“Hey, Bella,” the visitor said. “Didn’t realize you had company.”
He was almost my height, short black hair combed neatly to the side. Large, dark eyes were set against skin turned brown from the sun.
Bella’s demeanor changed immediately. Anxiousness stiffened her shoulders and something flickered in her eyes. Something like irritation. Or fear.
He looked at me. “I don’t know you.”
“No,” I said. “You don’t.”
He glanced at Bella. “New boyfriend?”
She shifted her weight from foot to foot, not answering. She looked at me. “You can go. It’s fine.”
I didn’t move.
“Did you not hear her?” the guy asked, smiling at me.
I looked at Bella. “Maybe I should stay for that other beer.”
She hesitated, then shook her head. “No, it’s okay. Really.”
“If you two need to finish saying goodnight, I can go wait at the curb.” His tone was patronizing.
I didn’t like him. I didn’t like his arrogance or his attitude or the way he was showing up late at night. The way he looked at Bella wasn’t friendly, but I wasn’t exactly sure what it was.
“David,” she said, shaking her head. “Just…” She sighed and looked at me. “It’s fine. I’m fine. Just go.”
There was no mistaking that she wasn’t happy to see him, whoever he was. But she was telling me to go after I’d offered to stay, so I didn’t feel like it was my place to stick around.
“Okay,” I said.
I stepped outside, next to a smiling David, who seemed to have it all figured out.
I picked up my bike from the driveway.
“A bike?” David asked. “Really?”
“Shut up,” Bella said.
I threw a leg over the bike and sat there for a moment.
“Just put your feet on the pedals and go.” He spoke as though he were talking to Jackson. “It’s not hard.”
“David!”
I stared at him, taking in his face and absorbing everything else about him.
He didn’t care for that and stepped toward me, away from the door. “You need something?”
Bella stepped outside, panic lacing her face. There was clearly something about the guy that was scaring her and I was torn as to what to do.
She brushed past him and planted herself in front of me.
“Just go,” she said. “I’ll explain tomorrow. I promise. I’ll be fine. Okay?”
Nothing felt right about the situation. Not a single thing. And as much as I didn’t want to be involved in anything that exposed me, that left me vulnerable, I wasn’t comfortable leaving her with someone who did not seem like a good guy in any way.
But she was telling me to go.
“Okay,” I said. “Find me tomorrow.”
“I will,” she said. “Promise.”
I pedaled away into the dark.