We Just Need Us (Second Generation Book 5)

Chapter 9

CLEMMY

Patrick grips my waist and gently pulls me into his body. His body is tense and I can tell that he’s making it known to the stranger standing on my front porch that I’m taken by him. Normally I’d be pissed at the show of superiority and possessiveness, but I actually appreciate it because I don’t know what to do, say, or think right now.

“Robbie.” Patrick greets him with just his name. No extra pleasantries needed. The look on Robbie’s face is one part confused and another part pissed off. 

“I guess this is rather unexpected,” Robbie says with a slight influx in his voice and a small smirk.

“What are you doing here, Robbie?” I finally speak up and ask again. “And how did you know where I live? Oh god, you didn’t go by the ranch or anything, did you?” My heart is beating out of my chest and for a second I’m concerned that I might be experiencing a heart attack. Heart issues run in my family, so what might be a joke for some people is a rather serious condition for me. I take my free hand and grasp it over my chest, thinking that my hand will somehow calm my stressed-out heart.

“No, Jesus of course not. I guess if I had to I would have in order to talk to you, but I actually met this really nice lady at the diner and she said you lived over here by the park in a house with a red door.” He glances over at the bright red door that I’m holding open. “Super cute, by the way.”

“God, Robbie can you please answer my question? You can’t just waltz up to my house after all these damn years and not expect questions. Jesus, where have you been?”

“Around.” Just a one-word answer and it just pisses me off. I grab the door and start to slam it shut in his face, but he takes two quick steps forward and places his large hand on the door to keep it from closing. Patrick moves in front of me and uses his arm to move me behind him.

“It’s time for you to leave, Robbie.” Patrick stands as tall as he can, but Robbie still is taller than him. He’s also a lot bigger. He was always built, but he doesn’t look like the eighteen-year-old that I once knew. He looks like a full-grown man now and he is intimidating to say the least.

“I didn’t come here to talk to you, Patrick. I need to talk to Clementine. Please, just, ten minutes, and I swear I’ll leave.”

I place my hand on Patrick’s shoulder and gently pull him away from the door. We turn and walk into the house, Robbie trailing behind us after he closes the door. Sitting down seems too casual, so I stay standing, and in turn, both guys continue to stand.

“Ten minutes, Robbie.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry can we talk about this?” Robbie points back and forth between Patrick and I.

“You lost the right to talk about my dating life the day that you walked out of my life. Do you know how long it took me to recover emotionally and mentally? How hurt I was? How could you, Robbie? After everything we had been through and all the times you told me you loved me. You just….you just left me to be, how could you?”

I’ve fantasized about this moment many times in my life, but my emotions get the best of me and I end up just screaming and in tears more than making sense and saying all of the things that I really want to say. Robbie just looks at me like a deer in headlights.

“I messed up, Clementine. I know that. I should have at least told you that I had to end it. I just didn’t know how.”

“So you were a fucking coward instead?” I spit out with the venom of a million snakes.