“I’m trying, Eve. You don’t know how badly I want to go back to how it used to be between us.”
“If you can’t find a way to forgive me for leaving, then there will never be anus.” I force myself to leave his arms and walk back over to the table. Jake takes one look at my face, and sympathy flashes in his grey eyes.
“What happened?”
“Nothing a shot of tequila can’t erase.” I stop the waitress and order another shot, making it a double this time. I’ll probably regret it in the morning, but right now, I just want to numb this ache that’s forming in my chest.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
RYDER
Isit back down at the table and watch Eve talk to Jake about the tattoo job that he did tonight. I know I’ve upset her, and I feel like a piece of shit about it. My eyes have been glued to her all night on the dance floor, and I wasn’t the only one. The minute a slow song came on, I knew I had seconds before someone tried something. The last thing I wanted to do was ruin her night, but I wasn’t about to have some other guy's hands on her.
She throws back another shot, and I can tell the alcohol is starting to take effect. Her eyes are more glossy, and her words are slurring a bit.
“I’ll be right back.” I stand up, and she ignores me as she turns to watch the people on the dance floor. Jake shrugs and looks amused at my discomfort. Walking over to the bar, I place an order and wait for it to be done. I look back at the table, and she avoids my gaze again.
Sighing, her words play through my head, leaving a destructive path in its wake. It was like a knife to the heart whenshe told me she couldn’t do it anymore. Forgiving is the easy part…it’s the forgetting that I’m having problems with.
I take the order back to the table and sit some fries in front of her. “You need to eat something,” I say, pushing a glass of water towards her. “Drink some water, too.”
“I’m not hungry, and I already have something to drink.” She takes another sip of straight tequila.
“I’m just trying to stop you from regretting this later when you have a massive hangover in the morning.”
“Yeah, well, there are a lot of things I regret in my life, and a hangover is the least of them. I’m going to the bathroom,” she storms off, and Jake chuckles softly.
“You are so screwed right now.” He reaches for a fry as I glare at him. “She’s finally reached her breaking point with your grumpy ass.”
“Thanks for the obvious,” I mutter, getting up and going after her. She’s had too much to drink, and I don’t trust that she’s safe being alone. I wait outside the bathrooms, and as soon as she sees me, she heads in the other direction.
“Eve, wait!” I follow her down the deck stairs toward the beach. I easily catch up to her and grab her arm. “Will you just stop and talk to me?”
“No.” She turns to go, and I throw her over my shoulder.
“Let me go!”
“Not until you talk to me.” I walk us under the dock where we can have privacy and not be the main attraction of the restaurant. I set her down, hoping she’s not going to run this time.
“Do you regret us?” I quietly ask.
“What?” It’s dark under here, but I can still make out the confusion on her face.
“You said you have a lot of things you regret. Do you regret us?” It’s been bothering me since she said it, and I need to know her answer.
“No. I regret that I didn’t stand up for myself more with my parents. I regret hurting you when I left. I regret it took so long for me to get back to you, but I don’t regret us…I could never regret us.” She looks up at me and hesitates. “Do you…regret us?”
I step closer to her and back her up against the wooden post. “Not for one second.”
“Then why don’t you like me anymore?” She asks quietly.
“Why would you think that I don’t like you?” I frown at her.
“You’ve been avoiding me and won’t even look at me anymore. At work, you send Bobby in to ask me for things you need. I feel like you can’t stand to be around me.”
“I have been avoiding you,” I sigh. “But not for the reasons you think. I don’t…I don’t trust myself around you. I needed time to think, and whenever you are near me, I feel myself lose control.
“Do you feel like you are losing control now?” She places her hand on my grey t-shirt, and my skin burns from her touch.
