Charlie spots me as I climb onto the empty stool beside Amelia and heads our way.
“Hey there, dragon boy,” Charlie chirps, leaning across the counter to get closer to me.
I smile and lift to meet her the rest of the way. Our lips brush lightly, a gentle caress that fills me with warmth.
“Hey there, beautiful.”
“Do you want something to eat?”
“Can I get a water and a plate of cheese fries?”
“Got you. Can you two do me a favor? Try not to make a bloody mess in my place.”
Amelia snatches a fry from her plate and chomps down on it with a shark-like smile. “I don’t make promises I can’t keep.”
Charlie glances between us before smiling at me with a shrug. “You’re on your own. Sorry, not sorry.”
Silence settles between Amelia and me as Charlie walks away.
“She looks happy,” I murmur.
“No thanks to you,” Amelia snaps.
“I know. That’s all Charlie. She pulled herself out of the darkness and found her light again.”
“You make it sound like it was easy for her, Keaton.”
I shake my head. “No—”
Amelia cuts me off before I can finish what I was saying. “Stop. I know you want to run this, but I’ve got some things to say. I hated you for hurting me.”
Her words tighten my throat. I knew they were coming, but they still sting.
“We were best friends, and you broke that bond when you cheated on Charlie. But I hated you more for the absolute wayyou obliteratedher. Did you know I had to move in with her for a bit to ensure she kept breathing every night?”
I shake my head, my fists clenching on my thigh to hide their tremors. “I didn’t know it was that bad.”
“Of course you didn’t. Do you really believe she would have trusted you enough to let you know how bad she’d gotten? Even her parents didn’t know. Hell, Alek either. I was the only one she trusted with the shattered parts of her. And let me tell you something,thatwas not fun. It’s something I never want to do or see her go through again. Look, man. I acknowledge your changes. The love you have for Charlie is written all over you. Your remorse is palpable. But, Keaton, it doesn’t mean I can forget. I had to keep her head above water too many times over the last two years.”
Her voice trembles, betraying just how much she saw and felt.
The stool swivels with me as I turn toward her. “Saying sorry is never going to be enough. Words are too simple for what I did. What they are is a start. I’m sorry, Amelia. For cheating on Charlie and hurting her so deeply that she’ll always carry the scars from it. I’m sorry for hurting you and breaking the bonds of our friendship. It was always the three of us against the world. For years, our friendship was unbreakable.”
“And then you let someone else in.”
The flat words make me flinch, but I won’t deny them. “And then I let someone else in.”
We pause our conversation when Charlie stops by to drop off my fries and water. She places her elbows on the countertop, cups her palms, and rests her chin in them as she peers at us.
“You all good? Need a breather? I don’t see any blood drawn yet.”
The concern in her voice warms me. Her nose scrunches as I run my finger along it.
“We’re good, beautiful. Just talking.”
“Okay. Well, I’ll leave you to it then.”
She gives us a smile before heading through the swinging doors to the back.
