All Along | ✓

Chapter Twenty-Five

She shakes her head, "No thank you."

The waitress from before is doing her rounds, so when she passes our table, I order two more sides of nachos for the table. Once she's left and my gaze returns to Luna, I find her already grinning up at me happily.

"Thanks Oli!" She gives my arm a little squeeze before her hand retreats to her lap once more.

I try to tune back into the conversation the boys are having, but when my eyes land on a few men staring at Luna from the bar, it makes it very difficult. I have no right to be over protective or to stop guys from approaching her. Yet that doesn't stop me from placing my arm around the back of her chair. I catch one of the guys' eyes and narrow mine into a glare. I can tell he recognises me and his jaw drops before he immediately looks away again.

I feel Luna lean into my arm, her body shaking with laughter because of something Nev said. I know I should be catching up with my friends who I haven't seen in years, but when my best friend is beside me, I find it had to focus on anything else.

A few minutes later, Luna tilts her head up to look at me. "I'm going to head over to the bar to order another drink - all the waitresses seem super busy right now. Do you want anything?"

"I can go get you one," I offer, sitting up a little straighter.

She quickly shakes her head, "No, no, you stay here and keep talking with your friends. Do you want another?"

"No, I'm driving back, so I won't have another."

She shrugs, "You think my car will be fine here overnight? I've had too much already."

"It will be." I assure her, "Maybe ask the guys if they want another round?"

Her lips lift into a smile, "I've already asked them. Have you been listening at all?"

"Not a lot, no," I admit with a sheepish smile.

Luna shakes her head at me as she gets up from her seat, "You're impossible, Oli. I'll be back in a minute," she tells me before walking over to the bar. My eyes follow her as she goes to make sure she's okay before I'm drawn into the conversation.

"You gonna explain that, Oli?" Nev asks, raising his brows pointedly.

My own brows furrow, "Explain what?"

"The looks you've been giving your best friend all night," Cam answers, a smug smile on his lips.

"We've all seen it, mate." Cory agrees, taking a swig of his beer.

I lean back in my seat, completely stumped. I thought I was being subtle. "I'm not... I just- They're not looks. I've always done this even back in high school. Just watching over her to make sure she's alright."

"The way you look at her right now is very different to how you looked at her during high school." Cam disagrees.

"How so?" I take the bait, curious about what they'll say.

"Well, back then, she was a kid. You were her protector and she looked up to you. Now... She's all woman now, Oli. And I know you can tell because your looks have been anything but innocent." Nev explains with a grin.

My cheeks flush and I hope to God they can't see it in this dim lighting. "My looks have been perfectly innocent, thank you very much."

"So you didn't see the red bra strap that's been slipping down her shoulder all night?"

"It's black." I correct without thinking. Fúck. Caught. "That's not-"

"Oli," Cory leans forward in his seat while Cam and Nev snicker to each other at my expense. His elbows rest on the table and he lowers his head with a serious look on his face. "You can't dance around this, you know that, right?"