Chapter 30
Lesson learned, folks. Don't harass me if Peter is around.
For such a jaded 'uncaring' man, I was stunned. Peter slugging him in the face was so unexpected. Watching only a few feet away, it also looked so... effortless. The movement was natural and quick. The result was also unexpected.
It was like a rocket launched into the man's face, driving him down until his body and face slammed into the ground! Oh my god. You could even hear the loud impact of his cheek slamming against the floor (along with a hard and startled grunt of pain from him). Gasps and reactions of shock reached the air – including mine when I stepped back with wide eyes. Damn, he really just did that! It was one punch, but there was a ton of strength behind it.
A little too much strength in my opinion.
Seeing how quick and hard the man landed on the floor was more shocking than the punch itself. My breath picked up in concern, but also a weird mix of admiration. Though he didn't wear it on his face, seeing how his angelic strength took over his self-control... it was clear how pissed he was. How disgusted he was by that asshole grabbing me. It made my heart flutter. He really did that. And for me.
"Ugh," the man moaned. Clearly not a threat, and giving up on trying to be one, he rolled over and cupped his face. "What the fuck steroids are you on?!"
Peter's eyes flashed to his two friends in the booth. "Leave."
I half expected them to fight back or defend their hurt friend. But, unlike most others around, they had the same front row seat as me. They saw how powerful and strong that punch was. The two men just continued to stare at him. "Jesus," the one breathed.
Stepping closer, Peter dragged one of them out of the booth. "Did you not hear me? Take your dumb-fuck friend and get out of here," he hissed in a low threatening tone.
That snapped them into action. With the whole restaurant watching, the two scared and full-grown men complied and quickly left, grabbing the groaning loser along the way. Yeah, that's right, everyone. Be scared of my fallen angel bodyguard.
The area cautiously returned to life once they left. People started to murmur, obviously over the show they all watched. Good. Hopefully it was a good warning to any other assholes present. And for those that weren't present... well, I knew one of the security camera's recorded it. Maybe I could get Vince to play it on a 24/7 loop on the TV behind the bar. You know, as a continuous warning to any other pig-men who dare to dine here.
With a tight expression, Peter's gaze turned to me. He was controlled, contained, but fire still colored his focus. Until Vince rushed over. Before my boss could blow up in rage, Peter immediately jumped in, shifting to sympathetic mode.
"You are the bartender, right? I am sorry that caused such a scene," he said, trying to deescalate everything. "I didn't mean to frighten or disturb anyone."
Vince shook his head. "This is my place, it's not a circus, it's not okay to do those things, and escalate situations to the point where they become violent!"
I spoke up. "He was defending me, he—"
"Oh. You started all this?" he snapped harshly at me.
"Sir, if I may, she did nothing wrong," Peter defended, laying on his charism and charm (which he somehow had on hand for necessary circumstances). "Those men harassed her. Touched her inappropriately; disrespected her physically and verbally. Nobody should have to go through what she did tonight – and nobody, including your customers, should have to hear or witness it either. And I agree. This is not a circus, so their behavior was out of line. Especially here, in one the most respected and nice establishments around here."
I had to fight a smile. Peter's kiss-ass last words made it obvious he was just trying to do damage control. Which he accomplished. The next few minutes, he basically became bossman's best friend. They spoke a little more, he talked up my boss even more, and it resolved well. Peter insisted on covering their unpaid bill too. He impressed my boss even more after getting the bill itself. Peter handed the slip back to him... with a very large tip written on it.
Vince's eyes widened. "You didn't have to do that. With a bill that wasn't yours no less."
"It was the least I could do for causing such a fuss."
"Well, I really appreciate it."
"If only your poor waitress here could catch a break," Peter added.
Vince offered me an apologetic look. "I am sorry you went through that, Josephine. Feel free to take an extended break today, okay?"
Gee. That sure made it all worth it. "Thanks," I nodded.
Before I left to finally take my break, Peter made a point to mention one more thing to his new BFF. "Also, I just want to say... that my waitress here, Josephine, did a fine job serving me," he said, nodding to me before glancing back to him. "She was attentive, polite, checked on me several times – and was such a warm and fun person to have serving me. She was great to chat with too. Anyway, you are very lucky to have her as an employee. Not many people are able to handle difficult situations like she did tonight. Before I got in the way, she was handling them like a pro."
Jesus, did I just hear that right? Peter was just full of surprises tonight – and that was a big one. He knew my boss was frustrated with me earlier. To hear him go out of his way to fix it, put me back in a good light, it was astounding.
"I'm pleased to hear that," Vince said in surprise, smiling to me. "He's right; I am lucky to have you working for me. Tell you what, why don't you take the rest of the night off."
Well. That was for sure better than a long break! Smiling, I cocked a thick brow at him, caught off guard. "Really? Like starting right now?"
"Yeah, we can handle it," Vince said, giving me a sweet smile for the first time today.
"You make sure to go treat yourself. You deserve a break, especially after tonight."
He wasn't wrong. I really did need a break. The last few days have been so mentally draining, so knowing I was free was an immediate relief. And who do I have to thank for it? The last person I would have ever expected.
I couldn't believe everything Peter just did for me. He was worried about my wellbeing. He was willing to wait to talk to me about it until my break. When he requested me as his waitress, he didn't make things difficult or get under my skin like he often enjoyed. He defended me, literally punching a guy for harassing me. Then, he repaired Vince's declining opinion of me, so much so that I was now allowed to end my shift early! It lifted me from the dumps, adding pep to my step after walking out the back door to the employee side lot. Peter did all those things... seemingly just for me.
He wasn't done surprising me either. Not even close.
Under the evening sun, I leaned against my car, waiting for the man I was still reeling over. After a few minutes, he rounded the building. Hands tucked into his joggers, he wandered over.
For how relaxed he was though, his eyes still showed an edge when he stopped a few feet in front of me. "You alright?"
"Uh, yeah I'm alright," I smiled with an obvious tone. "I'm more than alright. You just saved my ass! Literally saved my ass," I snorted.
"All I did was give that guy what he deserved. Frankly, he's lucky there were witnesses," he mumbled with aggravation. "You don't touch a woman against her will like that. Ever."
"I agree. But I think that punch was punishment enough," I smiled, biting the inside of my cheek. I just couldn't help myself. "You put quite a bit of power behind it."
Shrugging, he looked off to the trees. "He deserved it." Then, almost hesitantly, he looked back with a studying gaze. "So you're fine then?"
"Yeah, I'm alright," I said, throwing a smug grin his way. "Why? You don't care," I teased.
"You're right. I don't. I just want to make sure you'll be fine for takeoff."
"Takeoff?"
He glanced down to his watch. "You have exactly two minutes to prepare for your flight this evening."
Completely confused, I raised my brows. "Prepare for my flight?" That made no sense; I must be delusional. Or he's delusional. Yeah, it was definitely him with how different he's already been acting. Or maybe this whole day was one big dream.
He nodded, taking my purse from my shoulder. Walking to my car, he tossed it inside, locked the car, and shoved my keys – yes, my keys – into his pocket. "Almost time to board, Josephine. You ready?"
"For what? Why did you lock my purse in my car?"
"I told you. Get ready. Better overcome that fear of heights pretty quickly."
My confusion vanished. Oh my god. No, he couldn't be serious. No, there was no way, no way he was serious, right? This was too random, too crazy, too scary. I instantly stepped away from him. "No, you are not flying away with me. There is no way. You are out of your mind," I belted with wide eyes. "What are you even talking about? You're not flying off with me."
"Yes, I am," he smirked, checking his watch.
"Whoa, listen, that's going to scare the shit out of me. I... I can't. Please."
"That's why you have ample time to prepare yourself." Stepping closer, he spoke more gently. "I won't go high. I promise. Any special requests?"
"Yeah, I've got a special request. Keep my ass down here!" Sputtering, shaking my head, I scoffed. "Weren't we going to talk? I should have known better. I should have known you weren't just being a nice guy for once who wanted to listen."
"We'll talk and I will listen. I can't change the flight times though," he sighed.
"Oh, right, because you're forced to do this! No, I'm stressed enough as it is right now!"
His gaze trailed along my edges. "Exactly. This will help."
"Help? How? I am about to have a heart attack right now. It will not help," I exclaimed, but surprisingly chuckled with nervousness.
Truly, I was very scared out of my mind. I was scared enough to not even bother hiding it from him. But at the same time, the suddenness and adrenalin offered a weird high. Almost like this type of fear was exciting. Unfortunately, he definitely noticed it too. He studied me amusingly. When I set boundaries before, he always respected them – and I feel like he would have this time too. However, my short smile and chuckle seemed to give him permission to ignore my persistence.
Checking his watch again, he pulled his shirt off. "Times up."
"No! No, wait, I'm not ready, you can't do this. Give me more time. I can't do this!" I could not handle this. My fear of heights made my heart loudly ping in distress. I was so worked up. I was excited, anxious, nervous, scared, freaking out, and I wanted to beat the shit out of him too! "Peter! Seriously, I can't!"
"Yes, you can. You just better not throw up."
"Oh, I'll make myself throw up all over you!"
Guiding me around my car and out of site, he then wrapped an arm around my back and pulled me into his strong body. "You're going to love this. Trust me."
I was too alarmed to be distracted by his looks or closeness. Smacking his bare chest when he pulled me against it, I scowled up to him. "Don't you fucking dare, Peter, don't you dare. What happened to 'you don't touch a woman against her will' huh?!"
"You're not a woman," he said jokingly.
Gasping, my eyes widened. "Fuck you! Oh, you miserable—"
Smirk turning into a bright white grin, he tightened his arm around my back, scooping my legs up with his other. Then, the next second... I'll never forget for the rest of my life. Never forget the insane fear (and excitement he somehow could tell was there with it). The next second... we bolted out of place with ferocious speed!
My arm clamped around him for dear life. I screamed, shut my eyes, and buried my face into his shoulder! "Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!" My heart dropped; my stomach flipped. Oh my god, oh my god, the asshole did it, he really did it! This was really happening! Fast air was whipping against my back and through my hair, rushing past us. I was so scared, so scared, but my exclaims and screams filled with giddy laughs. "Oh my god, I'm going to kill you!"
"I don't know. Seems like you like it."
Though I was terrified, I felt stable and safe in his arms. That's probably the only explanation of why I wasn't having a full-blown meltdown right now. Because no matter how much he pissed me off, I trusted him more than I wanted to. Our smooth movement helped too. Even with my eyes closed and refusing to open, I could tell we were mainly gliding forward, rocking up and down only a few times here and there.
That didn't stop my fear of heights though, especially with this speed. We were going fast. It made that unease still prominent. "How high?" I asked against his shoulder.
"You can relax. We aren't that high at all."
Yeah right. We were literally flying. Even though I could tell we were going forward, our asses were very much in the air. That instantly qualified us as being too high up! Despite that though, I slowly lifted my head. Cradled in his arms, still holding onto him, I opened my eyes – only after some effort. The rushing air hitting my face caused my eyes to sting and water. Blinking several times, I finally managed to see....
My fear, even my deep hatred of heights, was entirely worth this. While we were higher than I wanted, he was right: we weren't that high at all. Well, for what I expected anyway. We were just barely above the tree-tops. The colors of the trees and the bright sky blurred beautifully, like someone took a paintbrush and combined where the green met the bright evening blue.
The sight was an even more frightening reality check, yet, I was loving this! My chest was queasy, but knowing I was safe, it was an exciting fear I didn't expect! Glancing to his face, the tension slowly left my body. "I... I can't believe this! We're going way too fast," I laughed nervously.
"This is slow for me actually."
Holy shit, seriously? This was slow? I was still screaming in my head, this was so crazy, yet this was slow?! My heart was beating so fast. I just could not believe we were in the damn sky. That he would do this! And be nice enough to go 'slow' apparently. I soaked in the colors, the few breaks from the textures of trees, all still blurring together. The wind and speed stung my eyes, forcing me to look away – and instead catch where Peter's face hovered close next to mine.
While I was scared and thrilled, Peter's sage and minty cologne lured me away from the initial shock of this adventure. It invited me to note his stubble dotting his fair skin and jaw. The wind combed his dirty blonde locks back, which were lighter from the sun. More than anything, I loved that rare smile. He was just so... unguarded. For once, he wasn't shielding me from this light-hearted side of him. Before, he would bury any sweetness with cold snowy words, but not tonight. Why? What changed? Not sure, but I wouldn't complain.
Meeting my gaze, that smile grew. "Aren't you glad you boarded this flight, Josephine?"
"Boarded? You forced me into this. Like a hostage."
"Well, if you aren't having fun, I can end our journey." Then, like the ass he was, his hands under me teasingly dropped and loosened, before gripping me tightly again.
"Oh! You piece of shit, don't do that!" I squealed, tightening myself just as I sighed in relief. But because that wasn't enough apparently, he pretended to nearly drop me again! My second shriek turned into a scolding scowl. "You're the fucking worst, Peter!"
"Good. We can't have you too relaxed," he grinned.
Were we in the fucking twilight zone? Who was this suddenly giddy man? Clearly, the ass-side of him was still present, but it complimented his playfulness. Despite this scary surprise, despite him pretending to drop me like an ass, it was delivered with warmth. I wanted to be pissed, but admittedly, I loved this too much to be pissed. Loved flying, loved how unexpected it was, and loved how ballsy and bold he was.
He spoke with more seriousness. "You doing okay so far?"
Gasping at a few quick turns, I laughed. "You're asking after you forced me into it?"
"That's right."
"Well then no, I'm not doing okay," I lied – and knowing damn well he knew it too.
Then, we started to slow... and I could distinguish our view better. I could see we glided above where the ocean met the land, until the shoreline curved and showed a lighthouse. Above the rocky cliff, there was nothing around it but miles of trees. Even from our distance, it was clearly old and weathered. Chunks of the white brick structure were even missing, but it was still intact.
Peter slowed even more, which was strangely scarier than the fast flying. Thanks to his wings regulating our speed, the invisible sails pulled up back, bobbing us up and down. I grit my teeth and gripped him tighter. As he continued to slow... getting closer to the lighthouse, I realized that was our destination.
Surrounding the glass room at the top was a small platform and walkway. Of course he would want to land there. Not on the ground where it was safe and spacious, but at the very top where there was little room to land. "If you crash and burn, I'll be so pissed," I said as we glided towards it.
"Don't worry. I'm graceful in my landings."
"Just like your graceful in your driving?"
Oh shit! His hands jolted again, dropping from under my legs! My scream lasted half a second; as quickly as he pretended to let go, he quickly grabbed my legs.
"Sorry, for some reason, my hands seem to slip when I get insulted."
Glaring at him, I smacked his chest and groaned. Honestly though, while it was a dick move, I loved this sudden light-hearted energy from him. At least it distracted me from our scary landing on the circular and iron walkway. Because before I knew it, his feet touched the grate that wrapped around the lighthouse, smoothly stopping us in place. Thank god! Our flight safely landed!
Arm still draped around his shoulders, I met his eyes with relief. "Welp... thank you for not killing me I guess."
"Thank you for not throwing up on me." Continuing to hold me bridal-style, he carefully assessed me. More specifically, the edges of me Then, his smug lips tilted up. "I knew you would love it."
"Love it?! I was scared out of my mind!"
"Yeah, but you still loved it. Scary things can be exciting and fun."
"Nope, not that." Yes, I admit, that was scary, but incredibly exciting. For how much protesting I did though, I couldn't grant him the satisfaction.
"You can lie and deny all day long," he said, shifting me down and lowering my legs.
The moment I stood on my own, taking in my surroundings, dread flooded me. We landed in the back section of the high overlook. I could see it faced a path up to the lighthouse and the forest of trees. Or rather the tops of trees!
Snapping forward, I grabbed his arm. "Jesus, I didn't realize we were this high up."
He arched a brow. "We are lower than we were flying."
"We are still high up."
"You make zero sense. The lighthouse itself is only a few stories high."
"And it's falling apart," I muttered. The grated floor that made a circle around the top of the lighthouse was only 10 feet wide. I eyed how rusty it was – and the weak railing too. "My point is: if I fall, I die."
While I didn't admit it directly, he could clearly figure out I was scared of heights by now. Why was this more nerve-wracking than flying with him? Beats me. Maybe because this lighthouse was old, falling apart, and the thin walkway was covered in rust. Maybe because I was filled with so much adrenaline before – from being in the sky and being in his arms.
He glanced between my hold and my gaze. "You falling off this lighthouse and dying... would be one very pathetic way for me to fail my job. Wouldn't it?"
Nodding, I sighed. "That would be very pathetic of you."
"Exactly."
Taking a deep breath, I just had to adjust and relax. His vein reasoning was good reasoning. The man literally protected me from demons. He had wings, he was strong, he was fast. The last thing he would let happen, while in sight and in reach, was allow my ass to fall off a damn lighthouse. That's probably why I didn't freak out more when he flew off with me! That's why I shouldn't freak out now.
After allowing me to calm my nerves, he scoffed. "Listen wuss, as long as you are with me, you are safe. Now, come on," he said, linking his arm with mine, guiding me slowly along the circular walkway. "You're going to love this."
Slowly, I walked with him. I was very tense, but weirdly very excited. Rounding the side of the lighthouse allowed me to relax more. I even started to delight in being so high up! Delight a little too much. Like a dork, I couldn't stop nervously laughing to myself. "Oh my god, holy fuck," I chuckled, biting my lip with each slow step against the walk-way. "This is so crazy for me."
"Good," he said, guiding me. "That's the point."
"And I'm not going to think about how old and rusty this grate is under us," I smiled with clenched teeth. It was like earlier: I was scared, yet giddy! My eyes stayed down as he guided me, nearing a few holes and a gap missing from the iron floor. "Holy snickers and fucking twix. I am not going to think about that either! Not going to think about this old, rusty, unsafe, falling-apart lighthouse," I hummed. He carefully stepped around it, helping me do the same. All the while, I instinctively let out a high sing-song voice to myself. "I don't want to die today, I don't want to die today, oh no sir, I better not fall and break my ass open, no, I don't want to die today," I cringed, grinning and groaning.
I couldn't spare to look up, but I heard him stifle a chuckle. I was so focused on watching each step, I didn't realize we made it around the lighthouse and faced the water... until he stopped in place. Finally looking up, my breath caught. While the lighthouse was maybe three stories high, the plummeting cliff below made it feel like ten. Oregon was beautiful, but... this was next level.
Past the deteriorating railing, there was the gorgeous ocean that crashed into the steep rocks below. The rhythm of crashes, one after another, was as soothing as the sight. We were at the bottom corner of the L-shaped shoreline, able to overlook miles of the coast reaching into the distance. The forest beyond the curving cliffs showed some valleys further inland as well. Opposite of it, further out and in the water, were steep rock islands that protruded from the water. All of it was highlighted in an orange hue from the setting sun nearing the water.
"This is amazing," I whispered. Even when hiking the trails to the cliffs, none put me this high up, or offered a view like this. It was gorgeous, the whole landscape, tied together by the pinkening clouds. "If I do fall and die, at least I'm somewhere beautiful."
"What a nice way to look at it."
We stood there for a long moment, taking in the pretty scene. I couldn't help but feel a tinge of excitement. A thrill when I started to withdraw my arm from his. Yes, the total dork I was felt like the biggest risktaker by releasing my lifejacket. I'm okay, I'll be okay, I won't fall, he is still close, suck up your fear. Slowly, I stepped towards the railing, cautiously and slowly. I forced my erratic breathing to calm down. I was fine. I could face this fear – and the sight before me was a wonderful cheerleader as well. Gingerly, I took another step... and rested my hand on the thin pipe railing.
Biting my grin, I glanced over my shoulder to him. "Am I not the biggest badass in the world right now?"
"Biggest badass in the world? When did this happen?"
"Uh, hello, do you see what I'm doing? I am so fucking cool, I actually let go of you."
He fought a smile. "That is pretty ballsy of you."
"I've never been able to do anything like this," I said, heart picking up with exhilaration.
My fear of heights always made me uncomfortable going near a steep drop. Being this high would be ten times worse if he wasn't with me. He was my safety net, my life-vest, a subconscious escape from my usual fears. So, I soaked in this exception of my fear. It was freeing, fun, exciting! I don't remember the last time I ever experienced a thrill like this.
As I was about to learn later... that was the point of all this.