The fact that Tandan hadn't outright attempted to stop me from anything this evening was shocking and, quite frankly, worrisome. This worry was pushed to the back of my mind though while I changed out of his clothes into my own back at my apartment. I'd filled him in on the drive over here what my plan was: go to the bar and find Matt. If he wasn't there, I would ask the bartender if they had seen him come and leave. If that ended in a dead-end...well, then I would be getting a very strong drink to help me navigate more options.
"You're not wearing that," Tandan remarked, calm yet authoritative.
I smoothed my hands down over the baggy tank top I wore that was tucked into my denim shorts. "Why?" I asked.
"Drop the attitude." He was giving me that dark and threatening power look.
"But...?" I wasn't sure how to finish.
Glancing back at the mirror, I appraised my appearance. The shorts were a little short, I supposed, but I looked like a nerd more than anything. I didn't see the issue.
"There is nothing wrong with my outfit," I said. "And I'm not getting dressed up. I almost died two nights ago, so screw that."
He growled just loud enough for my sensitive ears to hear. "You are lucky I'm even letting you leave in the first place. Now put some pants on or something."
"Letting me?" I bit back a snarky laugh. "Tandan, I am so thankful that you saved me from that thing. Okay, I really am. And that you brought me to your place and had Angelica patch me up. I couldn't have asked for better treatment, honestly. But you don't get to let me do things. Matt is my friend and I will go look for him. With or without you."
"Listen to me very carefully, Lee," he snarled, eyes blazing while he stalked towards me. I froze. "You are not leaving my sight again. Put some damn pants on before I do it for you."
I didn't know I was holding my breath until he backed away. Releasing the air in my lungs, I closed my eyes. Tandan probably would rip my shorts off and force my legs into jeans. I could totally picture it. Defying him was pointless, especially over something stupid like this.
"Whatever," I muttered under my breath. "Turn around and I'll change."
"Seriously?"
"Seriously. Do it."
He rolled his eyes but left the room. After I changing into jeans and tied a pair of Sperry sneakers my parents bought me for Christmas onto my feet, I padded out of the room. Tandan stood up from where he'd been sitting on the couch. His eyes ran up and down my body as he walked to the door and opened it. Taking his silence for acceptance, I lifted my chin and strode outside.
We went to the bar where I'd last seen Matt. It was also his favorite bar, so I assumed he would be here if nowhere else. He was not there, though. Not sitting at the bar or a high top or a booth. His scent was faintly in the air, mingling with all the other scents. The effort of sifting through all of the scents made my nose burn and my eyes water.
"He isn't here," Tandan stated. He sounded bored.
"He isn't now but he was," I said. "If you don't want to be here, then go. I'm not forcing you to stay."
He didn't bother with a response, only a deadpanned look. I shook my head and walked up to the bar. When the bartender finished pouring a beer from the tap, he made his way down to where I had squeezed myself in at the end.
"What can I do for you?" he asked.
"Looking for a friend," I told him. "Mid- to late-twenties, blonde hair, drinks a lot of Bud Light."
"Sounds familiar. Whatcha looking for him for?"
My mouth opened to speak but I hesitated. I didn't know what the hell to tell him. It was like my brain blanked on any decent excuse.
"He told her he was suicidal and hasn't been answering her calls," spoke Tandan from behind me. His warm chest pressed against my back. "This is his regular spot so we were hoping he'd be here."
Suicidal? It works, but damn. Bit harsh.
The bartender's eyes widened. "Sorry to hear that. He was in here about thirty minutes ago. Left with a young redhead. That's all I know."
I turned to look at Tandan. Lorrie was my initial reaction, for some reason. It would be a strange world if Little Miss Perfect came to this bar and picked up the only man in my life who actually cared about me. If it was her, I might actually kill her. She already had my mate once. She couldn't have my best friend too.
"It's not Lorrie," Tandan said, reading my mind.
"How do you know?"
He took my arm and led me to the corner of the room where it was quieter. "Do you know how many redheads are in this town? Quite a few. Besides, this isn't Lorrie's scene."
"Thank God," I whispered to myself.
Then my brain just suddenly decided to pull out a memory that was actually relevant. It was the only time Matt had ever called me while drunk, and it had been at this bar. When I came to pick him up, there had been a redhead with him. Oh yeah. She called me tits. How thoughtful of her.
"I met her." More confident now, I nodded my head and met Tandan's eyes. "I've met the redhead. She and Matt are friends or something...probably or something. Anyway, I know who he left with."
"Have a name?" Tandan pressed. "That would be helpful."
My shoulders sunk. "No. I never got her name. But if the bartender saw them together earlier, then he must be okay. Right? I mean, he couldn't have been in too bad of shape if he was coming to a public place to get hammered."
"Not necessarily. If his voicemail indicates anything, he has no idea what is happening to him. He doesn't know that he turned into a monster and tried to kill you. It wouldn't cross his mind to avoid public places."
"He doesn't have to avoid public places because he isn't a monster."
He pushed out a sigh. "Let's get out of here, yeah? We'll pick you up some food and then check his apartment again."
As he started pushing me towards the door, I pursed my lips. I didn't want to get food. I mean, I did want food. Just not around him. Maybe I could make him leave the room again.
"I consent," I told him, "but I will put in a request for Taco Bell. Please."
He sighed again. "Fine. Whatever you want."
In the back of my mind, I knew I should have been suspicious that he agreed so easily. I pushed the suspicion away and tried to dwell on the prospect of food and finding my best friend.