The Knight in Leather Armor

ch.14 Against the wall

My breathing became heavy and my palms were sweaty.  Harry isn’t a vocal person; I was afraid he had gone straight into the physical stuff and hurt or threatened to hurt Liam.

“What did he say?” I asked, almost demanded.

Liam shrugged his shoulders.

“Nothing,” Liam shrugged his shoulders.

Liam is a talker, he is sweet and docile, so I knew his quietness was a sign he had a lot to say, but couldn’t get himself to say it.

“Liam, what did he say?” I asked as calmly as I could.

What if Harry had really threatened to hurt him? What if he had already hurt him and I just couldn’t tell because he was internally bleeding.

“It was nothing, really. But--” Liam tried to brush it off.

I nodded, urging him to continue.

“Well, he just said that he would kind of kill me if I ever hurt you,” Liam replied slowly, painfully as he recalled Harry’s undoubtedly firm words and violent glaring green marbles. 

I stared at Liam with wide, bewildered eyes. It was one thing for Harry to go around annoying me, but it was another for him to try to hurt poor, innocent Liam.

My fists clenched in my lap and I wished-- for once-- that Harry was here so that I could punch him square in his face and ruin those perfect little dimples.

“He said that?” I asked, even though I knew it was true. 

Liam nodded. “Well, his exact words had some other vocabulary, but I’d rather not say them in front of you,” Liam added, giving me a polite smile.

“He has no right to say that. He has no right to try to control me. He’s not Danny,” I shook my head. My voice got louder and louder.

A woman in the table in front of us gave me a look.

“It’s ok, Angie. He was just trying to be protective,” he replied, taking my hand in his.

“No, Liam, it’s not. It’s not ok,” I repeated, more for myself than for Liam.

I took a deep breath and excused myself. I had to hit something. And I had to hit it hard.

“Waiter, can I have the bill?” Liam asked.

I went outside, hoping the icy winds would cool me off. Instead, they just made me shiver. I wrapped my hands around my waist, rubbing for warmth. Why am I getting so worked up over this? Over Harry?

“Angela, are you ok?” a deep, raspy voice asked, almost demanded from close behind.

He took my arm and spun me around so fast that I slammed into his hard chest, his leather armor.  

“YOU!” I pointed at him accusingly. “Why are you everywhere!?” I shouted. I pressed my hands against his chest, trying to push him away.

I was free from his grasp. For a moment.

But he took both my wrists in his hands and pulled me to him.

“What happened? Did he hurt you?” he asked, not bothering to mask the boiling anger in his deep voice. He lifted my chin up so that I looked him in his cold, hard eyes. He searched my face, my arms and gazed down at my dress for any signs of Liam’s foul play. The only foul play occurring was right here, with Harry.

I tried to wriggle free from his grasp in his brief moment of unawareness. But he gripped me harder, pulling me closer to him.

“NO! He did not hurt me! The only person hurting me right now is YOU!” I shouted back.