table behind me. “Steve, no! I don’t want to go any further. Can we please go back to the party?” I didn’t really want to go back to the party, though, at least not with Steve. And definitely not before I could get to a bathroom and clean myself up.
Steve took a step toward me. “We’ll go back to the party, alright, Mackenzie, when we’re done here.” He took another step toward me, closing the gap between us, and I had no where to go with the table behind me. “But we’re not done here yet.”
“Don’t come any closer, Steve.” Whatever affection I had had for this guy I’d been on a few dates with was all gone, turned to ash in just a few moments. What had looked like an attractive and well-to-do guy had revealed himself as a monster.
“Or what, Mackenzie? What’ll you do?” He leaned forward and I could feel his hot breath on me. I closed my eyes, unable to move, not sure what I should do. Would anyone hear me if I screamed? Would anyone believe me?
“Please, Steve,” I pleaded, hoping to appeal to whatever goodness there might be inside him. “Please let’s just forget this ever happened and leave.”
“I’d like to do that, Mackenzie,” Steve’s voice got higher, like he was arguing with himself in a different voice. His eyes had lost their directness, like he wasn’t even present in the moment while attacking me. “But we’re not done here yet, so I ca-“
“You’re fucking done here, pal,” a gruff and hard voice called out from behind Steve. He turned around, surprised at the intrusion. At first Steve looked straight across at the man who had interrupted him, but when he came face to face with muscle instead of a head, Steve slowly turned his neck upward. “You just don’t know it yet.”
Hudson Asher stood in the doorway, barely able to fit through it without turning to the side first. My breath quickened even further. As horrible a situation as was I in, seeing Hudson in front of me like that made me weak in the knees.
Steve swallowed. “This doesn’t concern you, Asher.” He pointed at me over his shoulder with his thumb. “This is between me and Mackenzie.”
“I’m making it concern me, Steve,” Hudson spit out his name. “You’ve got about 5 seconds to leave the room and never speak to Mackenzie again, or I can’t promise anything after that.”
Steve barked out a laugh. “Or you’ll what?” He raised his arms, waving his hands in front of Hudson like he was pantomiming being scared. “The big old linebacker’s gonna stare at me funny? Is that what you’ll do? Try and tackle me and miss?” He laughed again. “Please. You won’t do shit. Run along, Asher.”
I couldn’t tell whether Steve’s demeanor was an act or unreasonable confidence or a sly game meant to try and throw Hudson off. Whatever it was, I was thrilled to see it not work.
Hudson took a step closer and if it were possible he stood up even straighter, towering over Steve. I couldn’t see Steve’s face from this angle, but I could feel his entire body hunch over a little bit, like his confidence was beginning to fail him.
“W-wait, Asher, let’s-let’s talk about this,” he stammered out. Steve put his hands up again, as if to ward Hudson off, and I saw Hudson relax a little bit, sure that the tension in this scene had started to defuse, even if just a tiny amount.
That’s when Steve struck, coiling his hands into fists while they were still out and stepping into Hudson’s midsection, hitting him straight on with a right and left, hard. I heard the sounds of Steve’s fists impacting on Hudson’s core, and I choked out “Hudson!” just as the first punch hit, covering my mouth at the last second to avoid screaming.
Hudson barely flinched. He leaned over a bit, like he was preparing for the punch, but the actual hits had little to no effect on him. Steve looked at him up shock, his confidence failing him in full, and then he gritted his teeth and tried to
Steve took a step toward me. “We’ll go back to the party, alright, Mackenzie, when we’re done here.” He took another step toward me, closing the gap between us, and I had no where to go with the table behind me. “But we’re not done here yet.”
“Don’t come any closer, Steve.” Whatever affection I had had for this guy I’d been on a few dates with was all gone, turned to ash in just a few moments. What had looked like an attractive and well-to-do guy had revealed himself as a monster.
“Or what, Mackenzie? What’ll you do?” He leaned forward and I could feel his hot breath on me. I closed my eyes, unable to move, not sure what I should do. Would anyone hear me if I screamed? Would anyone believe me?
“Please, Steve,” I pleaded, hoping to appeal to whatever goodness there might be inside him. “Please let’s just forget this ever happened and leave.”
“I’d like to do that, Mackenzie,” Steve’s voice got higher, like he was arguing with himself in a different voice. His eyes had lost their directness, like he wasn’t even present in the moment while attacking me. “But we’re not done here yet, so I ca-“
“You’re fucking done here, pal,” a gruff and hard voice called out from behind Steve. He turned around, surprised at the intrusion. At first Steve looked straight across at the man who had interrupted him, but when he came face to face with muscle instead of a head, Steve slowly turned his neck upward. “You just don’t know it yet.”
Hudson Asher stood in the doorway, barely able to fit through it without turning to the side first. My breath quickened even further. As horrible a situation as was I in, seeing Hudson in front of me like that made me weak in the knees.
Steve swallowed. “This doesn’t concern you, Asher.” He pointed at me over his shoulder with his thumb. “This is between me and Mackenzie.”
“I’m making it concern me, Steve,” Hudson spit out his name. “You’ve got about 5 seconds to leave the room and never speak to Mackenzie again, or I can’t promise anything after that.”
Steve barked out a laugh. “Or you’ll what?” He raised his arms, waving his hands in front of Hudson like he was pantomiming being scared. “The big old linebacker’s gonna stare at me funny? Is that what you’ll do? Try and tackle me and miss?” He laughed again. “Please. You won’t do shit. Run along, Asher.”
I couldn’t tell whether Steve’s demeanor was an act or unreasonable confidence or a sly game meant to try and throw Hudson off. Whatever it was, I was thrilled to see it not work.
Hudson took a step closer and if it were possible he stood up even straighter, towering over Steve. I couldn’t see Steve’s face from this angle, but I could feel his entire body hunch over a little bit, like his confidence was beginning to fail him.
“W-wait, Asher, let’s-let’s talk about this,” he stammered out. Steve put his hands up again, as if to ward Hudson off, and I saw Hudson relax a little bit, sure that the tension in this scene had started to defuse, even if just a tiny amount.
That’s when Steve struck, coiling his hands into fists while they were still out and stepping into Hudson’s midsection, hitting him straight on with a right and left, hard. I heard the sounds of Steve’s fists impacting on Hudson’s core, and I choked out “Hudson!” just as the first punch hit, covering my mouth at the last second to avoid screaming.
Hudson barely flinched. He leaned over a bit, like he was preparing for the punch, but the actual hits had little to no effect on him. Steve looked at him up shock, his confidence failing him in full, and then he gritted his teeth and tried to
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