Still the One (Book 2 in the Four of Us Trilogy)

38 | Won't Let Her Down

If you think you're going down

Just know I will be around.

-Chris Stapleton, "Parachute"

Miles

The weekend after the attack went by in a flash. The play went on as scheduled, and I saw Grease three more times; there was no way Rachel was going to be at that theater without me. I was sure that any moment, Iris would come back and attempt to finish out her plan.

But she never did show up.

That didn't stop me from gluing myself to Rachel's side for the last three weeks. I took her to and from class, went to the library with her to study, and even tagged along on her girl's night with Jessica, sitting on the other side of the restaurant, but still able to see her at all times.

Her mother had told me to protect her, and I didn't intend on failing either one of them.

"Miles, I need to go to the bathroom," Rachel sighed, shifting back and forth on her feet in what she calls "the pee-pee dance."

We were at the mall doing some early Christmas shopping, and the bathroom was nowhere near the store we were in, and we had been waiting in this line at the Nike outlet for fifteen minutes, and there were still three people in front of us.

I sighed. "Can you hold it?"

She glared at me. "I've been holding it for twenty minutes."

I looked around and exhaled. "Okay, come on, we'll go."

"No!" she protested. "I can go by myself. I'm 21 years old."

"No way," I responded, starting to step out of line.

She grabbed my bicep and raised her eyebrows as she felt my muscle flex. She shook her head, like she was getting herself back on track. I looked down at her in amusement. 

"Don't try to distract me with your muscles," she said, trying to sound irritated but failing. "Just stay here, get our shoes, and meet me at the food court. I think I can manage going to the bathroom by myself," she insisted.

I wrinkled my nose and looked around. Iris wasn't anywhere to be seen – of course she wasn't. I knew I was being overly protective, but the thought of her hurting Rachel literally made me feel like vomiting.

I sighed, relenting. "Fine. But meet me at the food court immediately after, okay? Make sure you sit near someone else while you wait on me."

She rolled her eyes and saluted me sarcastically. "Yes sir."

I slid my arm around her waist and pulled her to me, kissing her deeply, completely ignoring the other customers in the store. "I like it when you're sassy," I breathed in her ear.

She winked at me and whispered back, "There's more where that came from." She bumped me with her hip and left the store, disappearing into the crowd.

Rachel

My phone buzzed, and it was Miles.

Did you make it to the bathroom? I'm still in this line – the people in front of me are having a problem with their debit card.

Yeah, I made it, I'm about to go in now.

I was distracted by my phone and wasn't paying attention. "Excuse me," I murmured as I almost bumped into someone walking out of the bathroom.