Once the car pulled up to the restaurant, I got out and opened Lyric's door. I bowed jokingly and held out my hand, which she daintily accepted and held her head up high, before slugging me in the shoulder and moving out of Scarlett's way. I held out my hand for Scarlett as well and got a sweet yet sarcastic pat on the cheek, which earned her an eye roll.
I walked around to Florence's door and opened it for her. She accepted my hand and gave me a soft smile in response. I was about to offer her my elbow to walk to the other two, when a car came flying by and almost clipped Florence. I swung her around so that she was against the car and my back was to the street, my front pressed against hers.
We stared at each other in shock and panic (Me. I was panicked.) and I reached to cup her cheeks. I spent a good moment partially just trying to make sure that that actually happened. Not that I wanted it to, but it didn't even feel real. I also looked across her features, trying to read her emotions.
Shock. Confusion. Worry. Anger. Annoyance. Relief. Wait-
"Why are you annoyed?" I whispered, still in our little bubble.
Her eyes flashed with something too quickly for me to fully register it and then she pushed me off to the side, shaking her head.
"Florence?"
"Florence!"
"Blake!"
I whipped my head around to see Lyric and Scarlett rushing over. I stepped away and let Lyric crush me in a hug. I could feel her shaking.
"Hey, I'm okay. I'm still here."
She shook her head and grabbed at me to pull me closer. I looked over at Scarlett, who was talking to Florence. Our eyes met and she quickly looked away to focus on their conversation. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but I just returned back to my moment with Lyric.
Once Lyric calmed down, Scarlett walked up to me and gave me a strong hug, then pulled away, slapped my shoulder and pulled me back in. At that point, I was getting so much whiplash, I honestly couldn't tell what was going on.
"You're an absolute idiot, you know that?" Scarlett questioned softly.
I looked down at my feet. "I'm sorry. I just didn't think to let her come out of the same door as you guys. It's my fault and-"
Scarlett put her hand over my mouth and I met her gaze. "You really are an idiot. Wow. I was not talking about putting her at risk because you didn't. AHT." I opened my mouth to object and she pressed harder against my lips. "That was not your fault."
I nodded slowly.
"You're an idiot because you put yourself between Florence and that damn car. I know you were protecting her, but we care about you, too."
I shrugged my shoulders weakly and tried to smile under her hand. She felt it and gave me a look. Scarlett glanced over at the other pair who were still hugging and murmuring to each other and grabbed my arm gently.
"Come on. Let's go somewhere private."
I let her lead me to a secluded spot near the restaurant.
"You're not going to go all Black Widow on me, are you?" I tried to joke, but stopped when Scarlett gave me another look.
She sat us down on a bench and looked out over the water. I noticed she was shivering and put my jacket over her shoulders. It was a while before either of us spoke.
"Talk to me, Blake. I can't help you if you don't tell me what's going through your mind."
So that's why she took me away. Lyric could focus on how Florence was and not worry about me. Scar could check on me.
"Blake?" Scarlett prompted.
I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. "It was just an instinct. I went on instinct. I would've done the same for you, you know." She nodded. "It just... scared me, I guess. That's not the closest I've been to death, but I had people I care about right next to me and I guess I'm just sorry that you had to witness it. I didn't put myself in danger intentionally." The adrenaline started wearing off and I started shaking. "But if someone I care about is in danger, I'm going to do everything I can to be a buffer, no matter how well they can take care of themselves."
"Blake," Scarlett took my chin softly and turned my head towards hers.
I hummed in response.
"I know you're protective and I love that about you, I really do, but Lyric and I weren't just scared for Florence, we were scared for you, too. We didn't even really see what happened. We saw the car and watched you move at the exact same speed as the car and then we couldn't see you anymore."
My resolve shattered and I whimpered, throwing my arms around her.
"I'm so sorry. I never meant to scare you."
Scarlett scoffed and pulled away. "Stop apologizing. I just wanted to explain our actions."
I nodded and we sat there for another moment or two just observing each other. She wiped away the tears I didn't notice leaving my eyes. I could tell she had a question swirling around in her mind, though.
"You can ask."
"Ask what?" She played dumb.
I sighed and turned my body towards her more.
"You can ask what happened before. It's okay."
Scarlett pondered it for a moment, before nodding hesitantly.
"What happened?"
I shifted uncomfortably because even though I knew the question was coming, it still never failed to bring up some unwanted memories. Not from what happened, but the aftermath and avalanche of inconveniences that occurred in the days and weeks after.
I could tell she was about to take back the question, but I shook my head that it was okay.
"It's better if I show you and tell you at the same time."
I got up and started unbuttoned my shirt slowly.
"It was a couple years ago, I was 20. My girlfriend at the time wanted to go to a parade. I felt on edge about it, but when I brought it up, she dismissed it and practically dragged me there."
I removed my shirt and set it on the bench, then started on my undershirt.
"We got to a decent spot early on and sat around talking to other people around us. The feeling I had got worse and I brought it up again, but she told me I was ruining the experience for her and threatened to move to a different spot if I didn't shut up."
Scarlett looked a bit angry at this point, but also a little pale. I smiled half-heartedly at her.
TRIGGER WARNING: shooting
"The parade got about halfway through before I heard the first shot. Not everyone heard it, in fact it was quiet. I heard it, though. I grabbed Andy's hand, but she pulled away and focused on the floats." I chuckled wryly. "Then the second shot happened and all hell broke loose. I lost Andy in the flood of people running away and I stood around yelling for her."
My undershirt was off at this point, but I was facing the water with my back to Scarlett.
"That's when I saw him. Some gun crazy white guy with a sniper rifle and an assault rifle. He was running with everyone and shooting at anything and everything. As soon as I spotted him, I yelled at him to stop."
I turned around to face Scarlett who gasped.
"He didn't like that I had told him to stop. My hair was still short at this point, so he started throwing insults around at me. That didn't bother me one bit. What bothered me, was that the gun that he had pulled on so many people was now pointed at me. In a way, I'm glad no one else was in danger at that point, but I also now had a gun pointed at me."
Scarlett stood up and traced her fingers along the scars.
"I didn't even feel the first one. It didn't fully register with me that it had happened. But he was mad that I didn't go down and wasn't affected by it. I ran at him and he kept shooting. I tackled him and knocked him out, but as soon as I realized what had happened, it hit me all at once. The cops were already there and came to me, calling an ambulance."
TRIGGER WARNING OVER
I put my hand over her own, stopping the movements and she looked up at me with tears in her eyes. I just smiled sadly at her.
"When I woke up, I was told I had been shot five times in various places and had been in a medically induced coma for three months. It took me another week and a half to wake up. My family was all there. The only person missing... was Andy."
Scarlett's eyes immediately hardened. I grimaced.
"Apparently, she knew I was in the hospital, but took me 'leaving her behind' during the shooting as a breakup. We lived together, so all of my clothes were gone and the furniture I had gotten taken by her. My name was on the lease, so she didn't stay there and just left it how it was. The landlord took it over and sold everything. I was basically starting from scratch. I didn't even have a job anymore. So, I got one and about 6 months later reconnected with Lyric, then sequentially moved in with her."
I shrugged and moved to grab my shirt. Scarlett stopped me immediately.
"You risked your life to save so many others and all you got in return was heartbreak and no possessions. How are you still so... you?"
I grinned and shook my head. "Possessions aren't everything. Money isn't everything. I'm sure you know that. It was hard when it happened, but now I just think of it as a fresh start. I had a rough six months, but Lyric played a large part in keeping me in check and making sure I was okay and stuff. I have her to thank for a large part of keeping me together."
Scarlett shook her head, "No, Blake. You have you to thank. Lyric may have been there for you, but you got yourself through it. Don't discount yourself. You're incredibly strong. I'm honored to be your friend..."
I frowned when she trailed off. She started at me as if she was seeing me in a new light.
And then it happened.
A/N: what do we think is gonna happen........ 🤔