Tales of a Single Girl....

Chapter fifteen: A Truce of Sorts

Rob turned to look at Robert. "Who the fuck are you? Her boyfriend? Look more like a faggot to me." He burst out laughing, as if he'd said something hilarious.

"I know this girl and trust me, she is not interested in you," Robert stated calmly, smoothly.

Rob glared at him. "I'd like to hear her say that."

"You already have," I retorted. "I told you to leave me alone!"

"And I heard her say it," Robert countered.

Rob looked at Robert for a moment longer, as if weighing the situation. Then he appeared to accept defeat. "Whatever," he mumbled and turned back to the bar. "Sounds like you two arseholes deserve each other."

Robert looked as if he wanted to say something else but I quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him away. "Please let's just get out of here," I begged him. "Just quit while we're ahead."

Robert glared at him for a moment longer and then allowed himself to be pulled out of the bar. I was so relieved to see him, until I remembered the reason I had gone there to get drunk in the first place.

"Well," I said, trying to inject as much self righteous anger as I could muster. "I'm very grateful to you for everything you've done for me but now if you'll excuse me, I'd better be heading home." Nothing like being sexually assaulted to clear one's head after a drinking session.

"That's all the thanks I get for saving you from that creep?" Robert snapped.

"If you hadn't acted like such a jerk before, then maybe I wouldn't have ended up with him in the first place!" I heard myself yell, suddenly close to tears. "Did you know that she's married and that she's already cheating on her husband and how could you do that to me, we were supposed to be on a date for God's sake and we were getting along so well and I thought you liked me and I don't understand...." I stopped babbling and without another word, ran to the corner and threw up.

It was horrible. I was vomiting for what felt like five minutes and the whole time, I could sense Robert standing behind me, waiting to catch me if I fell. After I'd finished, his arm came around me to steady me, which was just as well because the world started spinning at that point. Without thinking, I pressed my face into his shirt and the steady beat of his heart in my ears filled me with a sense of calm.

When I finally felt a bit better, I looked up at him and started crying. Digging through my handbag, I pulled out a tissue to wipe my face. Robert ran his fingers through my hair and then tilted my chin up so he could look at me. We stared at each other for the next few minutes and then he finally broke the silence.

"I'm taking you home."

It didn't even occur to me to argue with him. We started walking and then in the distance, we saw a group of guys following us. I recognised one of them as being our friend Rob from Sass.

"What do we do?" I asked softly.

As if our guardian angel were watching over us, a taxi suddenly pulled up and Robert hailed it. We both got in without another word and Robert gave the driver an address which I didn't recognise as my own. I turned to look at him questioningly and he shrugged his shoulders in reply. "I said I was taking you home but I didn't necessarily say it would be your home," was his reply.

Instinctively, I turned to look out the back window, where that same group of guys were standing there watching us ominously. My heart skipped a beat. "Why do I feel as if we made a lucky escape?" I asked Robert.

He raised an eyebrow. "Because we did."

I leaned against him then, without thinking and he put his arm around me. When we finally made it to his place and Robert paid the driver, we walked to his front door and went in and he led me over to the couch. I looked at him, feeling helpless.