Hector

  Them? The guy looked around but shook his head. Drew pulled her own phone out now from her pocket and started dialing. “She was over there the last time I saw them—dancing.”

  “Who’s them? Who is she with?” Hector already had a feeling he knew, but even though it was unlikely, he wanted to rule out it wasn’t someone she already knew.

  “Raul,” Drew said, frowning as she hung up the phone. “She’s not answering.”

  “Who’s Raul?” Hector asked without even looking back at Drew. He was busy still scanning the party, but there were too many dark corners.

  “He’s a guy we met tonight who asked her to dance—his friend.”

  Hector stopped searching and turned back to see Drew pointing at Joseph. His eyes zoomed in on Joseph, who for some reason looked nervous. “Raul’s your friend?” Hector asked him. Joseph nodded. “Call him. Get him on the phone now.”

  It wasn’t a request, and Joseph got that loud and clear, because he was already doing something on his phone.

  “There she is!” Drew said, pointing. “Oh, shit.”

  “What?” Hector asked, looking in the direction Drew had pointed.

  “She wasn’t that drunk earlier.” Drew was already moving through the crowd.

  Hector followed her and then he saw Charlee. She was dancing and sort of hanging on some guy who also looked drunk but not nearly as drunk as Charlee. Hector practically pushed his way through the crowd now to get to her, and the way he was feeling, if anyone had a problem with it, he’d gladly unload some of what he could feel building inside him already.

  As they got closer, Hector could see Charlee still held a red cup in her hand. The guy took Charlee by the other hand and started walking toward the side of the house just as Drew reached them. “Where are you going, Charlee?”

  Charlee spun around, nearly losing her balance, but she held on to the guy’s hand for support. She laughed, bringing her cup up to cover her mouth. When she was done giggling, she waved the cup at Raul. “Raul here is going to show me his van,” she slurred. “He said it’s just outside.”

  “No, he’s not.” Both Drew and Hector said at the same time.

  Almost in slow motion, Charlee brought her attention to Hector. She hadn’t even noticed him standing next to Drew. She stared at him for a moment, confused, as if she were trying to figure out or remember who he was.

  Drew took the cup from Charlee’s hand. “And why are you still drinking? I thought you’d said you had enough?” She smelled the contents of the cup and looked back at Raul accusingly. “What is this?”

  “Jack and Coke.” Raul said, opening his vest to show off the flask in the inside pocket.

  Charlee was still staring at Hector curiously then shook her head and turned back to Drew with a big smile. “Yes, and Raul said it wouldn’t make me wanna have to run to the restroom so much.” She stopped then looked back at Hector again and lowered her voice. “Is that really him, or am I seeing things?”

  Drew’s entire body slumped. “Oh my God, Charlee, how much of this crap did you drink? Yes, it’s really him.”

  Charlee tilted her head then pouted. “You make me sad.” She said it so simply Hector wasn’t so sure what to make of it.

  “All right, don’t say anything else, Charlee, or you’ll be regretting it tomorrow,” Drew warned then turned to Hector. “You just ignore anything she says right now. Obviously she’s drunk as shit.” She then turned and glared at Raul. “Was that the plan? To get her wasted so you could take her back to your van?”

  Raul lifted his free hand in the air. “Whoa! No, no, no. Back up. It’s not even like that.” Suddenly, the guy didn’t seem nearly as drunk as he appeared to be moments earlier. That flask wasn’t very big at all, and if Hector had to bet on it, based on how drunk each was, Raul had made sure Charlee drank most of it. “I told her about the sound system in my van,” the guy continued with fervor. “She said she wanted to hear it.”

  “Yeah!” Charlee did a little dance, grabbing Drew’s hand. “I wanna hear it.”

  “No!” Drew was firm.

  “She’s a big girl,” Raul said. “If she wants to—”

  “She’s not going with you, dude.” Hector said as calmly as he could, but he’d had just about enough of this guy. It wouldn’t take much now to make Hector blow. The fact alone that the douche was still holding her hand was enough to drive Hector nuts. If this guy thought Hector was about to let him take Charlee to his van, he was out of his mind.

  Since Raul was a pretty big guy himself, it didn’t surprise Hector that he immediately took a defensive stance. “And who are you?”

  “I’m her friend,” Hector said, still speaking in as calm a voice as he could. “And I’m gonna say this one last time. She’s not going with you.”

  That caught Raul off guard because he cocked his head back then laughed. He swung Charlee’s hand in his and smiled at her then blew a kiss. “I say if she wants to then—”

  In the same second, Hector grabbed Raul’s neck with one hand squeezing hard and the front of his shirt with the other. He got about an inch away from Raul’s reddening face and looked him square in the eyes. “Look at me, asshole. Does it look as if you’re gonna take her back to your fucking van?” Raul clawed at Hector’s hand desperately, which only made Hector squeeze harder. “You really think I’m gonna let this shit happen?” Hector squeezed even harder now making Raul’s eyes bulge now. “Do you!”

  “Okay, okay!” Drew said, anxiously pulling at Hector’s arms. “He’s not! You can let go of him now. He’s turning purple!”

  “Get the fuck out of here.” Hector said, finally releasing him with a shove.

  Raul keeled over, coughing for a few seconds before walking back toward the party. Wisely, he didn’t bother to even look in Charlee’s direction again. Only then did Hector notice the crowd that had gathered around and Charlee, who seemed frozen in place staring at him wide-eyed. A guy with a flashlight came by, flashing it at everyone.

  “All right, move it along before someone calls the cops and gets us shut down.” Everyone started moving, including Hector and both girls.

  As much as he was dying to, Hector didn’t dare ask Charlee what she’d meant about him making her sad. She probably didn’t even remember saying it anymore, much less why. Plus Drew was right. Charlee was drunk. Nothing she said now should count. Although his mother always said that drunks don’t lie.

  Drew had begun to scold Charlee about almost walking out with Raul but then put her arm around her shoulder and leaned her head against hers. “It was my fault actually. I should’ve never left you alone with him.”

  For a drunk, Charlee was surprisingly quiet, and whatever she did say, she said it too low for Hector to hear. He walked next to them as they whispered some things louder than others. “Are you sure you’re not feeling like you’re gonna be sick?” Drew asked as they reached a car they stopped next to.

  Charlee shook her head then whispered something again inaudible to Hector.

  “Yeah,” Drew said, opening the passenger door to her car and then leaning in and opening the glove compartment. She pulled something out then came up and handed Charlee a stick of gum. She turned to Hector and offered him one.

  Hector took it then watched as Charlee stuck the gum in her mouth then patted her pockets. “Oh my God, Drew. My phone.” She started to take a few steps and quickly tripped.

  Hector reached out and held her up. “Careful.”

  Charlee glanced at him then back at Drew. “I gotta go get my phone. I think I left it in the restroom.”

  “You’re not going back in that party, Charlee.” Drew took Charlee by the arm. “C’mere. Sit down.” She held the car door open for her.

  “But my phone.” Charlee protested.

  “I’ll go get it for her.” Hector offered.

  Drew looked up at him and shook her head. “Oh, no, you won’t. Raul and all his friends are still in there.”

  “So what?” Hector said, f
eeling that familiar heat again that he’d felt when he saw Charlee with him.

  Drew rolled her eyes. “I’ll go get it, but you’ll need to stay here and keep an eye on her.”

  She hurried off before Hector could protest. Hector watched her until she disappeared into the backyard. When he glanced back at Charlee, she was leaning over with her elbows on her knees and her face in her hands. Her “you make me sad” comment was the first thing that came to mind as his heart sped up.

  “Hey,” he walked over and squatted next to the open door. “You okay?” She nodded but didn’t lift her face away from her hands. “Are . . . Are you crying?”

  She didn’t respond at all to that. Almost afraid to, he touched her leg with his fingers but couldn’t think of anything else to say.

  “Why are you here?” She finally asked but still didn’t lift her face away from her hands.

  “Because I was worried about you.”

  She turned her face, removing one hand to look at him but still cradled her head in the other. Hector couldn’t tell if she’d been crying or if her makeup was just smeared. Somehow even the dark smeared makeup around her eyes made her eyes bluer. “Worried about me?”

  “Yeah, you’re my friend, and I didn’t want anyone taking advantage of you. I know what happens at these parties. You do things when you’re drinking that you might not otherwise. Guys like Raul are banking on that.”

  She stared at him for a moment, a little too thoughtful. “Were you . . .” she began but then seemed hesitant.

  “What?” She’d already said something tonight he’d be wondering about all weekend. He didn’t want her adding more to that. “Was I what?”

  “Were you drunk that night?”

  She stared at him as his stomach took a dive because he knew exactly what she was asking and why. “No, I wasn’t, not at all.”

  “Then why?”

  Now he wasn’t sure what she was asking, but he took a guess anyway. “Why did I kiss you?”

  “No.” Her eyes welled up fast, and she shook her head, burying her face back in her hands. “Never mind.”

  Oh, hell no! “No, tell me,” he said, squeezing her leg now. “Why what?”

  She reached into the glove compartment and pulled out a tissue, still shaking her head. Dabbing her eyes, she sniffled a little.

  Hector slipped his hand into hers. “Charlee, please don’t cry.” He’d seen plenty of drunk girls crying over silliness, but instinct and her expression told him this wasn’t the case. This wasn’t something she was feeling just because of the alcohol. He thought he’d suspected resentment from her before, and now he knew he’d been spot on, but this was more than resentment. She was hurt. Shit.

  She still wouldn’t look at him. “Forget it, Hector. You’ve already told me why anyway.” She reached for the glove and grabbed the tissue. “You don’t need to say it again. In fact, I don’t want you to, so please don’t.”

  Hector pushed up on his back leg so he could get closer to her inside the car. “Okay, I won’t,” he said so close to her face he could smell the gum in her mouth, feel the warmth of her skin. He knew he shouldn’t ask, but he had to. It would drive him crazy if he didn’t. “Why did you say I make you sad?” She closed her eyes and her entire face scrunched in what looked like pain. He grazed the side of her face with the backs of his fingers. “What’s wrong, baby?” her eyes flew open at the sound of that last word, and those beautiful but too sad eyes searched his.

  If she asked why he called her that, he wouldn’t have an answer because he had no idea why either. It just came out—felt right. Slowly she sat up a little and touched his face with the tips of her fingers as her eyes traveled down to his lips. A single tear traveled down the side of her cheek, and he caught it with his finger. “Tell me,” he whispered. “Why are you sad?”

  “You,” she said then pressed her lips together. Before he could urge her to finish, because he sure as hell wasn’t leaving her this way tonight without finding out what she meant, she went on. “You don’t feel what I do.”

  “What do you feel?” The words flew out instantaneously, but before she could say anything, he took them back. “No, don’t tell me.”

  “Why?” Her expression was a frustrated one now.

  “Because, Charlee, you’ve been drinking and it’s not fair. You probably wouldn’t be saying any of this if you weren’t, even the part about me making you sad. So it was wrong of me to ask you why you had. I’m sorry.”

  Charlee dropped her hand away from his face and fell back into the seat. “You’re sorry?” She laughed, but it was hardly a happy laugh.

  “Yes, and I’m sorry that I make you sad, whatever the reason.”

  He looked away from her when he saw someone walking toward them from the corner of his eye. Drew was already on her way back to them. He leaned in quickly and kissed Charlee on the cheek, making her close her eyes for a moment. He wasn’t that dense. If she was hurt—sad—he knew why. “But you’re wrong about one thing. I won’t let you tell me what you’re feeling, but I’m pretty sure I’m feeling it too.”

  She sat up, getting dangerously close to him again. “If that were true, you wouldn’t have asked me to pretend what happened between us never did.”

  “It is true, but it’s better if nothing like that ever happens again.”

  Her wounded expression made him want to take her face in his hands and kiss her despite what he’d just said. “Because you’re afraid I’ll want more?”

  Staring into those beautiful eyes—eyes that could own him with one single request—he frowned. “Something like that.”

  It was partly true. If she did want more, as much as he’d be willing to give it her, he couldn’t, but it wasn’t for the reasons she was thinking. She stared at him for a moment before sitting back in her seat and sighing. “You’re right. I would want more.”

  He wanted nothing more than to tell her that if she wanted it then she had it. It’s all he could think about now anyway.

  “Okay delete, delete, delete!” Drew said as she reached them. Hector stood up, still lost in Charlee’s last statement. “Remember,” Drew continued, “whatever she said tonight doesn’t count. This is probably the drunkest I’ve ever seen her. In fact,” as soon as Hector had moved away, Drew closed the passenger door, “let me just make sure she doesn’t say anything else that she’ll be killing me tomorrow for letting her say.” Drew turned to him and smiled. “Thank you for, once again, coming to her rescue. It’s like you’re becoming her personal guardian angel.”

  Hector managed a smile. “You two are going straight home, right?”

  “Yes. Well I’ll probably go through a drive-thru and get her something to eat before taking her home and putting her in bed.”

  For the first time since the night he won the tournament, he really looked at Drew. She was a little on the spunky side, and he liked that, but she obviously had a good heart and really cared about Charlee. That made him like her even more. He was glad now he’d told Nestor to stay away from her too. “You’re a good friend, Drew. Charlee’s lucky to have you.”

  Strangely that made her smile nearly flatline. “Thanks,” she said simply before walking around the car and got in.

  Hector waited until the car was out of sight before making his way back to his truck.

  ~*~

  Bits and pieces were all Charlee remembered of what happened last night after she started drinking the Jack and Coke. Some parts were clearer than others, like chunks of her conversation with Hector, while she sat in Drew’s car. Though parts were still choppy, and she couldn’t remember when he got there exactly or how she got to Drew’s car.

  Drew assured her she’d walked on her own and no one had to carry her. She didn’t even remember Hector grabbing what’s his face by the neck until Drew jarred her memory. Another thing she sat there thinking about now was what Hector said last night. Thankfully she’d told Drew last night what he said; otherwise, she wouldn’t actually remembe
r him saying it.

  “You were right, but you were also wrong. He is feeling for me what I’m feeling for him. He told me so. But you’re wrong about him finding his match in me. He’s afraid if we ever do what we did before I’ll want more, and apparently, he’s not willing to give any more than that to even me.”

  Drew said after that Charlee had cried most of the way home until she passed out. Her best friend set the cup of chamomile tea in front of Charlee a little too loudly. Even though Charlee knew her head was just sensitive to any noises right now, she caught the added force in which she set the cup down. “You seem angry.”

  “I am angry,” Drew said, pouring the pancake batter onto the skillet.

  “I’m sorry, Drew.” She laid her head against her arm on the table. “I swear to you I will never get that drunk again. I doubt I’ll ever drink again period.”

  Drew flipped the pancake and then turned to Charlee. “Not at you, silly. The whole point of last night was for you to get a little juiced and hang loose, just not as juiced as you did, and even that wasn’t your fault.”

  Ah. Charlee closed her eyes. She should’ve known Drew would never be mad at her for trying to have a good time at a party. She was mad at Raul for getting her that drunk.

  “I still can’t believe what a jerk Hector really is.”

  Charlee lifted her head a little too fast and paid the price. “Ouch!” She held her fingers at her throbbing temples. “Hector? But he saved me from getting in the van with that guy.”

  “Yes, and that’s exactly my point. Charlee, he went above and beyond last night to go there and find you because he was worried about you. You should’ve seen the look on his face when he realized I didn’t know where you were. I swear to you he seemed almost as freaked out as I was.”

  That almost made Charlee smile, but her head was still pounding too much.

  “You don’t remember,” Drew continued. “But, God, I wish you did, because that rage in his eyes, when he wanted to strangle Raul to death for simply insisting you were leaving with him, was like none I’d ever seen.” Drew flipped her pancake again and then turned to Charlee. “No, I take that back. I have seen it. It was the same look on his face the day he saw you with Ross and he called him your fucking little boyfriend. Remember that look?”