—
The reunion
I could barely contain my excitement as I held onto the concert tickets, my hands trembling slightly. They were more than just pieces of glossy paper, they were a chance. A chance to tell Lexy how I truly felt, to finally stop dancing around the truth. We'd grown close over the past few months, too close for things to stay the same. It was time I stopped hiding behind small talk and casual smiles. I was going to tell her tonight.
With a smile on my face and my heart pounding in anticipation, I pushed open the door to the bar where we were supposed to meet. The warm hum of voices, clinking glasses, and dim lighting usually made this place feel cozy, but tonight, something felt off.
Then I saw her.
Lexy was backed into a corner, her body stiff, her eyes wide with fear. A man towered over her, shouting words I couldn't fully make out. He was a gangster type, tattoos crawling up his neck, a cruel smirk twisted on his face. Before I could even call out her name, it happened.
He slapped her.
Hard.
The sound cracked through the bar, silencing the room as Lexy hit the floor, her cheek red and her lip trembling. In that instant, something inside me snapped. I didn't think so. I just moved.
I ran at him, fueled by pure rage, and slammed my fist into his face. I felt bone meet bone, and I hit him again. And again. The memories flooded back,my mother, beaten to a tireless State before she was murdered by a man just like him. A monster in human skin. The room disappeared. I wasn't in the bar anymore. I was back in that living room, a helpless child watching blood spill.
"I'll kill you!" I roared, fist crashing into his jaw. "You murderer! You think you can win against me?! I'll kill youuuuu!"
"Daven, stop!"
Lexy's voice pierced through the haze. I barely registered her trying to pull me off him. The room had frozen, everyone watching, not daring to move.
"Please, stop! You're going to kill him!"
Her arms wrapped around me, trembling, pulling me back to reality. Her voice shook, but it reached me. Slowly, I stopped, panting, fists dripping with blood, some his, maybe some mine.
The man groaned beneath me, blood leaking from his mouth. I stood, eyes still clouded with fury, but my breathing started to slow. And then…
He lunged.
With a sudden burst of strength, he shoved Lexy aside and charged at me. I barely had time to react, throwing my hands up to shield my face. I didn't see the knife until it was too late.
A sharp sting. A warm rush of blood.
Lexy screamed.
He stabbed me, right through the hand, and then bolted, dodging every person who tried to stop him, disappearing into the night like the coward he was.
My legs buckled.
Everything blurred, the lights, the voices, Lexy's face. My knees hit the ground as the world narrowed into a tunnel of sound and pain.
"Stay with me, Daven! Please, stay with me!" Lexy cried, cradling me as my vision dimmed.
Darkness swallowed everything.
---
I woke up in a sterile hospital room, my hand tightly bandaged, pain pulsing beneath the gauze. Machines beeped softly nearby, but I barely noticed them. My mind was somewhere else.
Lexy.
Was she safe? Has that monster found her again? The thought of her in danger made my chest tighten. I didn't care about the pain, I needed to see her. I needed to know.
Because somewhere in the middle of all the chaos, between the blood and the screaming, I realized something...
I loved her. And I wasn't going to let anything happen to her, not now, not ever.
---
The door creaked open slowly, the sound barely noticeable above the low hum of the hospital machines. I lifted my head slightly from the pillow, expecting to see Lexy, her soft smile, her concerned eyes, but it wasn't her.
Instead, a tall, poised woman stepped into the room. Her heels clicked softly against the tiled floor, her sharp brown eyes scanning the space until they landed on me. For a moment, I was too stunned to speak.
Miss Donna.
The judge.
"What...?" The word barely escaped my lips as I tried to sit up straighter. "Ma'am?"
Her eyes widened, just as surprised as I was. "Oh my goodness," she said softly, hand instinctively covering her mouth. "Daven... I didn't expect to find you here."
I blinked. "I didn't expect to see you either," I muttered, trying not to sound too confused. My bandaged hand throbbed slightly under the sheets, but my attention was now completely on her. What was she doing here?
She stepped closer, her face etched with concern. "I got a call from the manager at my bar. Someone said a young man had been stabbed while trying to protect one of the workers. I had to come see for myself…" She trailed off, studying my face like she was still trying to process everything. "I didn't expect it to be you. I'm so sorry this happened."
I stared at her, realization slowly dawning. She owned the bar. The place where Lexy worked, the place where I got stabbed.
"It's alright, ma'am," I said quietly. "I was just… trying to help."
She gave a sad smile. "You love helping people, don't you?"
I nodded faintly. "Guess I do."
There was a long pause. Her gaze lingered on me, not just with sympathy, but something more complex. Something almost personal. For a moment, it felt like I wasn't just another face in the courtroom to her anymore.
"Well," she said softly, exhaling, "thank you. For what you did. I'll make sure the man who did this to you is caught. I promise that."
Her voice carried the weight of conviction. Not just as a business owner. But as someone who truly cared. I felt a strange warmth bloom in my chest. The world had treated me like a statistic for so long. And now here she was, a judge, a woman with power and respect, standing by my hospital bed, talking like I mattered.
"Get better, okay, Daven," she added gently, turning to leave.
But before she could reach the door, it opened again. This time, it was Lexy.
She stepped in with a small paper bag in her hand, her expression instantly brightening, until her eyes met Miss Donna's.
The bag dropped.
"Donna?" Lexy said, stunned.
Miss Donna turned, equally shocked. "Lexy? Oh my goodness! What are you doing here? How have you been? It's been years!"
Years? I sat up straighter, watching the exchange unfold like a scene I wasn't prepared for.
"I… I'm just here for a friend," Lexy said, her voice softening. She glanced at me with a small smile. "Daven. He's the one who saved me."
A flicker of emotion crossed Miss Donna's face, sadness, maybe? Regret? "I see…" she said, her tone thoughtful.
Lexy stepped forward, still a little dazed. "What about you? What are you doing here?"
"Well, it turns out I'm the owner of the bar where all this happened," Donna replied with a small sigh. "When I heard what went down, I came as soon as I could. I needed to make sure things were handled the right way."
The two women shared a warm hug, the kind only old friends could exchange. I watched, quietly, the puzzle pieces slowly falling into place. They knew each other. They had history. This wasn't just coincidence, it was something deeper.
As they pulled away, Miss Donna reached into her handbag and pulled out a small card. "I'm heading somewhere now, but we should definitely catch up. Here, my number. Let's find a time to meet."
"Absolutely," Lexy said, a smile finally breaking across her face. "I'd love that."
Miss Donna turned to me one last time, offering a soft nod. "Take care, Daven."
Then she was gone, the click of her heels fading down the hallway.
The room fell quiet again, but the air was thick with unspoken thoughts.
Lexy walked over to my bed and picked up the dropped bag from the floor. "I brought you something," she said, her voice quieter now. "But… wow. I didn't expect to see her. We used to be best friends."
I gave her a knowing look. "Seems like the world is smaller than we think."
She smiled again, just a little, and placed the bag on the table beside me.
Neither of us said it, but we were both thinking the same thing…
The soft hum of the hospital room filled the silence between us. The IV monitor beeped gently in the background, keeping time like a subtle heartbeat echoing through sterile air. Lexy sat by the edge of the bed, her eyes locked on mine, clouded with worry. Her fingers trembled slightly as they rested in her lap, and her brows were drawn together in a tight frown. She was trying to be strong, she always did, but I could see right through her.
"So... how are you feeling now?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "And your hand… does it still hurt?"
I glanced down at the bandages wrapped tightly around my hand. The pain was there, dull, pulsing, but it didn't matter. Not right now. I shifted a bit to sit up straighter, ignoring the sting it caused in my ribs. My eyes searched hers, and I gave her the softest smile I could manage.
"I'll be fine, Lexy," I said, reaching to tuck a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. "I'm just glad you're okay."
She looked down, her lips quivering. "You shouldn't have done that," she muttered, almost as if she were scolding herself more than me.
"I'd do it again," I replied gently, my hand finding her face. "I'll do anything to protect you, Lexy. Anything."
Her eyes shimmered, holding back tears. "But I almost lost you," she whispered. "I don't want to lose you. Please…"
I could feel the fear in her voice. It wasn't just about last night, it was about everything. The way life had tried to take things from us before. How fragile this connection between us had become. I wanted to take that fear away, erase every shadow that crossed her heart.
Reaching into my pocket with my uninjured hand, I pulled out two tickets, slightly crumpled from the chaos of the evening. "I was going to give you these," I said, holding them out.
She blinked at them, confused for a second. Then her eyes lit up as she recognized what they were. "Oh my God," she breathed. "These are front row seats… Daven, this is so cool!"
I smiled as I held her hands gently, my fingers lacing with hers. Her hands were warm, soft, and trembling.
"I have something to tell you," I said.
She tilted her head, her brows furrowing again, but this time not in worry. Her eyes were fixed on mine, slowly narrowing as if trying to read a secret hidden behind my gaze. The room suddenly felt too quiet, too still. The world outside faded until it was just the two of us.
"What is it?" she asked.
I took a breath. "I can't stop thinking about you, Lexy," I confessed, my voice low, raw. "It's like I'm addicted to you. Every breath I take… echoes your name. Lexy, I'm in love with you. I want to be with you. Just us, building something real. An epistle kind of love, written with every moment we share."
For a moment, she didn't move. Her lips parted, her breath catching. Then, her eyes filled with tears, not of sadness, but of something deeper. She leaned in so quickly, so suddenly, I almost missed the moment her lips met mine.
It was soft. Urgent. A kiss born from everything we'd held back for too long.
She pulled away just enough to whisper, "Daven… I love you too. And I want you."
A slow smile spread across my face, my chest swelling with something I couldn't describe. Relief. Joy. Fulfillment. I closed my eyes for a moment, letting it sink in.
She was mine.
Finally…