“You’re friends with Finn?” I feel a little safer looking at the tempting blue cocktail, but at the same time, this is still a stranger in a bar.
“Uh, friends might be a stretch. He hates me. He snaked my girl, and yet I’m the one to blame.” The blond man lets out a huff of frustration before he extends his hand. When I offer him mine, he shakes it delicately. “I’m Morgan.”
“Avery.” I can’t help my curiosity. “What do you mean Finn snaked your girl?”
Morgan shrugs. “A few years ago, I fucked up. Bad. I got piss drunk with some buddies and woke up in some other girl’s bed. I know how that makes me sound.” He buries his head in his hands. “But I don’t even remember it. I just partied too hard that night.”
“Yikes.”
“Yeah, I came clean to my girlfriend right away and she said she forgave me, but”—he throws his thumb down and vibrates his tongue off his bottom lip—“it was all downhill from there. We were never the same.”
“What does that have to do with Finn?”
“She started needing space. She stopped returning my calls right away. The text messages were few and far between. I’d only see her every other weekend. As far as I knew, we were a couple going through a tough time and I accepted the fact I’d be in the doghouse for a while, but then it came out that she was living with Finn. She was dating both of us for a while and neither of us knew.”
Oh my God. And this story suddenly makes sense. “Nora was your girlfriend?”
He nods. “Is my girlfriend.”
“Oh… So you guys eventually got back together and worked it out?”
Morgan snorts. “Depends on what you consider working it out.” He points to the drink. “I promise you that’s not poisoned.”
I take a small sip as a friendly gesture. It’s delicious, so I take a bigger sip. “Thank you. I’m a sucker for anything with blue curacao in it.”
“I have never known how to pronounce that. Thank you. Mystery solved.”
I laugh. “Who knows if I’m pronouncing it correctly? I could be leading you astray.”
“It sounds good your way. I’ll roll with it.” There’s a lull as the song changes again.
“Are you and Nora going to be okay?” I balance the martini glass in my hand and swivel the blue liquid, trying not to spill it. There’s a sinking feeling in my stomach.
Morgan beats the top of his fist against his forehead. “I don’t think so.”
“What were you fighting about?”
He exhales. “What we always fight about. Your date.” He turns to face me head-on. “Can I give you some advice?”
Uh-oh.
“From one person caught up in their messy love life to another?”
“Okay.”
“They are never going to be over. They are still in love with each other—”
“Finn’s not—”
“Av-er-y,” Morgan says, emphasizing every syllable of my name. “Trust me. This has been going on for years. And it’s my fault. If I hadn’t cheated, maybe they would’ve never met. Maybe they would’ve. I don’t know. I’m just saying, do what you want for now, just have your expectations in line. At the end of this story, those two will end up together. I think I’m finally starting to realize that.”
“I don’t think that—”
I don’t get to finish my thought because suddenly Morgan’s yanked backward from the bar. He looks as shocked as I am. The next thing I see is fire in Finn’s eyes as he steps between us.
I’ll admit, this doesn’t look good. I must’ve been gone for too long and I’m willing to bet if there was one man in this entire club he wouldn’t want me talking to, it’s Morgan. I have no idea how much of our conversation he heard, but I can literally feel his anger.
“Leave, Morgan,” Finn says. I can barely hear him over the banging music. But there’s a malice in his eyes that gives me chills. “Grab your girl and get the fuck out of my family’s club.”
Morgan ignores him and turns his attention to me. “See?” His smile grows cool and cocky and for the first time, I notice his eyes are bloodshot.
Is he drunk or high? Goddamn, he has a good poker face. I didn’t even notice he was inebriated. Our conversation was perfectly normal.
“No man gets that angry about a woman he doesn’t love. My mere presence pisses him off because they are still fucking. I promise you that.”
“I’m not going to warn you again. You’re drunk and you’re trying to stir up shit.” Finn glances at me and he half-smiles before turning a glare back to Morgan. “Leave her out of it. Leave me out of it. If Nora’s here, take her home. Now.”
“Fuck you, man. I’m a guest. And why are you so angry?” Morgan asks, his voice taunting.
I can’t figure out why he’s poking the bear. Even I can tell Finn’s one short step away from exploding. But now I’m wondering if he’s agitated at the idea of Morgan with me…or Morgan with Nora.
Morgan foolishly continues, “Whether I’m with Nora or not, it’s not going to stop you from fucking her behind my back like you’ve been doing for years.”
Thud.
It happens so quickly that I can hardly make sense of it. Finn’s fist meets Morgan’s face with such force that I can almost feel the impact standing two feet away. I let out an involuntary gasp before I cover my mouth. Morgan is on the ground, holding his cheekbone where Finn struck it. I fight the urge to squat down and help him up. It’s clear who my loyalty is to, but right now I’m staring at a Finn I don’t recognize. He looks like he’s standing over a man’s grave, getting ready to spit on it.
Within a moment, Morgan sits up.
“I dare you to get up,” Finn says with the most disdain I’ve ever heard from a human being before. Finn turns to me and cocks his head to the side. “Whatever story he’s spinning—”
I hold up my hands. “You don’t owe me explanations.”
“Let me,” Finn pleads. “Please.”
I shrug. “He didn’t say anything. Just that he accidentally cheated and then Nora drifted and fell in love with you.”
“Accidentally?” Finn lets out a cruel laugh. “Avery, this man cheated on Nora more times than he can count. He verbally abused her for years. He’s the reason she’s so fucking insecure and miserable that she’s going to sabotage every relationship she’s in for the rest of her life. He treated her like—”
“What?” Morgan croaks. “A stripper? It’s what she is.”
There’s a chill. Finn’s obviously triggered and I know the world has fallen away for him. All he sees is red, hot rage. I take a small step backward, nervous about what I’m about to see. “You know what? I changed my mind. Get the fuck up.” Finn cracks his knuckles. “I’ve been waiting years for this.”
“Finn, please walk away,” I say, but he doesn’t hear me. Instead, I feel a small, soft hand on my elbow pulling me away from the crowd that’s forming around Finn and Morgan.