Nodding my head, I could only muster a yes. “I do love him.”
My heart swelled as Allan spoke to me. I needed to hear those words if not for closure from my past, but to reassure me that I had indeed changed like I had planned to.
“Thank you, Allan,” I said, as I fought back tears.
“I will leave tonight. I just ask that you find me one day and let me know that you achieved your dreams. I really do just want to see you happy. Your secret is safe with me,” Allan said, as he reached out his hand to shake mine.
With everything we had been through and the simple fact that he was going to keep my secret to only himself made me leap from my seat and throw my arms around his neck. I pulled Allan close and gave him a warm hug of friendship and solidarity.
As Allan wrapped his arms around me, my senses were flooded with his familiar scent. Only, it didn’t make me sad or angry. I just felt relieved. Well, that was until I saw Chase’s face across the room.
The look of pure dread and wild anger that flashed across his face made me drop my arms from Allan and take a swift step back away from him. Something about the way Chase was looking at me terrified me. He was going to hurt someone and both Allan and I were in his path of destruction.
Before I knew what was happening, I was flung to the ground as a loud thud sounded above me. Screams rang out as glasses crashed to the floor around me sending tiny shards of glass into my frail arms.
“Stop!” I heard Avery scream from somewhere near me.
I tried to look around but all I saw were flashes of red as Chase’s fist continued to punch Allan’s bloody face. The sound of his fist hitting flesh made my stomach churn and I felt like I would vomit at any moment. Finally finding a way to stand, I grabbed Chase by his thick arm. I was able to catch his attention before his fist made contact again with Allan’s face.
Chase turned and his fiery eyes looked at me like he didn’t recognize who I was. His glare was like that of a wild animal and I feared that I might have lost Chase forever. I didn’t know what had angered him to the point of hurting Allan, but I had to stop him now.
“Chase, stop this. You are not this person,” I cried out, as I internally prayed for Chase to see me.
He stared at me for what felt like an eternity before the fire in his eyes turned to fog and he dropped his arm next to his leg. I saw the blood that was now staining his shirt and as Chase slowly stood, I heard Allan’s moans of pure agony as he struggled to stay conscious.
“Why would you hug him? You ran away from him and the life that included him,” Chase yelled at me with his hands still at his side. His words thundered around us and I swear I felt the ground shake below us. “I love you, Lizzie. You are mine. You can’t just let some guy from your past come here and put the moves on you,” he sneered as he glared at Allan’s lifeless body below us.
As I still knelt beside Allan, I looked up at a man who I loved more than anything but wanted to be as far away from as possible. I was being torn internally and I wasn’t sure if I could control myself to speak to him.
“What the hell did you do, Chase?” Jim’s angry voice bellowed from across the bar.
People were staring in wonder at the fight and the destruction caused. Jim rushed to us and looked down at Allan before turning on Chase. “What the hell did I tell you? This is not going to end well,” Jim said, as he looked from Allan to Chase. “Get him out of here,” Jim called to Jax.
With his head down, Chase only nodded. I could see that his fists were busted and he was hurt too, but nowhere near as bad as Allan. “Someone call 911,” a bartender called as Jax began to drag Chase away from the crime scene.
“I will deal with you later,” Jim yelled, as he pointed at Chase who was almost gone from my sight.
“Come on man, we need to get you to the hospital. I think you broke your hand,” Jax said, as he pushed Chase’s large body out of the bar.
Chase’s head stayed turned in my direction until they were both completely out of sight. He didn’t say anything to me before he left and I was glad for it. I wasn’t sure what I would say to him or if I had anything to say to him at all.
As Jim and the paramedics treated Allan, Avery pulled me close and held me tightly as we both cried.
“Lizzie, you need to go to the hospital, too,” Avery said, as she examined the cuts on my arms.
I wanted to argue, but I didn’t have the strength to do so. “Ok,” I whimpered, as she helped me through the lobby. Ronnie drove us to the hospital and we all three were silent the whole ride.
When we arrived at the hospital, I made sure Chase and Allan had already been taken back to their examining rooms before I would even walk through the door. When it was finally my turn to be seen, I went to the room alone. Ronnie and Avery waited for me in the waiting room. I was sure they wanted to yell at Chase, but I didn’t care.
After the doctors and nurses pulled shrouds of glass out of my arms, they gave me seven stitches. The pain wasn’t even comparable to the pain I was feeling in my heart. I was forced to wait while the nurses got the paperwork ready for me. When I refused to give them any form of identification, the hospital staff informed me that I would have to be billed and it would be a hefty bill, too.
“Lizzie,” can I come in?” a voice softly asked from the hall.
Turning my head, I saw Chase standing in the doorway.
With tears spilling down my cheeks, I turned my head away from him.
“Go away, Chase,” I cried, as I closed my eyes.