Page 38 of Scars

“Yeah, be out in a second,” I bark.

When a second knock rings out—impatient motherfucker—my patience snaps.

I grip the knob and fling the door open, ready for a fight. Before I lift my gaze, the scent of lavender fills the air. While it should bring calming effects, it makes my heart speed up.

I lift my gaze to find familiar brown eyes staring back at me.

“Are you gonna move? Some of us need to actually use the restroom.” Her sharp tone and rigid posture easily give away her annoyance at our current predicament.Guess I can say she didn’t follow me in here.

I’m at a crossroads here. I could move out of the way, go back to my friends, and ignore her for the rest of the night, or I could say fuck it, pull her into the bathroom with me, lock the door, and claim her as mine.

Would she let me kiss her? Touch her? Would she scream my name loud enough for Tripp to know she will never be his?

“Cooper.” Her stern voice pulls me out of my thoughts.

“What?” I snap.

“Seriously, I need to use the bathroom, so please,” she says through gritted teeth, “move.”

Door number one it is.

“Sorry,” I mumble as I step out into the hallway.

Riley brushes past me, causing her perfume to touch my skin. Not only will I have to see her all evening, but I’ll be able to smell her.Fuck.

When she slams the door behind me, I feel my restraint crack.

The sound of the door lock clicking—another crack.

I can’t do this.

I shove my hands in my pockets to keep from banging on the door till she opens it and head back to the table. But causing a scene in public—yet again—isn’t high on my to-do list. Especially when she’s here with another fucking guy.

On the way back to the table, images of him with his hands on her like they were moments before I left for the bathroom flash in my mind, and that’s the last crack needed to undo me.

I can’t sit here and watch her with him and not do a damn thing. I need to get out of here.

“Well, this has been fun, y’all, but it’s been a long week, and I need to get going.”

“Oh no,” Jessie whines.

“One more round,” Kaden counters.

“You guys stay, and the next round is on me.” I pull my wallet out of my back pocket and throw enough bills to cover not only my tab but the next round.

Everyone at the table cheers, but my eyes turn to Austin, who is trying to read me. I give him a dose of his own medicine that says “don’t get involved.” He just shakes his head and returns to his beer.

With promises of doing this again soon and wishing everyone a good night, I all but run out the door without even a second glance back.

I wish the weather was cooler here so that as I stepped out onto the sidewalk, the cold would smack me back to reality. Linking my fingers, I place them on the top of my head and crane my neck from side to side.

I could head to my truck and go home, but I’m too amped up.

Instead, I start walking, my mind replaying the way she looked tonight. How it could have been different if she had been on my arm. Does she even like that fucker, or is she settling?

I don’t realize where my feet have taken me until I look up at the cemetery gates. They’re closed now, but I don’t hesitate to jump it.I’ve literally become one of those crazies.

When I’m finally at his grave, I sink down into the dirt.