Never Let You Fall (Previous title, Dance in the Rain)

~ Chapter 2 ~ Joel ~

Where was I? My head pounded to its own beat, and the energy to pry open my sleep-filled eyes eluded me. After some time, I cracked open one eye to squint at the dim room, and a vague remembrance of stumbling through the house and collapsing into bed crept through my mind.

I'd protested when Alex had hung the blackout curtains, but now I appreciated them more than words could express. The mere thought of the bright rays of sun invading my space caused a wave of nausea, and I clenched my eyes shut and dug my nails into my sweaty, shaking palms.

Alex hadn't come home last night, and the empty space in our bed taunted me. My wife had holed up at Aiden's house. Again. Curls of anger twisted my gut. She'd twitched her little finger, and the man rescued her like he always had, and always would.

Most people underestimated the strength of their connection, but I'd never forgotten my conversation with Alex an eternity ago.

"You spend way too much time with my best friend." I'd allowed my irritation to show after we'd scrapped, and she'd run to Aiden.

"He's my friend too. In fact, he was mine first. I introduced you to him. Remember? Aiden's my best friend in the entire world." She'd leveled those amazing but serious blue eyes in my direction.

"You can't have a bestie who's a guy! It never works unless they're gay, and Aiden's far too interested in chasing skirts."

My loving wife—well, girlfriend at that time—had smirked and agreed on at least one part of my statement. Aiden Hamilton loved women. Particularly a certain long-legged, blue-eyed blonde named Tiffany Baxter. But Alex still asserted a man and woman could be friends without the complications of a romantic entanglement.

She thought of Aiden as her brother, she said. A trusted confidant. Given over ninety-five percent of women panted after the guy, it seemed impossible. Hell, even I had to admit he was damn good-looking with an enviable physique most men would kill for.

Chick magnet was what I called him. Put him and our friend, Ryan, together shirtless on a beach and they'd draw a crowd of ladies. Not that Tom and I were so bad. We were far from it, but I always felt inadequate beside Aiden. Add Ryan and it became intolerable.

When she'd introduced us as teens, I'd assumed Alex nurtured a secret crush for Aiden as they'd seemed inseparable. But I re-evaluated my assumptions when Tiffany had entered the scene that fall at school. Alex noticed their mutual attraction and had invited Tiffany to join in our escapades, orchestrating them being together with any sign of jealousy.

After that, it became my sole mission to win Alex's heart. It took a couple of years, but I persisted and then thanked my lucky stars a woman like her would choose me over him.

Despite my initial envy over Alex, Aiden and I had become great friends over the years. Well, we were close, until I sent him overboard. I rolled and buried my head in my pillow to shut out the hazy images that haunted me. Some nights, Savannah's screams rang in my ears, and I'd awake bathed in a cold sweat. Images of her with tears cascading down her cheeks as she fought to manage the sailboat had imprinted in my mind. Even now I remembered how the boat had lurched and dipped through the rough seas, my stomach rolling along with it. How his daughter had pounded her fists against my chest and screeched at me until reality cut through my drunken stupor. That day had become my worst nightmare, that endless heart-pounding terror that had gripped me until we'd found him.

That our friend had survived the dunk in the frigid waters was a miracle. If it had been me in the drink that afternoon, I'd be drifting around the bottom of the ocean, nothing but food for the fishes.