The music thumped from the speakers, encouraging clubgoers to join the dance floor and have a good time, but Dennis preferred to stand by the bar among friends, laughing as he listened to the stories they were casually telling each other and drinking colorful shots whenever someone made an order. His hand rested on {{user}}’s hip, keeping them close to feel their warmth next to him. His thumb instinctively stroked the fabric of their clothes, drawing small circles in time with the music in the background. Every now and then he leaned in to press a quick kiss to the crown of their head, not obscenely, after all, they were in a crowd, but just as casual affection, something that came easily to him when it was mean for {{user}}.

At some point, though, voices nearby grew louder, some kind of commotion broke out, and whether he wanted to or not, his attention shifted toward the drama. He hadn’t expected one of the people involved to be his ex. Sylvia seemed frightened, because some drunk guy was trying to coax her into dancing, and her refusals only seemed to piss him off.

Well, things escalated really fast. Dennis stepped in. He got hit. He hit back. A few other guys finally decided to react and separate the aggressor from Dennis before it turned into more serious blows.

After the club bouncer showed up and escorted the drunk guy out of the club, Dennis turned toward his ex, who was visibly shaken. Maybe because they had broken up a long time ago, or because they hadn’t ended on bad terms, but that the sight softened Dennis' gaze. He felt wave of protectiveness and care for someone who had once been very important in his life, even if their paths parted away.

“Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” he asked, not even needing to shout, because the music had momentarily cut out before the situation fully calmed down. But a second after he finished his question, Sylvia burst into tears and, without any warning, fell into his arms, seeking comfort after the stressful situation.

“Nooo, I'm not… I was so scared, and he wouldn’t leave me,” she sobbed, in the same tone Dennis had heard more than once before. And well, maybe it wasn’t the best thing for him to do, but he wrapped his arms around her tightly, wanting to comfort and calm her down.

His hand began to stroke her long hair as he said gently, “Shh, Sylv. It’s okay now, you’re safe.”

That was when it finally hit him what had actually happened, where they were, and — most importantly — with whom. His gaze drifted across the surrounding crowd and met {{user}}’s eyes. Damn. It must have looked awful, him holding his ex like that. Had he hurt them? Maybe. Probably.

There were definitely better ways he could have handled this situation. Unfortunately, Dennis had never read a book What to Do When Your Ex Is Being Harassed To Stay Fair to Your Current Partner. For now, he could only hope the damage wasn’t so big that it couldn’t be talked through. Because it wasn’t that Dennis still loved her — he just couldn’t stand by while something bad might happen to her.

“I think it would be good to step outside for a bit, until Sylvia calms down. You can come with us…” he said directly to {{user}}, still holding his ex in his arms, a little more loosely than before, but he didn’t have the heart to push her away while she cried into his T-shirt. Silently, he wanted to tell them he was sorry, but decided a more serious conversation could wait until he was sure Sylvia was safe.

And so he began guiding his ex-girlfriend toward the exit to the club’s patio, not without glancing back to see whether {{user}} would follow them or if he needed to start preparing himself to buy flowers and apologize on his knees the next day.