Heat pulses beneath my skin as my cheeks burn. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
I slam the door shut and hurry after him.
His laugh is still deep and resonant, just like I remember, but it no longer sends shivers through me the way it once did. It’s still charming, and before Alek, it would have felt like a gentle caress. Now it’s just a wave of warmth, heavy with memories and tinged with the bittersweet ache of what we lost.
Who knows where Titan and I would have ended up had we stayed together?
“We’d be together. That’s all that would matter, Hayvin,” he whispers.
My eyes jerk to him and find him staring at me with a sad smile. “I said that out loud.”
He chuckles. “You didn’t exactly whisper it.”
I exhale sharply and shake my head, stunned that the thought even crossed my mind. Alek has scrambled my brain so much that I’m actually imagining what life would have been like with my childhood ex. A path I closed off and buried years before Alek ever entered the picture. I made my peace with my relationship with Titan long ago.
I grab two mugs from the cabinet and line them up beside my Keurig. The ritual is automatic: pop in a K-cup, check the water, slide a mug into place. As the machine hums to life, the rich scent of Colombian roast unfurls through the kitchen, warm and bittersweet.
When his cup is ready, I swap it out for mine, adding just the right touch of sugar, as he likes it. With both mugs in hand, I set them on the table, sliding his toward him before settling into the chair at his side.
“Tell me what life has been like for you since I saw you last, Tan. Anyone special?” I ask before lifting my cup to my mouth and taking a careful sip.
A shadow flickers in his eyes, one I doubt he intends for me to notice. It spills out, coiling around my throat, squeezing until every breath feels like a struggle.
He blinks, and I blow out a silent breath when they’re back to normal.
I press my palm to my chest, massaging the ache that’s settled there like an old, unwelcome friend.
What the hell happened to the beautiful, vibrant guy I used to know?
If I didn’t know for a fact that I saw what I did, I’d question it when he aims that stupid, charming smile that got me when I was younger.
There’s a certain immunity from it now that I’m a lot older and stupidly in love with some other idiot.
“Now, love bug, you know damn well you’re the only one special in my life,” he teases with a wink.
“Used to be,” I sing-song, taking another drink.
“The one and only,” he says seriously, holding my eyes.
I sigh, setting my coffee on the table. “What are you doing here, Titan? I haven’t seen or heard from you in a while, and now you pop in for a surprise visit?”
“Saw Leigh.”
I roll my eyes. “And of course, she told you.”
Titan shakes his head, causing strings of blond hair to fall into his eyes. He reaches up to brush it away as he stares at me over the rim of his cup. “Naw, not everything. Just told me youand him aren’t together anymore. You know she wouldn’t have even told me that much if I hadn’t asked about you.” He lifts an eyebrow. “Gonna fill me in?”
“Didn’t plan on it,” I mutter, taking another sip of my coffee to stall.
Titan reaches over and gently pushes the cup away from my face when I try to hide behind it. “Don’t do that. Don’t hide from me. You know I hate that shit.”
His face wavers through the blur of my tears. I let out a shaky breath and lean back, as if putting space between us could shield me from the weight of this conversation.
Why did I let him in again?
“Stubborn ass,” he growls.
I shoot him a glare when his smirk widens, catching the shiver I failed to hide.
