the orders. Tonight is one of the busiest Fridays we've had in a while. The diner always gets busy in spurts. Busy enough to keep us employed and the place open, but tonight is different. The place is packed. I wonder if there's some kind of event happening in town tonight that drew in a crowd, but I don't know what that could possibly be. I mean, this is Gering, Nebraska. Nothing ever happens here. That was why I settled in this place. I spent the first two and a half years of my freedom bouncing around from town to town. I was too afraid to stay in one place for more than three months. The longer I did that though, the harder it got. Eventually, three months turned into four, then five, then six. When I came across this little town, I found myself liking it more and more. So, I decided to stay. They'll never find me here. Besides, I'm ready to run at a moment's notice. I have everything covered. ****************************************** The night was passing by in a blur. The diner stayed packed the entire time. Abby was in and out of Jason's office. I'm starting to wonder if the man has a se.x addiction. It would explain a lot. However, I'm growing more and more frustrated. I've had to stop Mary from interrupting them several times. If she does, she might get fired, and I don't know if this job is worth it without her. Still, it's getting old. Does Jason not care about his business at least? I was behind the counter wrapping up utensils and muttering under my breath about how much bullsh.it this was. The diner had cleared out some, but not enough for us to have a break. It's well after 7 o'clock now too. The diner closes at 11 p.m. Only four more hours to go. "Excuse me." I looked up at the polite, deep voice that was trying to get my connection. The first thing I noticed was his megawatt smile and then his bright blue eyes. The guy looked to be around my age and was leaning on the counter. His golden blonde hair was hanging down to his shoulders in a se.xy rugged kind of way. He was extremely attractive, and for a moment, I forgot how my mouth worked. "Uh..." I mumbled lamely. The guy smirked at me. "Sorry to bother you while you're so busy," he said politely. "Came in here and sat in my girl's section, but I ain't seen her. She's here, right? I didn't get her schedule wrong? Her name is Abby." My eyebrows shot up at that. No wonder why Mary was so shocked. Abby isn't an ugly girl by any means, but this man is a god. What is he doing with someone like Abby? As if my brain was working in slow motion, another thought dawned on me. Mary also said he was part of an MC. For the first time, I noticed the cut he was wearing. The Devils MC with their logo on it. Right next to that is a patch that says: Treasurer. "I'm not here to cause trouble," he said quickly, noticing me staring at his cut. I shrugged and looked back down at what I was doing. "Didn't think you were," I replied. "Hmm," he hummed thoughtfully. I was too afraid to look at his face in fear that he might see something in me. Like that, I was familiar with his world. I don't remember anyone ever saying anything about The Devils, but I don't want to get involved with bikers. Or anyone for that matter. "So... my girl?" he asked after a silent moment. Before I could reply, Mary came stomping up next to me. "Are you trying to pay? Most customers let us do the walking," she joked. "Ah, no, haven't ordered yet actually," he replied. "Right, because you're sitting in Abby's section," she grumbled under her breath, but it was apparently loud enough for him to hear. "So she is here!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands out before resting them on the counter. "Where is she? She on break or something?" Mary stared at him like he was some kind of puzzle she was trying to solve. I know that she recognizes him as Abby's boyfriend. I tried to mind my own business, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't love what was happening. Mary is about to blow a gasket, and as much as I hate to see her so worked up, I love it at the same time. "Oh, you want me to take you to her?" Mary asked sweetly. Wait, what? "Mary," I scolded her quietly. Mary met my eyes, but hers were full of defiance. She wasn't going to listen to me. Bad idea or not, when Mary was fed up with something, she was fed up. And tonight, I kind of agreed with her. "He deserves to know anyway," she whispered to me. I looked back at the guy who was still watching us. He clearly heard everything, but that smile was still on his face. He seems so upbeat and... nice. "Why are you even with her?" I blurted before I could stop myself. His eyebrows shot up to his hairline and his eyes hardened. "What's that supposed to mean? 'Cause she's a waitress, and I'm a biker? You think she works too hard for me, or that I'll bring her down or something?" he spat. "Don't be jealous, sweetheart. It's not a good look." Now it was my turn to be surprised. "Jealous!?" Mary practically screamed, more offended than I was. Before he could reply, I busted out in laughter. It started as a sputtering of noises until I was bent over holding my belly. I couldn't help it, and it had been so long since I laughed like that. "It wasn't that fu.cking funny," the guy muttered. "Actually, it was," Mary replied. "Because jealous is the last thing we are of Abby." Just then, the door to Jason's office opened. We heard Abby giggling, followed by hushed tones. Speak of the devil and she shall appear. From this spot, the biker guy has a clear view of whatever is happening. My back is to them, but based off of past experiences, they're probably all over each other still. The way the biker just tensed tells me that's most likely what's happening. His jaw is ticking, and he looks moments away from storming back there. "I can give you his home address if you want," Mary said excitedly. "He has a wife." "Nah, fu.ck that sh.it. That bit.ch ain't worth it," he grumbled. "Okay, but can you make a scene or something?" Mary whined. "This is the highlight of our night." The guy looked at Mary like she was insane as she gave him her best puppy-dog-eyes. He looked between the two of us like we were crazy, but didn't comment if that's what he thought. "Sorry that I made assumptions," he said. "Shouldn't have done that." "It's fine, I get it," I replied, waving him off. "So, anyway," Mary said, drawing the attention back to herself. "For starters, I feel obligated to let you know that you are one fine specimen of a man, and you can do way better than a ska.nk like Abby." The biker ran his hand threw his hair, looking past us. "I liked that she was going to school and working her a.ss off," he mumbled. "Thought she was real, ya know? I mean, how many chicks do you know that are fun to be around and smart? She's going to school to be a children's therapist. She takes care of her grandmother, who raised her. I thought she was sweet and kind." Mary and I blinked at him. He furrowed his brow, clearly confused by our reaction, or lack there of. Well, it was lacking until Mary spun around with more fury in her eyes than I'd ever seen before. "You psychotic bit.ch!" Mary screamed, causing the entire place to go silent. I tried my best not to laugh as I watched Mary storm up to Abby, who finally noticed that her se.xy biker boyfriend was watching. "You're going around pretending to be to snatch up hot biker guys!" Mary continued to scream. "You've crossed the line! I don't care what lies you make up to your freaking harem of men, but leave me out of it! And how is that even fair!? You literally stole my life and landed the hottest guy I have ever seen, and I can't even get a text back! I can't take it anymore!" "Her life?" The biker asked me, leaning on the counter as his eyes roamed over Mary. I smiled because I knew what that look meant. "Yeah," I replied. "Mary is the one going to school and working and taking care of her grandmother. I don't know Abby's situation, but I can tell you that she doesn't work very hard or very often." "But Mary...?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow. "Well," I said with a smile. "Why don't you ask her yourself?" "You think she really thinks I'm the hottest guy she's ever seen?" he asked. I busted out a laugh. "Better schedule that STD screening," I told him. "Fu.ck, I'll get one tomorrow." Blythe's P.O.V. ******************************************************* "I can't believe all of that just happened," Mary said as we walked out of the back door of the diner. She still has that dazed look on her face. I don't blame her. I think we both thought she was about to be fired. I was already forming a speech about how I would quit if Jason really fired Mary. I knew he wouldn't take Abby over the two of us. He can always hire another bimbo willing to spread her legs for him. Jason was going to argue with Mary for a hot minute, until he saw the intimidating biker watching the scene. Abby tried to play the victim, but Biker Guy wasn't having it. He made it very clear that the diner would be on The Devils MC's sh.it list if he fired Mary or kept Abby working there. Abby threw a huge fit when Jason told her to leave. It was actually hilarious. Until Biker Guy had to take Abby outside himself so she'd chill out. Mary wasn't too thrilled about that, but she didn't say anything. Thankfully, the biker came right back in after sending Abby on her way. He said he was staying with his small group of friends and asked Mary to be their server. After they left, she came rushing up to me to tell me that he had asked for her number and apparently wanted to take her on a date. "Do you really think he's going to go get checked tomorrow?" She asked as we walked down the street. It's such a nice fall night out. Not too hot or cold. The sky is clear, and the stars are out. It reminded me of the days that I used to lay on the roof of my home and pick out the constellations with Kylian. He knew every constellation. It was impressive for an 11-year-old. "I hope so," I replied. "Really?" She asked nervously. "You don't think this is... Well, silly?" "Silly?" I asked, scrunching my face up. "Well, I mean, he just caught his girlfriend cheating," she said. "The girl that we hate and know spreads her legs for everyone. Is it crazy that I'd be willing to date him after all that?" I shrugged as we kept walking. "Dunno," I replied honestly. "I don't think it's fair to call it crazy. If it feels right, then go for it. It was a crazy situation, but... clearly the person he thought Abby was... was you." "I mean... it's kind of nerve-racking," she admitted. "Take things slow then," I offered. "Being involved with someone in an MC can get kind of wild too, so you should think about that. About if you can handle it and want in that life. Some of these MCs are nuts. They don't treat women well. Your guy seemed different, but just be careful." Mary was silent for a moment. "You say that like you know from experience," she commented. I only shrugged. "That what you're running from?" she asked. I stopped dead in my tracks. Mary took a couple of steps before stopping and turning to face me. She had her hands in the pockets of her jacket as she watched me with a small smile. "You don't have to tell me anything," she said softly. "I..." I trailed off, unsure of what else to say. "Hey, it's okay. I shouldn't have pried." Mary said, waving me off before coming over to loop her arm through mine. "Let's go get those drinks!" Mary chatted my ear off the whole way to the bar. It was almost a 20-minute walk for us after just working the busy shift of our lives. I was thankful that Mary kept the conversation going though. I was too drained to. By the time we reached the bar, it was pretty packed. There was still room around the bar to sit though. Mary and I took two seats and shrugged our jackets off. I glanced around, taking in the scene. It's a hole-in-the-wall kind of place. My favorite. It reminds me a little of the demon's clubhouse. "So, I can't believe I talked you into coming out," Mary said. "Sorry, I'm a bit of a loner," I replied with a half smile. The bartender slid us our drinks. After a little while, I started to loosen up. Maybe it was the couple of drinks, or maybe I was just letting go. I leaned back in my chair and pulled the hair tie from my hair. My long, thick, black waves cascaded around me, falling down past my waist. Mary gasped as her eyes went wide. "Holy sh.it, I didn't know you had all that hair!" She exclaimed. I shrugged, but Mary wanted to go on and on about it. Honestly, I hated it. That was why I always wore it in a messy bun on the top of my head. I thought about cutting it so many times over the years, but there were two voices arguing in my head about it, stopping me from ever making a decision. "I love your hair. Never cut it. It's so beautiful and long. Promise me you'll never change it." "You'd look better if you cut your hair to your shoulders. You know that's the trend these days. It'll be easier to handle too. I think you'd look hot. Think about it." Mary's loud gasp pulled me from my thoughts. I looked at her to see she was looking down at her phone. She looked up at me with a face-splitting grin. "Look! He already texted me!" She squealed before shoving her phone in my face. "Good for you," I replied. "I hope he turns out to be everything you want." And I truly meant that. ******************************************* "Blythe, I need you to do this!" "Blythe, take out the trash!" "Blythe, we need more coffee made!" "Blythe, I need you to help cook in between tables!" "Blythe, table three needs more coffee!" "Blythe, I need-" "Jason!" I snapped before biting my tongue and trying again. "Jason, I am only one person. I can't do everything." Jason's eyes narrowed at me. "No, but you can bust your a.ss and try," he said. "Considering it was your fault that I had to fire Abby." "My fault?!" I asked incredulously. "Yours and Mary's," he replied, nodding. The audacity! "Maybe if you stopped fu.cking your employees, or trying to, you'd be able to hold onto more of them, and we wouldn't have this problem in the first place!" I hissed at him. "Firing Abby was your own fault. You shouldn't sh.it where you eat to start off with, and blaming two women because you were too afraid to stand up to the big, bad biker makes you look even more like a pansy. Regardless, that girl never worked anyway. Firing her was a blessing in disguise, and unless you want to be running this show all on your own, I suggest you cut me some fu.cking slack. And if you're still hellbent on blaming someone, I just cleaned the mirror in the men's bathroom." With that, I picked up the coffee pot and made my rounds. I've never talked back like that to Jason in the almost two years that I've worked here, but god. I had a headache from drinking last night. I barely got any sleep, and Jason is driving me up a wall! I deserve to snap every now and then. Thankfully, the morning flew by after that. The diner calmed down enough that being on my own wasn't bad. Just before our lunch rush, Mary came in for her shift. I was making more coffee and getting set up when she came to join me. We heard the bell ding, signaling that someone had just walked in. "Oof, they sat at your table, but Shadow is with them," Mary mumbled. "What's with all the bikers lately? Is there a convention?" I smiled at her joke. It's probably more of her boyfriend's friends. I saw the look in his eyes last night. Mary is officially his, and bikers take that sh.it seriously. "I'll take them some coffee," I said as I picked up the half-full pot. I spun around and walked around the counter. I hadn't made it that far when I had finally looked up. I froze mid-step. I recognize a couple of those faces. I recognize those cuts. I recognize that logo; the black demon with blood-red wings surrounded by flames, riding a motorcycle. My heart started beating wildly in my chest. I needed to calm down, and think this through. Okay, I recognize them, but they're nobody I was close to. Just older kids who I had seen in passing. Ones that knew my friends, but didn't really know me. It'll be fine. I'll just have Mary take their table. They won't even notice me. She'll be happy about it. I spun around on my heels just as the bell on the door dinged again. Either I have unfortunate timing, or the universe hates me, because what I came face-to-face with had me trembling with nerves. The urge to run was nearly unbearable, but my feet felt nailed to the floor. We were staring at each other. He sees me. His green eyes are on me. My god, he looks the same, but different. More muscles, stronger jaw, crooked nose. His dark brown hair is still short and styled like he ran his hands through it and called it good. He looks like the last time I saw him, but aged. Aged in the best way. Kylian Clyde MacQuoid. I held my breath. My knuckles went white with how hard I was gripping the coffee pot. I had no idea what to do. It's been so long since I've seen them. Is he here because he was looking for me? Is he going to take me back? Are they working with my father and husband? Just when I thought I was going to pass out... Kylian walked right past me. Like he didn't recognize me. Like he didn't know who I was at all. And that hurt worse than I expected it to. brgbook.com A wonderland for all kinds of book lovers; Embrace a whole new world of gripping stories.