As we fell asleep that night, Louis held me close again. I couldn't imagine I'd ever get tired of the feeling of being so securely nestled his arms.
"You don't have to do this," he said gently.
I'd been thinking about my motivation to have this one last confrontation with Richard. Of course, I could just walk away and never think about him again. But I wanted to prove something and I wasn't exactly sure what it was.
"I think I do," I replied. "I'm not afraid of him. I mean, the attack was scary, but now I can look back and see that he was just using his power over me. But I realized today that he doesn't have any more control over me because I won't let him. All the brainwashing, pressuring, intimidating. I'm just so done with it! I'm not afraid of him anymore because he's just a coward."
Louis expelled a breathy laugh. "You amaze me! That inner strength I keep telling you about - that's it, right there. Most women who are attacked like you were would be afraid for months afterwards, and they'd probably go through therapy to deal with it. But you...you're so resilient, you just keep bouncing back. You're my little wolverine," he said, kissing my nose.
"Wow, I'm honored," I scoffed playfully.
"I'm serious, wolverines can be cute, but they're vicious when provoked. Besides, I'm a Wolverine, and you love me, don't you?" He pretended to bat his eyelashes.
"Oh, right, the Michigan Wolverines. Wait, I thought you guys were the Spartans."
"Oh, no, no, no! You did not just go there," he said, pinching my sides a little. "The Spartans are the other team from Michigan. It's the Michigan State University Spartans and the University of Michigan Wolverines. Now, I expect you to remember the difference!"
"Whatever," I laughed, rolling my eyes.
"I'm serious," he said. "It's a brutal rivalry. But, I have to admit I'm secretly proud of the Spartans. They have a killer basketball team!"
"Well, whatever silly nickname you want to call me, I'm just tired of being pushed around," I finally said.
He grinned widely and teased, "I'd really like to kiss you, but I don't want to be too pushy."
"Well, then, allow me," I laughed, capturing his lips in a warm, sensual embrace. I used one arm to pull him flat against my chest while he pulled my hips closer to his. I breathed a satisfied sigh into our kiss and he did the same.
The following day, I found myself squeezing into my personal limo along with an interesting assortment of friends - Liam Payne, the English superstar who was crazily in love with my best friend and held her close to his side. Louis' friend, Zayn, who was still a bit of an enigma - he seemed so quiet and reserved, but he held a confidence that not many young guys do. Of course, Preston was driving, and Danielle was seated comfortably close to Zayn. I didn't have to do much convincing to get her to come with me after I told her that he would be there. And of course, Louis was right by my side.
For once, I was surrounded by real friends, not snooty, pretentious snobs who only cared about me on a superficial level.
I would have been lying to myself if I said I didn't feel a little apprehensive about the meeting with Richard. I had texted him early in the day, telling him to meet us at the Pine Bank Arch in Central Park. It was slightly secluded, but not so much that we would be entirely alone. And it wasn't too far off of West Drive, so Preston could park and wait for us.
I tapped my foot nervously, just wanting this to be over. Louis squeezed my hand and whispered in my ear, "Wolverine." He gripped my hand tightly.
I laughed at him comparing me to a vicious carnivore, but I smiled in relief. Not only was he good at calming me down, but I loved that we were able to show our affection for each other in front of this group of people, instead of trying to keep it a secret. It gave me a new sense of freedom to be who I really wanted to be.
Preston parked and we got out and headed for Pine Bank Arch. When I caught sight of Richard, I froze, the memory of his attack flashing through my brain.
Louis placed his hand on the small of my back and gently encouraged me to keep walking. "He can't hurt you, honey."
I shook it off easily when I felt the warmth of his hand. I walked up to Richard and he leaned in to give me a hug, but both Louis and Zayn cut him off, blocking any access to me.
"You aren't going to touch her, got it?" Zayn said. He was shorter and not quite as muscular as Richard, but damn! He was intimidating when he spoke.
Richard glowered at me. "Really? You had to bring five people with you? I'm not going to hurt you. I just wanted to talk."
"That's all you wanted to do at your house the other night, too!" I spat.
Richard held his hands up and backed off, raising his eyebrows at Zayn, who was hovering close to me.
I spoke first. "I had an interesting conversation with a hispanic woman yesterday. I think her name was Martina; wait, no it was Matilda."
He flinched slightly, but it went unnoticed by the others.
"Or was it Martha? Maria?" I mused. "Oh, no, I remember now, it was Martina!"
His expression tightened. "I don't know who you're talking about."
"Interesting, because I spoke with her when I called your phone."
His jaw twitched with rage. Louis pulled me back and stepped almost completely in front of me.
"I'm done with your lies, Richard," I said. "The woman I spoke to on your phone sounded lovely, but she seemed awfully surprised to find out that another woman was calling. Well, we got to talking and oh, did I mention that she said she was your fiancée?!" My voice had been even and controlled when I began, but I was practically spitting fire by the time I finished.
He stood his ground momentarily, and then he yelled, "Damn it!" He walked away briefly and then back to us.
I didn't even have to pull out the information that Louis and I had dug up online early this morning. Like the fact that Martina Fuentes Ruiz was the daughter of a wealthy business man in Ovalle, Chile, who just happened to own the land which contained the largest deposit of lapis lazuli in the southern hemisphere.
"How long have you been with her?" I demanded.
"I loved you, Ashten," he said simply.
"How long, Ricardo?!"
Another interesting fact we'd learned from this morning's research was that Richard, or Ricardo Benitez, was actually quite a well-known business man and philanthropist in Central Chile.
He huffed angrily. "Three years."
Without even thinking, I launched towards him, hitting and kicking and screaming. "You dirty son of a bitch!" It's a good thing Louis caught me around the waist or I would have clawed Richard's eyes out. "How could you do that to me? Brainwash me into believing that we were supposed to be together while you had a fucking mistress the whole time!"
I vaguely heard Danielle and Veronica cheering for me somewhere in the background while I tried to wrestle my way out of Louis' grasp.
Richard leaned back in, seething. "Well, at least Martina was willing to have sex with me, unlike the frigid bitch I was supposed to marry!"
This time it was Louis who lunged at Richard, but Zayn intervened and pushed him back. Louis fought against him, still trying to get away, but Liam pulled him back while Zayn continued to hold him.
"Ahh," Richard said. "I see how it is. I was right, wasn't I? You are screwing the pool boy." He looked at Louis, who was still being restrained by Zayn and Liam. "I hope it's good, since she never gave me a taste."
In a split second, Zayn had Richard immobilized in a karate hold, but his voice was calm and even. "I'd suggest you watch your language in front of the ladies."
Richard struggled, but Zayn kept a tight grip on him. Apparently, he didn't believe that Zayn could really hurt him, because he continued, "I wonder what your mother would say if she knew you'd been slumming."
Zayn tightened his grip, visibly increasing his forceful lock on Richard's arm.
Richard grunted in pain while Zayn hissed in his ear. "I'm just waiting for a reason to break it, man."
We were attracting a crowd and that wasn't a good thing. I could hear Veronica and Danielle telling the bystanders that this wasn't real, that we were just rehearsing for a movie. Of course, that backfired because then everyone wanted to stay and watch.
I hissed, "If you say anything to my parents, I'll be happy to broadcast last week's faux pas all over the internet, the society pages, and in every newspaper from here to Chile, you disgusting prick!"
"Wow, fancy new words," Richard said through clenched teeth. "Your little boyfriend has taught you some new tricks."
Zayn held Richard's arm at an even more awkward angle and I heard a slight cracking sound.
"Fuck!" Richard screamed in pain. "Fine, I give. Just let me go!"
"It's for the best anyway," he said, after collecting himself. "Martina said yes in a heartbeat, right after you dumped me."
"Oh, she's so lucky to get a gentleman like you," I scoffed.
"I tried," Richard said, sounding genuinely penitent. "The truth is, I wanted to make it work. I proposed because I thought that if I had a commitment to you, it would make me into an honest man and I'd be faithful to you. But after I proposed, I realized I was really in love with Martina."
"You're such a noble gentleman! I might actually be happy for you if you hadn't attacked me!"
"I'm so sorry about that. I really am," he said. He sounded sincere, but I wasn't buying it anymore. "I just...I don't know, I lost it when I realized that I couldn't control you anymore."
"You're damn right you can't!" I spat, feeling wonderfully victorious. "Don't you ever talk to me or come near to me again!"
Then I turned and walked away, and Louis walked with me, but the others didn't immediately follow. They caught up after a few minutes, and as soon as I knew that Richard was out of earshot, I jumped into the air. "I can't believe I just did that! It felt awesome!"
Everyone stopped and surrounded me in a group hug. I was overwhelmed with emotion at the friendship of these people who were willing to stand with me as I confronted one of my biggest bullies.
I wondered momentarily if maybe I should have them come with me to confront my mother.
We climbed back in the limo, laughing and talking. Preston turned around and said, "I refuse to drive until you tell me what happened!"
We all told the story, in different parts, but when it came to Zayn, I wanted to to be the one to tell him how proud I was. "Zayn's the shit, man!" I said to Preston, and he just about passed out from laughing at my choice of words.
"It's true! He should teach us all some self-defense. Whatever I learned could never compare to that!"
Zayn smiled a shy little smile and I told him, "Seriously, thank you, Zayn. Thank you everyone for having my back. Especially after I've treated some of you like shit."
"That's because underneath that tough exterior, there's a tender heart," Danielle said, making everyone "awww."
"This might be hard to believe, but I never had any close friends except Veronica. And thanks to all of you, I've been learning that friendship is based on more than just money."
After thinking for a minute, I asked, "Do you guys consider me a friend? Or am I still just the rich bitch you work for, and you're only hanging out with me because you're too afraid to say no to me?"
Liam chimed in this time. "I don't work for you, and from what I see, you're a lovely girl with a genuine heart. And I'd say this fellow with his arm around you feels the same."
Louis gave me a giant smack on the lips and everyone did the "Ooohhh" thing while I blushed deeply. I wasn't prepared for that, but I didn't care anymore. I was sick of hiding.
"So, where do you want to go for dinner?" I asked, after my face returned to a normal color. "It's my treat, to say thanks to all of you!"
"Well, I think I can safely say that none of us wants to eat at Jean Georges," Louis said, wrinkling his nose.
I stuck my tongue out at him, which earned me a round of laughter. The unanimous vote was to go for barbecue. And then we'd all go home and change and head out to the dance club. Specifically, The Underground.
When we walked into Virgil's Barbecue, I felt very much out of place. It was much more casual than any place I'd ever been, except for maybe one or two places where Louis and I visited in Michigan. We were led to a table, and many eyes followed the famous English singer holding Veronica's hand. It was nice to not be the center of attention.
The table had towels rolled up at every seat. I looked at Louis with questions in my eyes.
Louis winked at me. "Barbecue is messy."
I was anxious about the idea of making a mess of myself, dripping barbecue sauce who knows where and getting it all over my face. Cartoon images of a pig in a trough came to mind. Louis noticed my apprehension, so I told him about my anxiety over appearing less than perfect.
"Well, you don't have to prove anything to me because I like you just the way you are. And I'm pretty sure these guys do, too." Then he leaned in and whispered, "And if you get any barbecue sauce on your face, I will personally lick it off for you."
I threw my head back in laughter. I forgot about my worries when we sat down and ordered drinks. Zayn and Danielle were getting cozy, which made me feel all warm inside for some reason. Preston seemed happy just to hang out with us, even if he was the only one without a date. Veronica made it clear that she and Liam were an item while he fielded occasional requests for snapshots and autographs. It only crossed my mind once or twice that my picture could end up in a tabloid again. But that didn't stop me from sitting close to Louis and holding his hand. I almost drew the line when he actually leaned over and licked some sauce off my cheek, but then again, if another "scandalous" picture made an appearance on the web, then I would have to explain everything to my mother. And I almost welcomed the idea.
The conversation turned to future plans, with Liam asking everyone about themselves. Veronica and Danielle were eager to share about their new business venture. They had already met a few times and hashed out a pretty promising business plan. Zayn was happily employed as some mid-level marketing person for a large corporation in New York. I'd never heard of it, which seemed odd because I was certain that my father literally knew someone from every single company in the city. Preston joked that he was already living the dream, driving rich folk to any and every destination possible.
"Oooh, that sounds like fun," I said in a sarcastic tone.
"Actually, I've been in New York for five years, since I graduated from high school. I just wanted to get away, find a job and save up for college, live on my own for a while. When your dad hired me, it was a perfect fit, and my parents didn't have to freak out about me living in some dumpy apartment or in a bad part of town. I still haven't figured out what I want to do yet, but I'd eventually like to go back home and study at Penn State. I'm in no hurry."
"Well, that's good," I said. "I want to keep you for a while. You're the best driver I've ever had."
He looked at me and said, "I'm the only driver you've ever had. Your dad hired me when you got your own limo."
"You're still the best. And you're coming with me to Boston, right?"
"Unless the Vanderbilts hire me instead," he teased.
Veronica turned to Louis and asked, "What about you? Are you following this kid to Boston, too?"
Her question put him on the spot. He spoke uncomfortably, saying, "I actually don't know yet. I haven't thought that far ahead, which is kind of silly, right? I mean, I guess I hoped I would have gotten into med school by now."
"Oh, right, the future doctor." And then she turned her attention to Liam so he could tell us about his upcoming tour.
I didn't look at Louis much for the rest of the meal. It hurt to think that, in just a month's time, we could be separated by hundreds or thousands of miles.
He was so sweet and genuine with me, but to be fair, he was sweet to everyone and well-liked by everyone, too. I wondered if my heart was deeper into this than his heart was.
But I wasn't ready to face that yet, not when I'd had such a victory today.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yeah, they put Richard in his place! I hope it was satisfying for you. I didn't want to turn it into a Chuck Norris movie because I wanted to retain some sense of realism!
The gif shows: Baby wolverines, Preston, the bad-ass chauffeur, the other tough guys, the karate hold that I imagined Zayn using on Richard, and a silly picture of Liam pretending to punch Louis, just for fun.
I think the part about the Wolverines was a little corny BUT I had to give my Spartans a shout-out because they're in the Final Four, baby! Kind of hard to avoid the hype when I live about five minutes from MSU, and it's my alma mater!