  ***POV - Damion 
  Every time the bell rings, my eyes move to the door abstract-mindedly to see people entering the diner. But this time, my heart does a double-take triple-somersault with a fucking headstand, leaving me gulping for air. 
  Melaena walks through the door dressed in a short denim dress that accentuates every curve of that perfect body, showing off her sexy tanned legs.  Suddenly all my control flies out the door and my pants seem to fit a lot tighter than a minute ago and I shift my position on the chair to hide my uncomfortability.  What the hell was she thinking wearing that in public? Not that she looks bad, no, on the contrary, she looks super hot and sexy, and right there is exactly the problem.  I look around and I m right, every guy in the diner is eye-fucking her with hungry lustful stares.  Shit.  Why did the universe have to throw me a curveball like this – gi

  ***POV - Melaena 
  I jump onto Axel s back, falling over his head onto his lap.  He tickles me and I eagerly roll away to sit next to Kiara.  Axel only has classes one day a week, so having him here is always a special occasion for me. 
  He hands me a large sandwich and I take a big bite, chewing slowly.  I m starving and this sandwich is delicious so I utter a soft satisfying moan.  A silence falls over the group and I open my eyes, just to see everybody looking at me amused. 
  &quot;What? I m hungry, okay.&quot; 
  Noah walks up to us, talking on his phone.  He seems distracted, his free hand running through his deep red hair.  
  &quot;So are we doing something?&quot;  Jesse asks looking around the group.  We re all finished with our classes for the day. 
  &quot;I m going for a run and then off to see Hawk.  After that, dance class.&quot;  
  &quot;Ug, way too energetic for my l

  ***POV - Melaena 
  Sorella = Italian for 'sister 
  &quot;Hi, seems you ve been abanded.  Mind if I sit down?&quot;  Alejandro flings himself in the chair, not waiting for an invitation and I m so glad I can kiss him right now.  
  &quot;Damn, am I glad to see you!  What are you doing here?&quot;  I m hoping he s not on a date or something. 
  &quot;Was in the neighborhood and felt hungry.  I saw you walk in.  Seems like everybody is here tonight.&quot;  Firstly I wonder what he was doing in this part of town, secondly, I wonder who else is here cause at this moment I m not in the mood for more company. 
  &quot;Did you eat already?&quot;  I ask, hoping he hasn t.  
  &quot;Nope, was just about to order.  Want to get a burger with me?&quot;  I nod overeagerly, feeling rather hungry.  He orders cheeseburgers and milkshakes, smiling at the young waitress.  She can t seem to keep her eyes away from him. 
  My mind does a quick analysis of his looks, and he must be pretty close to a perfect 10, but for some reason, I don t feel any butterflies or electricity like I do when Damion is around.  Strange.  It must be because he s not an asshole like Damion. I smile back, and he takes my hand on the table, keeping it in a grip. 
  &quot;Alejandro, before we continue anything, I just want to make it clear that we are on the same page – namely the FRIENDS one.&quot; He winks at me and leans forward as if he s going to tell me a secret. 
  &quot;Oh, sorella, we re reading the same book, don t worry.&quot;  I smile and it s as if we both have this mutual understanding, without saying it.  In this instance, I just know that Alejandro is going to be a big part of my life and a great, trusted friend.  Weird, I know. 
  &quot;My interest is purely platonic and your heart is already occupied,&quot; he continues with a big smile, showing off his perfect pearly whites.  He must think that I m in love with Ren, but it doesn t matter for now.
  &quot;Oh, you big loaf, where have you been all my life!&quot; He gives a sly smile as if he s planning something bad and knows things I don t, his eyes looking past me. But before I can open my mouth to ask what he s thinking a hand lands on my shoulder. The electricity shooting down my core is enough for me to know exactly who the owner of said hand is even before I even hear his voice. 
  &quot;Everything alright here?&quot;  His hand tenses up putting more pressure on my shoulder. 
  &quot;Yep.  We re just getting something to eat.&quot;  I don t want to turn around and look at him, but then a girl s voice forces me to face my demon. 
  &quot;Hi, you must be Mel.  I m Thalia.&quot;  The girl is so beautiful, it s annoying, with long golden-blond hair and smoldering green eyes.  Her body is soaked into faded jeans and a loose emerald top.  But what s even more annoying is that her arm is intertwined with Damion s as if she has every right to do that.  I shake her hand and produce a fake smile to hide the jealous rage suddenly streaming through my body.  And to make it worse, she seems really nice, unlike his usual bimbos. 
  &quot;Come with me.&quot;  Damion pulls me up, a little rough, and I know he s not gonna take no for an answer. 
  &quot;Damion!&quot;  Thalia scolds him and stares daggers into his eyes.  He grunts and rolls his eyes. 
  &quot;Please.&quot;  I don t think he actually means it, but I suppose it s better than nothing.  Alejandro gets up, his face looking like the Grinch on x-mas and I know trouble is brewing. 
  &quot;It s ok, Alejandro, I ll be back in two secs.&quot;  I walk out of the diner with big strides while everybody looks at me yet again, but this time I m too angry to care.  I give Alejandro a so-sorry smile, he shrugs his eyebrows at me, and then his eyes focus on Damion with a strange, almost longing look.  I frown confused and then get it that maybe he s gay like Jesse.  I hope he s not in love with the evil one.  Oh, boy, I ll have to tell him that Damion is the devil and bad news.  As soon as we get outside I turn to my brother s bestie, rage piling up inside me. 
  &quot;What the hell were you thinking?&quot;  Thalia lifts her hands and with a huge grin strolls to lean against a black motorcycle in the parking lot. 
  &quot;Me?&quot;  He yells back.  &quot;I m not the one chatting up all the fucking guys in the diner wearing that dick-teaser dress!&quot;  His hands are clenched in fists next to his body and I know he s trying to keep calm.  I look down at my dress and I can t see anything wrong with it.  It s just a plain denim dress, zip in the front, ending way under my panty-line, and not even extremely tight.  You can see some cleavage but it s not overly revealing. 
  &quot;You re not my fudging bodyguard nor my fashion guru.  I had a really crappy day so far, so please just fudge off.&quot;  I m trying to keep my voice down, but not totally succeeding.  He turns around and runs his fingers through his hair.  Good, he s agitated.  Well, I m too.  Who the hell does he think he is always inserting himself into my life, and mostly ruining it in the process?  I m desperate for that freaking delete button that will remove Damion Grimm from the planet right now.  He turns back and faces me again, a little calmer. 
  &quot;Mel, I m trying to help.  That guy is trouble.  He s a player.&quot;  His eyes shoot flames, and I ll never get used to how they look like emerald fires burning in the pits of hell.  Although his eyes are bright shocking green, they have some yellow-blue flecks that jump out and surprise you. 
  &quot;Yeh takes one to know one!  Please, I don t have the energy for dealing with you right now.  You re exhausting like always and I m tired.  As I said, I had a bad crappy day.&quot; 
  &quot;What happened?&quot;  His hands grip the top of my arms, his fingers burning my skin, his eyes turning from angry to worried. 
  &quot;Where should I start,&quot;  I say, not really wanting to share anything with him, but for some reason also wanting to share everything with him, &quot;for one, you are in my close proximity, next I broke up with Ren and …  oh, D left flowers on my bed with a note, while I was in the shower.  Is that enough for you?  Now can I please go and have a peaceful meal with someone that doesn't piss me off?&quot; 
  &quot;He was in your house?  Fuck!&quot;  Ok, so that s the part of my night that he s going with. As if out of thin air, Alejandro is standing behind me, putting his arm protectively around my shoulder. 
  &quot;What do you want?&quot;  Damion shouts, I wasn t expecting him to be civil with my new friend. 
  &quot;I can ask you the same question.&quot;  He then takes my arm softly and ignores Damion, saying our food arrived.  Damion glares at him as if he s going to kill him any second now, then turns away and walks with big strides to where Thalia is waiting patiently still hosting a big smile.  She says something to him, making him hit the poor bike with his fist, sending her into a rage of laughter.  I can t help but like that girl.  
  He pulls away with shrieking tires and I swear that man is the definition of trouble, I m even sure you would find a picture of him in the dictionary next to the word.  I turn to face Alejandro still standing silently next to me, also watching them drive away with a sinister smile. 
  &quot;Let s go eat!&quot;  He nods and we walk back into the diner. 
  &quot;What is it with that dude and you?&quot;  He keeps his eyes on mine, his slim fingers curled around his burger.  Why can t I just fall in love with this guy?  He s perfect. 
  &quot;What do you mean?&quot;  He turns his head to give me a you re-not-serious-right-now look before taking a sip of his milkshake. 
  &quot;Well, let me see, it s like he wants to kill anybody that dares to come close to you, and according to Axel, it s been going on for years now.  And the tension between you two, hell you can cut it with a cricket bat.&quot; 
  &quot;I don t know.  Damion has issues.  Maybe he thinks he needs to protect me like my brothers.&quot; 
  &quot;He s much worse than all of them combined.  Well, except for Jackson maybe … &quot; 
  &quot;Can I ask you a personal question?&quot;  He nods. &quot;Are you gay?  I mean, it seems like you have feelings for Damion or something.&quot; He starts laughing so loud the whole diner turns their heads to watch us again.  Some are amused, others curious and the rest seem annoyed. 
  &quot;No, Mel, I LOVE girls.  And for Damion, I think I might be a little jealous.  He has something I always longed for.  It s stupid, I know, but I can t help it.&quot; 
  &quot;I think I understand.  But if I think about it, you re much alike, the only difference is that you re much friendlier.&quot;  
  &quot;Yeh, I m pretty perfect, ain't I?&quot;  
  &quot;Okay, now you sound just like him!&quot;  I scrunch my nose up, acting disgusted.
  &quot;Just joking, sorella,&quot; he laughs messing up my hair while we walk to his car.  
  Alejandro drops me at my place and I thank him for making a bad night better. 
  &quot;I m back!&quot;  I yell as I burst through the door making Kiara and Axel jump.  They look at me with sleepy eyes and I know they fell asleep while watching movies.  Kiara stretches her arms in the air while yawning. 
  &quot;You re back!&quot; she repeats after me.  I push myself between them, grabbing some of the chocolates on the table. 
  &quot;Yep, it was a weird night.  Ren still wants us to take things further … crazy right.&quot;  I look from Kiara to Axel waiting for them to support me here. 
  &quot;Eh, Mel ….. he has a point.  You ve been together for like months now and he can t even get to second base.  I mean, no offense, but I would have dumped your ass long ago.&quot;  I glare at Axel and he shrugs his shoulders at me. 
  &quot;I m just saying,&quot; he squicks and I take a deep breath and look at him a bit more friendly. 
  &quot;You must lose your innocence some time or the other, right?  So what s the problem taking things a step further with Ren?&quot;  Kiara asks, pulling her mouth as if she already knows the answer to the question. 
  &quot;I don t know.  If I think about having sex with him, it s like thinking about having sex with Axel or Logan.  Well, not exactly the same, but you get the idea.&quot;  They both pull sour faces, especially Axel. 
  &quot;Yuk.  I ll say it s bad.  Logan, maybe a bit more than me, but all the same, not good.&quot; 
  &quot;Exactly,&quot; I make some hand gestures to back up my statement before I continue, &quot;It s just not like thinking about having sex with … &quot;  I stop myself just in time but I think the bird has flown the coop, cause they both have this I-think-I-know-but-I-need-you-to-confirm expression on their face.  Shoot.  Why do I always end up in these situations? 
  &quot;Yes … having sex with …&quot;  Kiara bites her lip with excitement. 
  &quot;Come on Mel, just say it.  It s not as if we haven t been waiting for years to hear it.&quot; I glare at Axel as if I m putting a deadly spell on him but he just smiles while shaking his head. 
  &quot;Okay, can I continue telling you about my disastrous night now?&quot;  They both shake their heads, trying to hide the grins on their lips.  Sometimes, like right now, I hate my friends. &quot;Anyway, Damion was also there with this pretty girl called Thalia.  She s very beautiful and seems so nice.  I wonder if they re dating or something.&quot;  Kiara s eye-roll didn t go unnoticed.  
  &quot;Did I say that he s the worst?  Such a player.  He told me that he doesn t like my inappropriate cock-teasing dress. I mean, is he suddenly a fashion designer or something?  Who says that?  And what exactly is wrong with this dress?&quot; 
  &quot;Eh, I can totally see his problem with your dress.&quot;  Axel looks me up and down.  
  &quot;So now all you guys suddenly turned into Christian Dior.&quot;  I bite it out, still seeing nothing wrong with my dress, it s one of my favorite things to wear. 
  &quot;It s just, well, short and sexy and on you … let s just say most guys would … eh … get a bit …&quot;  he struggles to find the right words and then he just blurts it out, &quot;Truthfully you look extremely fuckable in that dress, and knowing Damion, that would be a problem for him.&quot;  Axel tries to explain but the kite just flies above my reach, I m not getting it.  Isn t girls supposed to look pretty and sexy when they go on a date?  But I always appreciate Axel s point of view.  He doesn t have any ulterior motives and he will tell me the truth even if I don t want to hear it.  Like I said before, he s our GBF, but he s not gay. 
  &quot;That s nothing new, she always looks fuckable, get to the point.&quot;  Kiara can be so impatient sometimes it s annoying.  So I have ADHD … it s nothing to get worked up about, I ll get to the point eventually. 
  &quot;Point is … &quot;  I push out the words just for Kiara s sake &quot; I had a very crappy night and it s all Damion s fault, AGAIN.&quot;  Kiara looks at Axel pulling her face but I act as if I don t notice. &quot;Oh, and I finally broke up with Ren so I ended up having dinner with Alejandro.&quot; 
   Kiara looks over my head at Axel, her eyes telling him I ve definitely lost all my little piggies for sure. 
  &quot;What?  I know that look.&quot; 
  &quot;Eeh, you do realize that you had a crappy night all because Damion was there with a girl and he didn t like your dress and only then do you tell us that you broke up with Ren, as some kind of an afterthought.&quot; 
  &quot;Yeh, so?&quot;  I don t get it.  &quot;Breaking up with Ren is not a big deal.  It s not as if I loved him or something.&quot; 
  &quot;None so blind as those who will not see,&quot;  Axel mumbles to himself earning him a stern stare. 
  &quot;Where does Alejandro suddenly fit into everything?&quot; 
  &quot;Oh, he was there to get something to eat and I just feel save with him, as I do with you guys.&quot; My phone vibrates and I slide it open without looking at the screen.  Then it feels as if all the air was just sucked from the room.  
  D:  Mayday! Mayday! A little biker took a tumble.

***POV - Damion 
  Every time the bell rings, my eyes move to the door abstract-mindedly to see people entering the diner. But this time, my heart does a double-take triple-somersault with a fucking headstand, leaving me gulping for air. 
  Melaena walks through the door dressed in a short denim dress that accentuates every curve of that perfect body, showing off her sexy tanned legs.  Suddenly all my control flies out the door and my pants seem to fit a lot tighter than a minute ago and I shift my position on the chair to hide my uncomfortability.  What the hell was she thinking wearing that in public? Not that she looks bad, no, on the contrary, she looks super hot and sexy, and right there is exactly the problem.  I look around and I m right, every guy in the diner is eye-fucking her with hungry lustful stares.  Shit.  Why did the universe have to throw me a curveball like this – giving me a girl that every man wants to steal. 
  Thalia stops mid-sentence, noticing my total lack 

Chapter 20 A little tumble