Dahlia Alridge
Our movie night was less of a night and more of an afternoon. King hadn’t been wrong, and the storm had progressed fairly quickly, leaving me in Dermot’s family room once again, squeezed between King and his cousin. Yates, who had joined us around an hour later, was sitting in a nearby armchair, offering me narrowed yet heated gazes. I continued to pretend to ignore him… until I couldn’t anymore. As in, I went into the kitchen to get a water bottle and found myself pinned against the counter by Yates, his length hard and pressed against my ass.
“What are you doing?” I mused, tilting my head back as he wrapped a hand around my throat and examined my expression.
“Just needed to touch you again,” he muttered as if disappointed in himself. I’d been about to tease him, but when a crack of thunder sounded, I had not only screamed and jumped, but also hit him right in the jaw with my head. I felt so bad, and he sulked like a puppy until I managed to wiggle myself into his lap while we finished the movie, my fingers brushing over his jaw soothingly.
I think he had felt moderately better, considering he literally fell asleep against my chest, making me wonder how long he’d been up the night before.
After a few hours, my phone rang, signaling that my mom wanted me home for dinner. The boys had complained, but I reminded them that our parents would be gone for around two weeks. Something that had made them way too happy. I made my way back to the house to find absolute packing chaos.
I realized fairly quickly that my mom had just wanted company while she packed, so I sat comfortably on their massive California King bed while she flitted between the closet and the suitcase. My dad came home a bit later, and after a light dinner, we had a little game night that had me appreciating and already missing them.
When they decided to turn in for the night, I’d made my way back to my room and realized that I had no idea what to do with the rest of my evening. I mean, I had to assume the boys were spending time with their parents, so that left me way too much alone time. I scrolled through my phone, feeling relieved that I didn’t have any more messages.
It also made me worried… the silence was unusual, to say the least.
Plus, I had bigger questions on the top of my mind. What did all of this mean for our future? I mean, they weren’t sneaking around one another about their feelings. It made me almost a bit nervous, because this wasn’t a normal relationship. We couldn’t break up… the only option besides not being together was staying together, for what? Forever? I swallowed, feeling like this was getting more and more serious as the minutes passed. Shaking myself, I opened my balcony and stepped out on the stone surface, my gaze tracking a familiar head of dark hair.
He was wearing basketball shorts and a hoodie, his hair damp from the rain that was slowing down to a drizzle. It was past sunset, and the dark blue hue to the skies cast a shadowed light on him as he walked towards his motorcycle.
“Stratton!” I called out. His gaze snapped up, both warm and with measured sadness. Yeah, I needed to fix this as soon as possible.
“Angel face,” he said, pausing and tucking his hands into his hoodie, his lips pressing into an unbelievable smile.
“Where are you going?” I asked curiously.
“Out to the quarry,” he responded easily. “I’ve got a fight tonight.”
Bingo.
“Good luck,” I commented softly. He flashed me an authentic smile before tugging up his hood and going to his motorcycle. I watched as he pulled out of the driveway and instantly turned back into my room, closing the balcony doors and going to my dresser. I pulled on a large, oversized hoodie that would no doubt make me feel overheated, but I’d rather be hot than seen.
I pulled my hair back into a loose braid and tucked my phone and wallet into my backpack as I slipped on dark tennis shoes with my leggings. I smiled eagerly, feeling a little bit like a spy.
It was exciting, even if that was corny as hell.
Sneaking out was easy enough, but I wasn’t worried about my parents—I knew they would assume I was going to hang with the boys. I closed the garage door and quietly pulled out of the driveway, hoping like heck that none of the boys were watching. I mean, it wasn’t exactly a secret that I was going to the fight… but I knew they wouldn’t be pleased.
They would demand that they come with, and I knew I needed to do this alone. Breathing out a sigh of relief as I pulled through the gates of Wildberry Lane without being intercepted, I began driving towards the quarry he mentioned, no doubt by accident. I had assumed that was where the fight was—I had done enough research to figure out where he was disappearing to—but it was nice to have confirmation so that there was no confusion. I didn’t want to be driving around like an idiot.
I mean, I had no doubt in my mind that this was an idiotic idea. But it was also my best chance to prove to Stratton that I would go out of my way to support him.
The drive felt like it took forever, my fingers tapping the wheel nervously as Imayhave pushed the speed limit a bit, really wanting to get there. I finally saw my turn, and my car jolted slightly over the gravel path as I began to see vehicles parked on the grass outside of the quarry. My eyes widened at the large amount of people and the drinking and partying that I could already see going on, in just the parking lot.
Tailgating at a fight? Alright, I guess that made sense.
I parked away from everyone and in a dark enough corner that my car wouldn’t stand out, then slipped from my car and pulled my hood up. I let out a small surprised gasp as I began to move through crowds of people towards the quarry. My eyes widened at a couple that was… well, they were fucking on top of their car as some others watched, most people ignoring them. The grunts coming from their rather athletic movements had my skin breaking out in chills, both because, I mean, they were having sex in plain sight, which was surprising, but also because it left a charged sensation in the air. I was glad, suddenly, that I had worn such a shapeless outfit.
I had no urge to get involved in any of this. I was here for one reason.Stratton.
I had no idea how this was going to go, and I worried it could go the exact opposite of how I hoped. Stratton could end up being really pissed at me. But what other option did I have? I wanted him in my life, even if only as a friend, so this was the way I would prove it. I would take the ‘dark’ and ‘dirty’ side of this life, even if it was more dangerous. I knew he believed that actions spoke louder than words, so I was hoping he understood this message really clearly.
Because if I came again, I wassobringing some of the guys. I was out of my element here.
I knew I was nearing the ring when the rock music began blasting from a speaker and the scent of cigarette smoke and pot filled the space around me. I tried to keep my expression neutral as I ignored the energy around me, both aggressive and angry in nature. I am sure it was justified in their mind, but it was very off-putting. I pushed forward to where the land dipped as cheering started, finding myself at the front of a ring, my eyes widening at the people around me betting and screaming loudly. I put my hands over my ears as I squinted through the construction lights that flooded the space, making every speck of dry blood on the mat visible.
It was a bit difficult to focus on any of that, though… no, I was completely focused on Stratton Lee. Holy hell.