They might be right.
“She’s not my girlfriend,” I grumble.
He snorts out a laugh. “Do you hug all your fuck toys, then?”
My fuck toy.
He thinks she’s my fuck toy.
If anyone’s a toy, it’s me.
The girl’s got me wrapped around her fucking pinky at this point. I may not be ready to show her off to my friends, but what she doesn’t understand is I’ve never met anyone I wanted to introduce to them. She might’ve given me her firsts, but she’s a first for me, too.
“She was there when his dog died. They caught the guy, and she was happy. End of story.” Xavier drums up an explanation that’s sure to get Axel off my back. Part of me wants to thank him while the other wants to break his nose for fighting my battles.
“Right, your dog.” Axel clamps his mouth shut. “Sorry, man.”
I don’t reply. Axel rises off his chair the next second, and it’s like a billion sirens just went off in my head.
“Where are you going?” I nearly blurt.
He glances at me over his shoulder. “To talk to her.”
“Why?” I don’t miss a beat. I can feel everybody’s eyes on me, but I don’t give a damn.
He smirks. “Use your imagination.”
He turns to walk away.
“Sit the fuck down, Fletcher,” I stop him again.
“Dude, either she’s your girl or she’s not. Make up your fucking mind.”
And he’s right.
I have no business keeping guys from talking to her. No business trying to mark my territory if at the end of the day, I’m not the one taking her home.
“So, what’s it going to be?” Axel cocks an eyebrow, and I get the sense that he’s challenging me or some shit.
But I say nothing.
He flashes a satisfied grin. “That’s what I thought.”
Then he’s making his way over to her table.
I wish the guys would start talking about something. Anything as long as it distracts me, but they keep their mouths shut, watching Axel shoot the shot I couldn’t.
I grab the plastic knife on my right, pretending to cut through my food, but it’s no use. My eyes are back on her in a heartbeat.
Axel stops by her table, planting his palms on the edge and telling Dia something I can’t hear. Judging by the look of disgust on her face, she’s not into it.
Or him.
Until her eyes light up in realization, and she finds me in the crowd. She catches me staring, and just like that… she learns the rules to a game I didn’t even know we were playing.
She goes from unresponsive to Axel’s flirting to involved in the conversation in an instant, batting her eyelashes at him as he spews to her what I’m sure is a bunch of crap.
In that moment, I want nothing more than to rise off my seat, march over there, and drag her into a bathroom stall to remind her who she belongs to.