Now I See You | ✓

Thirty-Three

Aubin steps away from me instantly, his temper flaring as he strides across the kitchen to the pair, grabbing the guy by the scruff of the neck and yanking him away from the girl, who's shaking, fear written all over her face.

I hurry towards her and my eyes connect with Aubin's for a second, just long enough to confirm that he'll deal with him and I'll see to her.

In any other scenario, our silent communication would make me grin, but I'm too concentrated on the scared girl in front of me to care. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Aubin drag the guy out of the kitchen, hopefully to throw him out of the party altogether, but I turn back to the girl in front of me.

"Hey," I murmur gently, trying to stay as calm as possible for her. "My name's Judah."

I'm tempted to ask what exactly was going on, but I'm not entirely sure how up for that conversation she is. The important thing is making sure she's safe right now.

"Frankie," she hiccups, tears welling in her eyes. "I'm sorry."

Fucking hell. Isn't it typical that she feels the need to apologise after she's been assaulted? I can feel the fury thrumming through my veins, but I try to push it back, hoping that Aubin is serving justice elsewhere.

"Don't apologise," I refute, shaking my head. "How are you feeling? Shall we get you some water and then take you home?"

Frankie agrees shakily, so I lead her to a stool at the kitchen island and then take a water bottle from the fridge, passing it to her.

She's very shaken up, but doesn't seem to have any other signs of physical hurt on her, which I guess is a good thing, but the whole scenario still makes me feel pretty sick.

I manage to coax some conversation out of her though, discovering that she lives pretty close to me, but her roommate stayed at home, and she's not sure where her friends are.

I smile at her, squeeze her hand gently and assure her that I'll get her home safely.

But, when Aubin arrives back in the room, jaw carved from stone because he's so angry, Frankie instinctively shifts backwards in her seat, shrinking away from him.

I completely understand her reaction given what just happened to her, but for a second, it strikes me as odd that anyone would be scared of this man with his heart of gold. I'm probably privy to more than most, though, and I guess I see his more sensitive side while others might not.

He freezes as soon as he realises what's happening, eyes shifting to me in a panic, as I realise I have to do some damage control here.

I'm just not sure how to explain it, though. How do I tell her that we used to be friends with benefits, then just friends, and now we're friends still getting benefits but also dating as well, and still expect her to take me seriously? So, deciding that the positives outweigh the negatives here, I squeeze her hand again gently. "Frankie, this is my boyfriend, Aubin. He's not going to hurt you."

Aubin, bless his heart, doesn't even miss a beat. He stays where he is, but smiles at Frankie, obviously being careful not to encroach on her space. "Hey, Frankie."

She manages a weak smile, before turning back to me.

"Come on," I murmur, noticing that she's drunk quite a bit of her water. "Let's get you home."

The three of us leave the house, with the party in full swing, Aubin leading the way, while I wind my arm through Frankie's and shepherd her outside. We make a stop on the way to grab Frankie's coat, so by the time we're by the front steps of the house, the Uber that Aubin ordered has arrived.