The Spark

“Hey,” I yelled. “Where’s your buddy?”

He pointed toward the yard. “He went to take a piss. Dude must’ve gotten lost.”

The hair on the back of my neck stood up, and I didn’t waste time shutting the trunk before I took off for the house. I ripped open the front door and ran straight through to the back. The dirtbag was only a few feet from Autumn. He backed up and held his hands up in the air when he saw me fly through the door.

“What the hell are you doing back here?”

The guy kept stepping back. “Just talking to the pretty lady.”

I looked over at Autumn. “You okay?”

Dario busted through the back door.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” She looked a little nervous as she glanced between the two of us, but she shook her head. “He was just leaving.”

“Why don’t you get going, Eddie?” Dario gave a curt nod and glared at the guy.

I scowled. “Don’t make me ask, too.”

Eddie looked pretty pissed off, but that was nothing compared to the anger radiating from me. The vein in my neck bulged and my heart pumped a million miles a minute.

At least the jerk was smart enough to realize walking away was the only option he had. He huffed, but walked around the side of the house without another word. I followed to make sure he really left.

As soon as he hit the street, I turned back to Autumn. “You sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little shook up. He didn’t do anything, just caught me off guard because I’d been on the phone, and suddenly he was standing a few feet away in the dark. He asked me if I wanted to party, and I told him I thought it was best if he left.”

I rubbed my neck and blew out a jagged breath. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left you alone.”

“I was only out here a few minutes.”

I shook my head. “That’s a few minutes too long.”

It took until we’d gotten in the car and driven six or eight blocks before my heart started to slow down. Autumn just kept staring at the window, her arms wrapped tightly around her body.

“I’m sorry, Autumn.”

“It’s fine. It’s not your fault, and nothing happened.”

“It is my fault, and you don’t look fine.”

She frowned and turned back to stare out the window some more. Bud’s house wasn’t too far, so a few minutes later, we pulled up outside. I put the car in park. I was never going to be able to relax just letting her drive away. “Would you mind if I followed you home?” I asked. “Or better yet, you can leave your car here, and I’ll drop you?”

She looked down for a minute before nodding. “You can follow me. But come inside when we get there. I want to talk to you anyway.”