Sick little games

Chapter 75

Once we've finished eating, the waiter who's obviously Spencer's friend approaches us. He is accompanied by another man who takes our plates as the bearded one leans in to Spencer's ear. He whispers a few words to him, pats his shoulder and leaves for the bar again.

I'm desperate to ask Spencer what that was about, but it's non of my business. Instead I shift uncomfortably, thinking of all the different things it could have been.

"Are you having desert?" He asks quietly while adjusting his tie. He looks so good- stop it Jennifer, he doesn't want you and you don't want him.

I do want him though and I'm finding it so hard to just sit here and be friends with him. I think to the kiss he's basically promised me and my body tingles again, maybe it wouldn't be so bad to admit not just to him, but to myself too that I'm still in love with him. The feelings never stopped, they just got clouded by my anger and I didn't think before I spoke.

No.

"Uh no, I'm ok." I force a smile and he frowns.

"It's a little warm in here isn't it?" Spencer asks and I meet his eyes. He looks so vulnerable all of a sudden, the confident front he was previously displaying is gone. Instead his features have softened and his eyes look- sad? "Wanna step outside for a bit?" he shakes his shoulders a little then begins to stand, I mirror him and join the tall man on my feet.

Spencer's POV:

I open the door for her to go first and just as she steps outside I look over to Sean, pleading with him to help me out and he holds up all ten of his fingers.

10 minutes. Ok, ten minutes and Sean will do the fireworks.

The sky is incredibly clear tonight and both of us cock our heads to look up at the stars. "Thank you Jennifer." I breath while moving my eyes to look at her face.

She continues to look ahead, not making eye contact with me what so ever. "I know you probably had better things to do tonight... thank you for coming out with me." I pause for a few seconds and observe her moonlit face. She's so beautiful.

"It means a lot." I add even quieter than before and look back up to the sky again as she finally looks at me.

I can't look back, I don't want to know what she's thinking. I do, I just don't think I'd be able to take it.

"Spence." she stops as soon as I make eye contact again.

"What?"

"I should- I should go... I'm sorry. I never should have-"

"Jennifer." My voice comes out slightly higher pitched as I grab her arms in an attempt to pull her to me.

"I can't do this. I'm sorry." She pushes me away and makes her way back through the restaurant.

My eyes begin to sting as I just stand and watch her walk away. I so badly want to chase her but my feet have all of a sudden grown heavy an I can't seem to be able to move them.

She doesn't want you.

The voice in my head teases as tears stream down my face. What the fuck is going on? Piles of people make their way outside, all 81 of them standing around me as Sean begins the firework display.

She didn't even stay for the fireworks, she just left me... alone. I head back inside to the bar and pour myself another drink.

***

Four drinks later my mind is jumbled and Sean has kicked me out of the restaurant.

"Reid." a familiar voice calls my name and I turn to find Damien driving slowly behind me.

I stop and wait for the car to catch up with me. "Damien?"

"Get in." he demands and I climb in the back of that car, too drunk to argue.

"What's going on?" I slur and Tobias turns to face me from the front.

"You've not done a job for a while. Damien is pretty pissed." he states and Damien glares at him.

We drive for at least twenty minutes then the car pulls up outside a run down house. I look at both the men, slightly confused and Damien explains what he wants us to do.

Two minutes later, Tobias and I are climbing from the car and kicking down a battered wooden door.

I run inside and scan the room as Tobias hangs behind me. "In there." Tobias states while pointing at a room where a light is lit.

I lead the way and slowly open the door. Inside there's a little girl sat on an old woman's lap and a muscular man stands in front of them in an effort to protect them.

"Noah isn't here." he says sternly and Tobias pushes me forward.

"He's lying."

I look back to the man stood in front of me and cock my head, silently questioning his words.

"I promise you, he moved out three days ago."

"That's definitely a lie. We've been watching you." Tobias calls him out while moving from behind me and pushing the man backwards.

The older woman hold the little girl tighter and the muscular man raises his hand as Tobias takes another step closer to him.

"Where is Noah?" I ask, now sobering up from the scene playing out.

"He's- he's not here, I- I swear." he stutters and Tobias hits him clean in the face.

"Daddy." The little girl screams as he hits the floor and the old woman covers her eyes.

Tobias lays into the man on the ground while constantly questioning the whereabouts of the man that owes Damien money.

The girl continues to scream and cry while her grandma attempts to prevent her from seeing her dad get beaten up.

"Stop him please!" she calls out while pulling the little girl behind her.

I look between the two women and back to the bloody man lay on the ground.

"Tobias." I call while grabbing his raised arm. "Tobias for fuck sake the guy clearly isn't here!" I shout loudly and drag him from the body at his knees.

"We'll be back!" he shouts after them as I pull him through the broken down door.

"You can't just beat the shit out of someone in front of their child daughter!" I shout at him while pushing him hard into the wall. Damien splits us up, hands me some dilaudid and tells me I can walk home.

Do I really want to take this shit again? I've been clean for four days for Jennifer, do I want to ruin it.

Fuck JJ.

I can't, I can't take them. Not just for JJ but for me too, I can't get hooked, I can't afford it. I place it in my pocket, not one hundred percent ready to dump them here.