... and Forever (Next Generation: Chaos Bleeds 1)

“Ugh, I’ve turned into that woman who waits around for a lifetime for a guy who’s never going to turn up. I can’t believe it.” She shook her head, dropping her head into her hands.

“I love the weird glares I’m getting, but could you please keep it together?” Niles asked.

She lifted her head up and groaned. “I’m sorry. I’m not normally like this.”

“I have no doubt. I bet you’re usually really funny.”

“Not in a long time. The most excitement I get is when a pair of Nathan’s socks goes missing. Especially if they’re his favorite. He likes everything to do with the sea. He’s going to be a pirate one day. He has to have these socks for bed.” She shook her head and laughed. “This is so awful.”

“It’s fine.”

“Why are you being so nice to me?”

“I’m a nice guy.”

She sighed. “You are and thank you.” She held his hand, giving it a squeeze.

“I think this can go down as the weirdest date in history though. I will have you to thank for that.” He smiled as he said it, and she joined in, laughing.

It was nice to not think. To just be.

The waiter brought their food and she had a beautiful rich tomato sauce that was so delicious. She closed her eyes, basking in every single bite, enjoying the taste as it exploded on her tongue. It was really good.

For the remainder of the meal, she listened to Niles, hearing about his life. He had two sisters, both younger. One was a lawyer, another a doctor. Both were very competitive. His parents lived over in Italy. They’d retired there a couple of years ago. He often traveled to see them.

They wanted all of their kids around them, but understood they were living their dreams. Niles always wanted to work in banking or accounting. He was good with numbers. She listened to him talk and it was a lot of fun just to relax, not having to take charge of the conversation. He was fun to listen to.

By the end of their meal, she enjoyed a chocolate dessert while he ordered the cheesecake. Afterward, she wasn’t ready to head on home, and so they decided to take a short walk.

She put her hand through his arm, linking them up as they enjoyed the night air.

It was dark and there was a slight chill to the air. They were due another heat wave. Nathan had already asked if he could get the pool out and she’d agreed. If it was going to be as hot as they said, she was going to enjoy it by the small pool, after work.

“You know, I think we’ve walked far enough,” Niles said, coming to a sudden stop.

Tabitha lifted her head and glanced around. The buildings with the intricate designs and pretty titles were gone.

She saw the rundown buildings, broken windows, and graffiti all over the wall. She’d been enjoying their walk and hadn’t paid attention to where they were heading. Up ahead, she saw light filling the night. She and Niles stood near the last lit lamppost.

Noise.

Heavy grunts.

Yells.

Cheers.

Groans.

All of it filled the air, making her heart race. She didn’t know what the cause was, but she knew she wanted to find out. Would it be so hard to go and see what all the fuss was about?

“I think we should head back.”

“Do we have to go?” she asked. She had to go and see what was up ahead.

“Really, Tabitha, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he said. “I promised your father I’d take care of you.”

“We’re only going to go and check it out. It’ll be fun. You said yourself you wanted adventure.”

He pulled against her hand, not moving an inch.

“Niles?”

“Look, I’m not … I’m not a fighter. I’ve never been in a single brawl. I run a bank. I’m not … I don’t know how to protect you.”

“You don’t need to protect me, Niles. Come on. You said you’d give me a good time. I want to go and see what all the fuss is about. It’ll be fun. You’ll be surprised.” She didn’t know if it would be fun for him but it would be for her.

She honestly didn’t know if she was making the biggest mistake of her life. Ever since she’d had her altercation with Miss Andrea, something had been woken up inside her. She’d found herself going to the Quad. She didn’t know if it was still used by the latest bunch of Skulls and kids. There had always been rumors spread about what happened there. She heard them but didn’t partake.

The fight was back inside her.

She pulled Niles along behind her. His name was so close to her twin brother’s, who she hadn’t seen in a short time. He was prospecting for the club and Lash wasn’t taking it easy on him, or on Anthony.