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“Please,” I beg louder.
“Low,” Cole says gently as he walks over to me. I sit up, ready to argue with him too. He just takes a seat next to me, pulling my back against his side. “Are you sure you want to know?”
Surprised that he isn’t going to fight me on this, I turn, showing him my gratitude, my eyes watering.
“I’m sure.”
An emotion flickers across Cole’s face before it hardens, his gaze flicking to CJ’s. “Tell her,” he demands.
“Fuck,” CJ snaps, looking to Allie helplessly. “He was laughing and joking with his mates about it all. He’s even told the people who will listen that Cole smashed his face in because he fucked you first.”
Cole growls, his body tensing behind me. “What else?”
“When he saw us, he just started being a dickhead,” CJ grunts. “He got in Allie’s face, accusing her of brainwashing Willow against him. He even told her he’d fuck her just so she didn’t feel so left out,” CJ growls, his voice hard.
My face pales as I look to Allie in horror. Guilt must be written all over my face because she rushes to assure me that she’s okay.
“It’s fine. I’m used to him saying shit like that to me,” she explains, like that makes everything okay.
“I’m so sorry, Allie. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t be here dealing with all of this. You’d have already been close to finishing your course,” I remind her, feeling sick. “Nor would you have had to facehimevery day.”
“Don’t say it like that. We both know I’d never have taken this step in life without you beside me to hold my hand,” she tells me with conviction.
“You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for,” I scoff. I can feel my face flush when I realise the boys’ attention is solely on us and on our emotional heart to heart.
Allie gives me a doubtful look, pushing her glasses up her nose in a nervous gesture.
“Too right you are,” CJ agrees from nowhere, making me chuckle.
Allie turns her flushed face towards him, where he’s sitting on the other couch, and rolls her eyes.
“Shut up,” she warns him, scrunching her nose up at him in a way I’m familiar with. It’s an expression she does when she’s done something she’s not proud of and doesn’t want anyone to find out. It’s freaking adorable.
“What did she do?” I ask CJ, my lips twitching.
“Don’t you dare!” she warns him again, her voice high this time. CJ opens his mouth, but before he can even take in a breath, Allie is flying across the room and throwing herself at him, covering his mouth with her hand.
“No!” she screams, and we can hear CJ’s muffled laughter behind her hand.
He starts wiggling, and in seconds he has Allie’s arms pinned to her side with one hand whilst his free hand is covering her mouth, shutting her up.
“Did you just lick me?” CJ chuckles. She narrows her eyes, a grunt and a few muffled curses slipping through her lips.
My smile is wide and I find myself laughing at their antics, finally feeling somewhat normal.
“She only attacked him. The prick is gonna have a few claw marks down his face.”
I gasp. “You hit him?”
She smacks CJ’s hand out of the way, and before she jumps up from his lap, she shoves him hard in the shoulder.
“He asked for it,” she breathes out heavily, her words heated.
“She kicked him good and proper in the nuts too,” CJ adds, looking at Allie with a proud expression.
“I’ve been dying to do that for so long,” she admits with a shrug while she straightens herself out. “I didn’t even get a chance to punch the fucker out.”
I laugh and it feels so good. “Get you,” I giggle teasingly. I’m glad to see this side of her, and in front of other people.