Heaven Can Wait || Eddie Munson Story ||

Shake Your Foundations

"AnnMarie?" The guy asks, moving suddenly forward, with his arms open. He looks pleasantly surprised to see her but there is a twinkle in his eyes that doesn't sit well with me. AnnMarie's reaction also makes me uneasy. She looks pale and drawn in on herself. My girl looks lost for words and that has never happened before.

"You two know one another?" Jonathan asked him, just as surprised as the rest of us.

"We go way back," his grin was telling and I looked at AnnMarie. She was purposely looking away from me, leaning slightly towards Robin. The hand not holding mine was rubbing up and down her thigh in a nervous rhythm.

"When did you and Argyle meet?" Will asks AnnMarie, eyebrows furrowing.

"High school," AnnMarie answers, her eyes stay fixed on the table. She looks as though she is going to jump out of her skin. I try to get her attention by tapping the back of her hand with my thumb but she doesn't look up.

Jonathan motions for Argyle to take a seat beside him and a waiter comes over to get his order. He throws his long black hair over his shoulder and smiles up at the girl, making jokes about the menu as he decides what to get. Once she retreats to the kitchen he tucks his cloth napkin into his collar and turns to the group.

"I would spend my summers in Arizona with my abuelita and AnnMarie was friends with one of my cousins. We spent a lot of time together." His tone was suggestive and it didn't take much to put two and two together. AnnMarie and Argyle had dated or at the very least they had been hooking up.

Argyle seemed to be enjoying making AnnMarie uncomfortable which pisses me off. History or not, she is mine now. I let go of her hand and throw my arm possessively over her shoulder, leaning back slightly in my chair. Argyle glances back and forth between us as he talks to Jonathan.

The rest of the meal, I sit and watch as Argyle continue to try to engage AnnMarie in conversation and she continues to only answer in one word sentences. She eventually relaxes against me and places her hand on my thigh. Her touch helps to calm the rage growing inside me at each hungry gaze Argyle shoots her way. Tonight is about Nancy though and I do my best to focus on AnnMarie's hand and all the hard effort Steve is making sitting here with Jonathan. If I can be half the man Harrington is than all the better.

"AnnMarie, are you still working on your horror comics?" Argyle asks suddenly and we all turn to look at her. She blushes so deeply her skin matches her shirt.

"I didn't know you draw," Will said, excitedly.

"She's amazing. Isn't she Eddie?" Argyle covered his mouth with his wine glass, a nasty glint in his eyes.

"I haven't seen her drawings," I say quietly, frustrated that I fell right into his trap.

"She paints too. I've modeled for her a few times. She is really great. I'm surprised she hasn't jumped at the chance to ask you."

My free hand balled up into a fist on my lap. Steve was signaling for the waiter to bring around the checks, sensing that we would need to go soon. Nancy was gathering her gifts and talking quietly with Robin, El, and Max about her evening. The boys had mostly dispersed to hang out outside and wait for us to settle the bill. AnnMarie was as still as a statue. I had never seen her act this way before. It was as if she was afraid saying too much would let us into her world and the idea of that scared her more than her actually standing up for herself.

So Argyle continued to poke and prod as we said our goodbyes and headed toward the van. The ride back was mostly quiet. I didn't know what to say. When I got with AnnMarie I found myself lucky that I didn't have to deal with any ex boyfriends, since they all lived so far. I wasn't prepared for one to come crashing in our perfect little bubble so suddenly.