Free You Should Smile by Renee Lee Page B

that and listening to Pete any more, it was actually the lesser of two evils.  I walked by and noticed he was looking down, trying to ignore me.  Fine.  I did the same. How fucking childish we were.
    I came out of the restroom and began to walk briskly past his table when I saw that his friend had left.  He sat alone.  As I passed, I heard his voice, laced with venom.  “Having fun with your old friend ?”  The anger, the jealousy, was unmistakable.  It hit me with dramatic force, triggering my own madness.
    I turned around abruptly to face him.  “Excuse me?”
    He looked up to meet my eyes.  His were raging, steely blue waves.  “You heard me.  Are you having a good time with your old friend there?”
    I hissed back, “First of all, he called me to give me some of my stuff.  This isn’t a fucking date.  Second, I’m getting the hell out of here as soon as I can.  Third, how in the world is any of this your fucking business?”
    Thad was about to respond when he looked behind me.  I heard Pete’s voice.
    “You wanna get the hell out of here?  Go on…..You know what?  Fuck you, Shay.”
    Thad jumped up, looming over the table.  “Watch it, asshole.”
    Pete laughed.  “Gonna defend her honor?  Have at it.”  He turned toward me.  “In fact, why don’t you just ride home with this guy instead?  Sounds like you two have a lot to talk about.” 
    I turned to face Pete, who was no longer “decent” in my eyes.  “Just keep that stuff, Pete.  I don’t want it anyway.” 
    His hollow laugh echoed through the empty bar area.  “No problem, bitch.”
    Thad rushed forward and I put my hands to his chest to try to stop him.  He was about to push me aside before realizing what he was doing.
    I pleaded, “Please don’t, Thad.  Just let him go.  Please.” 
    Pete took that chance to cowardly stomp off.  My hands were still pressed up against Thad’s muscular chest and we both looked down.  I slowly removed contact, afraid if I pulled away too quickly, the sparks would ignite.
    His eyes, still full of anger, held mine for a brief second before he looked away.  He stepped backwards, almost wobbling, and reached over to seize his coat off the chair with one hand.  His other hand, balled tightly into a fist against the small of my back, nudged me toward the door. 
    “I’ll just get a cab,” I whispered.
    He growled, “Don’t even fucking say it.  Let’s go.”  He pressed against the small of my back again and this time, I acquiesced.
    We rode the entire way to my apartment in complete silence.  I glanced over at him once and, through the black darkness of the night, I could see the outline of his tense jaw, chiseled with fury.  He looked sexy as hell, but for once, my own anger drowned out Ms. L.’s screams.  I was madder than she was, apparently.
    As he turned into the empty dark parking lot behind my apartment house, I couldn’t hold it in any longer.  It was just too much.  It’d been bubbling to the surface for months.  The tension.  The mixed signals.  The frustration.  I mean, how dare he!  How dare he do any of that shit back there with Pete!  How dare he act like he has a right to be the one who’s mad!
    “That shit you just pulled, that’s not fucking fair!” I screamed at him when he pulled into a parking spot.
    His eyes met mine, just as angry.  “Which part isn’t fair?  The part where I stepped in to defend your honor or the part where I took you home safely?”
    “The part where you act like you care or even have a right to do any of that!”  I yelled back, practically spitting out the words.
    “Well, excuse me for giving a shit as to how you’re treated and your personal safety,” he roared back sarcastically.
    I couldn’t think of anything else to say, other than the “go to” phrase for all things pissed off:  “Fuck you!”  I couldn’t stop more words from pouring out.  “Fuck you for making me so hot I can’t breathe