Maggie’s entire body is jostled forward, and I clench my fists at my sides. No one should touch him like that.No one.
His older brother does the same, and I crack my neck, envisioning myself choking them.
“Been a while, Mag,” his brother says and then looks up at me. As if he could fuckingmissme. I’m at least five inches taller than him.
“Who’s this?” his older brother asks.
“Sem. He’s a…friend,” Maggie says and bites down on his bottom lip, worrying it. I want to pull him into my side but resist. Because he’s not out to his family. They’ve made him ashamed of who he is.
Assholes.
“Ah, nice to meet you, man,” his brother says, “I’m Max, Magnus’ older brother.”
I don’t even think about it. Just crush his hand in mine. His fingers pop, and I smirk a little when he fights off a wince and tugs his hand out of my grip.
Take a good look, buddy. I’ll crush anyone who fucks with what’s mine.
“He’s told me a little about you,” I say through gritted teeth and then eye his dad, who’s watching me curiously. I let him look.
Yeah, asshole, I’m fucking your son. Sticking my big cock in that tiny hole. Come at me.
“Hopefully, all good,” his dad says, looking at Maggie and then back up at me.
“Not really,” I grind out, and his dad frowns and opens his mouth to say something else but is interrupted by the hostess who leads us to our booth.
His dad and brother slide in on one side, and Maggie and I slide in on the other. I make sure to sit really close just to irritate the two asswipes facing us. My thigh bumps Maggie’s, and I place my arm on the back of the booth, cocooning him against me.
The waitress brings us water, and Maggie nervously gulps some of it down. His eyes flick from his dad to his brother to the table. He’s just waiting for it. For the comments. For them to open their ugly mouths and tear him down.
“You doing that again?” his dad asks, gesturing to his hands at the nails I made him paint earlier. “Thought we talked about this, son. You can’t be painting your nails…or wearing those clothes. People talk. They’ll think you’re gay.”
I snort, and Maggie nudges me with his knee.
“Yeah,” Maggie says softly, and I hate how insecure he sounds. Usually, he’s spouting his mouth off, but he’s cowering right now, and I despise it.
His dad leans forward, pretending to be concerned. “Remember how it was in high school? I just don’t want to see you hurt….”
“It wasn’t just the kids who bullied me, dad. It was you. And you too, Max. Same with Matt and Mitch,” Maggie says, his hands trembling as he confronts them.
Makes me unreasonably proud.
“That’s not how it is. You’re being dramatic like usual. We don’t bully you. Don’t be like…” his dad starts, but I interject. Because him just opening his mouth makes me feel like wrenching the table from the floor and squashing him with it.
“You know,” I say. “I work at a scrapyard. Own it, actually.” Maggie shifts next to me and gulps down some more water, his eyes on the wall behind his dad. He doesn’t stop me, so I go full speed ahead. And why shouldn’t I? I’m done with their bullshit. “There are miles of it. Things can get lost out there.” I pause and let the silence fill the space between us. “You know what else I own?” I glance at the two of them before explaining, “I also own machines that crush things. They can grind metal to dust. One minute it’s there, the next it’s gone.”
His brother eyes me warily. His dad still looks clueless. He’s obviously not as smart as Maggie.
I lean forward and run my finger around the edge of my glass. “Imagine what those machines could do to humans?”
Maggie chokes on his water, and I turn to look at him, reaching out and swiping a thumb over his cheek. Tenderly. His eyelids flutter at my touch.
“Are you…are you threatening us?” his dad asks, sounding offended. He has no right when he just offended Maggie.
“I sure am.”
His dad is trembling slightly. “Whoisthis guy, Magnus? Is he your…”?
He can’t even fucking say it. Bigoted asshole.