"Emmett, meet Rafael, my date. Rafael, this is my brother's friend and one of my roommates, Emmett Scott."
Emmett's eyes were searing with bubbling anger, something I didn't quite understand in that moment, and Rafael was starting to look a bit pissed off, although for what I wasn't sure.
"Lydia, you didn't tell me you had a male roommate..."
"Yeah, we're all guys. What, she didn't tell you that on your date?"
"What Emmett is falling to explain is that this is my brother's house and due to a recent personal...falling out, I had no choice but to move in here with him and his roommates."
Rafael's eyes cut to me and I noticed them softened a tiny bit when he noticed my pained expression.
"Well, you look wonderful. Are you ready to go?"
As he had said earlier, we were going somewhere to eat and I assumed someone of his influence would already have the best table at the fanciest restaurant in town reserved, so it was purely understandable that a ball of nerves wadded up in my gut at where he was going to be taking us.
"Yeah, let me just grab my bag from my room."
I was only gone for two seconds but as I entered back into the living room, Emmett was leaning down in Rafael's face in an extremely threatening and off putting way.
"Is there a problem here?"
Both of their heads snapped back up but once again it was all fine, as if they didn't know that I had witnessed their heated pissing contest like a couple of competing alpha male dogs.
"No, not a problem at all."
Rafael stood up and both men were the exact same height, but I could tell as they stared each other down once more they both raised their shoulders to try to get an edge on the other.
Okay, that was weird.
I eyed Emmett suspiciously as we left but he just rolled his eyes and escaped to his room behind the kitchen and I laced my arm through Rafael's extended elbow.
"So...what was all that about?"
He grimaced as he walked me to the passenger side of his car.
"How about we save that conversation for the restaurant? You look lovely by the way."
The blush was immediate. It had been a long time since a guy had given me a nice compliment like that. When I was with Nate it was always him telling me I was hot or sexy. Most of the time I wore what I wanted he always criticized it and made me go change into something more 'appropriate' for the situation according to him.
I was disgusted with myself at how long I had let myself spiral into settling for the worst thing for me.
My mom was so right, but the thought of having to go to her and admit that and beg for her forgiveness was a hard pill to swallow, even if I knew I was going to have to do it eventually.
I couldn't avoid her forever, she was family after all, and I knew I was being more than selfish cutting her off after what happened with Nate, but I still wasn't over everything that happened in my childhood. I knew it was all in the past but sometimes it was hard to let those things that happened to me stay buried the way she wanted them to...
"So, where are you taking me?"
He slid on his reflective sunglasses to ward off the bright setting sun and rested his hand on the gear shift, the tan of his skin almost matching mine.
If I tried to tan in the summer I could look at least three shades darker but with the seasons flipping back and forth from Spring to back into Winter at the drop of a hat I didn't see a need for tanning so early in the year.
I was technically considered biracial, with my mother full blooded Native American and my father being white, but I was always asked constantly where I was from and what I was.
My mother's culture was a huge part of our lives, and I always had to fend off my dad's side of the family when they called her too superstitious and that her traditions were outdated.
I was starting to miss the smell of sage burning in the house and attending pow wows with the family.
"We are going to my favorite restaurant. I hope you enjoy milkshakes."
I turned to him in confusion.
"Milkshakes?"
The corners of his mouth turned up in a rueful smile and I didn't think I could be more attracted to him in that moment.
"I thought a five star restaurant might be a little too much for a first date..."
"Good call."
The silence surrounded us in a comfortable stretch but there was something nagging me that I couldn't let go of.
We finally pulled up to a quaint diner with a pink exterior and personalized embellishments.
It was also a major plus that I'd never been to said establishment with a certain ex of mine that I never wanted to have to see again.
Rafael came to my side of the car to open my door for me before I could get out myself and offered me his hand.
I wasn't expecting the chivalry considering it was pretty much dead in modern times but it was a nice change to the relationship I'd just left.
I hooked my arm through his and allowed him to escort me inside, feeling strange and out of place considering it still felt like I was still trapped in a loveless engagement with someone who hated being seen out with me, and looking back I realized it was because he took her everywhere instead of me, leaving me back at home working to pay for everything that he was spending.
Soon we were seated and it was all I could do to keep the question from bursting out of my mouth. He ordered for the both of sand then it was finally my chance.
"So...how do you know Emmett?"
Him? It had to be him, of all the people in Texas, let alone the rest of the world! And she had to be going on a date with one of the worst people I'd ever met in my entire life.
I had to warn her that Rafael was bad news, and definitely not dating material for a girl like her...a girl that was all light and pure, someone who had been through enough in her life that she didn't need to add one more shitty thing to the list of shit that she'd been dealt in her life.
I was probably one of those things too, which was why I'd stayed away for so long and pushed myself away from her as best as I could. Even I knew I wasn't good enough for her, and I hadn't done half the terrible shit that Rafael had done in the short amount of time that I'd known him.
He was worse than bad news, he was pretty much the devil reincarnate. And I was going to show her proof of just that.
I scoured my phone to see if I still had the proof on there somewhere, but of course I'd deleted everything when I switched phones a few months prior.
I'd need something better, some more hard proof.
I suddenly found myself thinking of doing something that I never thought in a million years I'd be doing, but if it was for Lydia and to help her see what a monster that guy was then it would be worth it. I just hoped they hadn't gone too far yet...
Rafael wasn't one to wait, that much was for sure. I shuddered at the memories of what I'd witnessed him do, the slimy, disgusting scene crawling through my head at a sickeningly slow pace and I found myself wanting to throw up right then and there but I still found myself dialing the number, praying that the woman I despised almost as much as Rafael would pick up.
What was it that they always said, 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend'?
"Hello?"
"Marnie, it's Emmett. Don't hang up. Listen, I need a favor...and you're probably not gonna like it."