Unlikely Places

Chapter 31 Nice? Warm? Pleasant?

"Enough!" Percy suddenly exclaimed, standing to his feet and looking around the living room at all of us with that look we all knew not to mess with.

Percy was a tall, muscle thick, intimidating man. At least he was until he smiled. When he smiled his eyes sparkled with good humor and a zest for life that had sucked Archer in from the first moment they had met. Percy wasn't smiling now.

"You!" he said pointing at Archer then turning and pointing at Noah. "You!" Then he turned again to the other two. "And you and you! Just enough already. I swear to the heavens you four kill me. You know how to behave properly and you know this isn't it but for some reason when it comes to Jackson you four simply lose all sanity!"

No one said anything for a second. I watched as four grown men hung their heads in shame as Percy chastised them with nothing but the truth. My friends were wonderful. The best. But they took overprotectiveness to new heights. Today was no exception.

I felt Pierce stir beside me and turned to look up at him as he started to speak but suddenly Percy whipped his attention towards Pierce and he shut his mouth with a snap.

I didn't blame him.

"And you!" Percy scolded, now pointing that scary finger at Pierce. "You brought it on yourself! Never in my life!" Percy started fanning himself in agitation as he searched for what to say with regards to Pierce and his actions that night.

"Words simply fail me for your behavior. Yes," he said gesturing towards the guys who now sat quite docilely on the couch, enjoying Pierce being the center of Percy's ire instead of them. "They're insane, but at least they have a good reason. Jackson. But I can't for the life of me think of one good reason for your behavior!"

I barley moved, only enough to glance up at Pierce from the corner of my eyes. His expression was blank. I couldn't tell what he was thinking or feeling. I could relate a little. I felt a little numb inside myself.

Pierce finally broke the silence.

"Even if I thought I had a good enough reason before, I know now I was wrong. There isn't a reason good enough that I can give to you that would justify my upsetting Jackson to the extent I did. If I could take it back I would but I can't. I can only apologize to him and to all of you."

Percy stood watching him as he talked and nodding his head in agreement with every word. He stared hard at Pierce, looking past the words to the sincerity behind them and I could tell after a few moments he was satisfied with what he saw.

Clapping his hands together to bring everyone's attention back to him Percy started talking again and I had to suppress a giggle as he started.

"Okay. To summarize. Pierce acted like a dick. He admitted that he acted like a dick and he apologized for acting like a dick. Correct?" he asked, glancing to each man sitting still quietly on the couches.

With sullen looks on three of the faces they reluctantly nodded. Archer was odd man out. He now seemed satisfied and was simply enjoying the show Percy was putting on.

"Okay good and Pierce," he continued, turning back to the man who stood stiffly beside me. "You're not going to act like a dick again, right?"

Pierce let a pause of silence pass by that had frowns returning back to the faces of my friends. I frowned slightly, too and looked up at him. He winked down at me and gave me that mischievous grin that did not bode well and I squeezed his hand in silent warning. He ignored me and looked back at Percy.

"I can assure you I won't be a dick again," he said with a long pause and then tipped his head towards me, "to Jackson."

The emphasis on my name and my name alone didn't go unnoticed. I should have known not to expect him to take things too passively. He just wasn't the type. I rolled my eyes at him and tried to regain ownership of my hand but Pierce wasn't having it, keeping hold of it tightly within his own.