Page 88 of The Fullback
There was some muttered assent throughout the room, and the chatter quickly resumed. Although there were more than a few dirty looks thrown Ollie’s way for causing the disturbance.I chuckled as Bacon walked down the bar to pour a few more drinks, but his words were ringing in my ears.
He wasn’t the first one to have said them. I’d heard them more times than necessary over the last few weeks. But from him, they hit differently.
Maybe it was because Bacon and I had known each other for so long. Maybe it was because he was my best friend and knew me better than anyone. Or maybe it was because Bacon was one of the only people I’d allowed to get close to me, so he knew it was possible for me to let people in.
Whatever it was, his words felt harder to shake off and dismiss.
He slid another pint across to me and smiled, fonder this time. “Look, Eggs, I know you. Better than I know anyone. And I know how much you want to be loved. You can deny it all you want, but you love playing all those dating sims, and your favourite films areCrazy Rich Asians,Notting Hill, andThe Holiday. You watch every single shit rom-com Netflix puts out, even if they make no fucking sense. You bloody love romance, and that’s not a bad thing. Not like you seem to think it is. You deserve to be loved, so let them love you, you daft bastard.”
He glanced up as the front door swung open with a screech and his smile widened. “Would you look at that. You can tell them now.”
“What the—” My gaze followed Bacon’s all the way to the front door where Hunter and Bailey were standing, looking around for me.
They were battered and bruised, and Bailey seemed to be carrying his weight on one foot. But they were here. For me.
I couldn’t stop myself from smiling as a barrage of fireworks exploded in my chest.
Bastards, both of them. Complete and utter bastards.
But they might just bemybastards.
