Will You Love Me Then?

Chapter 2 - Summer

The man next to me ignored my obvious attempt to put some space between us and moved closer until the side of his leg was touching mine. I don't like feeling trapped, but I really don't like being touched by strangers.

"Can you please move over some? You are kind of smashing me into the window," I quietly asked. He ignored me and grabbed a piece of my hair, twirling it around his fingers.

"Darling, I can show a good smashing if you want," he said, running his hand down my arm.

I shrugged him off and made my voice as harsh as possible, "No. You need to leave now. All three of you. Go."

He laughed at me. They all did. I felt my face heat up with embarrassment and the man reached for my hair again.

"Stop. Please...leave...or I will...."

"You will what?" he mocked.

Cry. "Scream," I replied, trying to sound confident but my voice came out squeaky and quiet.

"You won't do that, darling."

I wouldn't and I hated the fact that he knew that. I could barely make full sentences and my heart was pounding so hard, I was pretty sure they could hear it. I felt a foot run up my leg under the table and I shot a glare at the man across from me. He smirked and I moved my legs to the side, trying to avoid his feet.

"Stop.... please," I pleaded and the man next to me put his arm back around me, pulling me into him.

"Babe!" I hear a voice call, "Are these guys bothering you?"

I looked up to see a brown-haired man, smiling at me but at my nod to his question he sent a glare to the man holding me.

"Respectfully, if you don't get your grubby unwashed greasy hands of my girlfriend this very instant, I will personally rip you out from this booth and respectfully, I will rearrange your ugly face."

He continued to smile but his voice was low and kind of intimidating. He was kind of intimidating, especially with the way he placed his hands on the edge of the table and leaned down toward the man sitting next to me. With a scoff, the man removed his hands from me and begrudgingly got out of the booth. The brown-headed man immediately took his place. He dipped his head next to mine and quietly whispered against my ear, "Just go along with it for now."

He casually slung his arm over my shoulders, and I responded by leaning my head against his shoulder. He rubbed his hand up and down my arm, but I did not feel as uncomfortable as I did when the other man did that same gesture.

"Well gentlemen, as fun as this has been, I would like some time with my girlfriend. Alone."

The men across the table from me frowned but got up anyway. The initial man looked back at me and said, "You are just a slut who is probably bad in bed anyway."

The man holding me let out a small laugh, "I can assure you that she is far from bad. Unfortunately for you, I don't like to share, and she dislikes creeps. So, bye bye now." He waved his free hand in a dismissive manner. The other men scowled, and I wanted the world to just swallow me whole. I could only imagine how red my face was and I took a few slow deep breaths, trying to calm myself down.

"They are gone now, you can stop smelling me," the man said, and I immediately jerked my head up, once again feeling embarrassed.

He slid over some, removing his arm from my shoulders and I sighed for what seemed to be the hundredth time that night.

"Are you okay?" he quietly asked.

Definitely not. "Yeah, thank you."

"Anytime. My name is Elijah, but everyone just calls me Eli," he said, trying to ease the awkwardness between us. Or maybe I was the only one feeling awkward. He seems relaxed and confident; two things I almost never feel.