Page 48 of Finding a Melody

She pouted her full lips as she came to stop in front of Bryan, effectively dismissing me as if I didn’t even exist in her little world.

Oh, no. I was not going to let her push me around.

She opened her mouth to say something, but I beat her to it.

“Bryan, honey, who is she?” I asked, and her attention finally flickered to me, quickly blazing with anger. I ignored her warning as I slowly looked her over, putting on an expression that said I wasn’t impressed.

Bryan shifted next to me, clearly uncomfortable.

The woman reached out a hand to shake mine.

“Elisa Kramer,” she said, squeezing my hand just a little too hard. “I go way back with Bryan,” she practically purred.

“Is that so?” I asked, leaning closer to Bryan to stake my claim, resting my hand on his chest and practically plastering myself to his side. His grip on me tightened in acceptance. “I’m sorry to say he hasn’t mentioned you to me.” I turned to Bryan, easily dismissing her. “Darling, I really am tired, can we go sit down now.”

“Uh, yeah.” He coughed, not looking at Elisa, who looked ready to murder me.

I smiled at her. “We should talk later, get to know each other,” I said. “I’d love to get to know more of Bryan’s old friends.”

Bryan gently pulled me away as I flashed her my fakest smile yet. She looked like she wanted to punch me in the face.

Bryan leaned over as we walked away, saying in a low whisper, “That was brilliant.” His warm breath and clear approval sent warm tingles through me. I fought a blush as I smiled at him.

“Told you I’d protect you. I’m your knight in shining armor tonight.”

He chuckled as we searched for our table. It ended up being closer to the middle of all the tables. Bryan pulled my seat out for me so I could sit and then he settled down next to me. Others were slowly inching their way from the open floor to their seats, clearly done with all the mingling.

Bryan released a sigh, ignoring the couple sitting on the other side.

“Thank you so much for that. You being here tonight with me means more than you’ll ever realize.”

I patted his arm and nudged him with my shoulder, not really sure what to say, but needing to show him that I heard him and I got it.

“How are you holding up?” he asked.

“I’m fine. Parties like these are the only time I feel like a fricken fraud with how sweet I have to act toward people I want to leave me alone. Maybe I should try clawing some eyes out.”

I made the motion with my hands, and he chuckled. For good measure, I even added a small hissing sound, like a cat. That only made him laugh a little louder, drawing the attention of those at the table with us. Bryan didn’t seem to care as he kept laughing. It was nice seeing him carefree for just a moment.

“I’ll make sure you don’t get into any trouble,” he finally got out through a grin.

I stared at him for a moment and then reached out. When he didn’t move away, I touched the skin underneath his eyes tentatively with the pad of my thumb.

“This party really does wear you down,” I said softly, wishing I could wipe off the darkness that was beginning to form under his eyes.

“It is what it is. If I don’t behave here, my parents will hear of it and it’ll be worse.”

“What would they do to you?” I asked, growing concerned.

“Usually, a lot of yelling is involved. They’ll force me to go to more parties to make amends and fix any damage they think I caused. They like to set up dates with other women, trying to push them on me.” He shrugged. “For the most part, I just do what I’m asked and then they leave me alone. As long as they don’t get a phone call, they don’t bother with me. They don’t even care about this party, which is why they didn’t bother coming despite making me come.”

“That’s messed up,” I said, growing angry with his parents. How could they ignore someone like Bryan? He was so protective of those around him that it was adorable. He cared deeply for his friends and wanted what was best for them.

“It is how it is,” he replied, reaching up and taking off his glasses. He pulled out a cloth that had been tucked away inside his suit jacket, and began cleaning them, focusing on the task.

I reached over and snatched his glasses before he could do anything else.

“Hey.” He glowered but I could tell he wasn’t really mad at me.