“Alek. What are you doing?” I ask.
He finally tears himself away from the silent, testosterone-fueled standoff with Titan. When his eyes meet mine, a familiar warmth washes over me. Alek usually keeps his feelings locked up tight, so seeing him lay himself bare like this makes my throat tighten.
He’s saying he misses me, that he’s sorry, that he regrets it all—without uttering a word. It’s beautiful, almost perfect. So why couldn’t he show me this before? Why did it take losing me for him to finally see what was in his own heart?
My eyes glance behind him to where David is watching us. The familiar weight of Alek’s fingers rests against my chin as he turns my head back toward him.
“I’m not here with her, baby girl. Haven’t talked to her in a few weeks now.”
He must see the skepticism on my face because he sighs, releasing my chin and shoving his hands into his pockets.
“I get that you can’t believe me. Especially when it comes to her. But it’s the truth, Vin. I choose you. I always will.”
I snort, shaking my head. “A little late, don’t you think? The time to choose me should have been years ago, Alek.”
He nods. “You’re right. I had a shit way of showing you I cared about you.”
“So, then. Why are you here now?”
“It’s our lunch break.”
“No,” I say, shaking my head. “Why are you right here at my table?”
He glances at Titan with a slight noise in his throat before glancing back at me.
Well, this is a twist I didn’t see coming.
Alek’s possessiveness is practically radiating off him.
I laugh. “I see. So, you can have all kinds of time with Jerica, who you’ve always claimed was only a friend, but you only start feeling possessive of me when another male is around me?”
“Start feeling possessive? Baby girl, you must not have been paying attention, but I’ve always been that way over you. You’re mine. You always have been.”
I lean in, arms folded on the table, giving him a small, wry smile. “You sure have a strange way of showing it. For three years, I was convinced Jerica was the only one who really belonged to you.”
His ears flush red, and he drops his gaze, but only for a moment. He straightens, locking eyes with me, a stubborn glintsparking in his eyes. That look tells me I’m in for a wild ride. He’s not backing down, not this time.
The real question is, do I even want him to fight for me anymore?
“You, Hayvin Marie, are the only person that’s been in my heart for the last three years. Jerica was only a friend. I was a fucking coward and used her to keep a distance between us because you fucking terrified me. Love terrified me. I stupidly thought that if I didn’t let you in, I couldn’t be hurt. The only thing my stupidity did was cause you immense pain.” He blows out a breath and seems to grow taller, and I brace myself for whatever he’s about to say. “When I went to help Jerica move, she kissed me. I didn’t want it. I didn’t ask for it. It fucking made me sick to my stomach, and I couldn’t move at all because I couldn’t believe it was happening. By the time I actually understood that it was, she was already moving away. Reggie cheated on her, so when he showed up, she chose to fuck the consequences and kissed me to make him jealous. Which in turn made me cheat on you, and I don’t fucking like it.”
I already knew all this from Reggie, but I’m honestly shocked Alek is spilling it now, right here, in front of Titan and everyone else.
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because you need to know I cheated on you. It wasn’t intentional, and it wasn’t something I sought out to do. Hell, I never in my life would have done that to—”
“Alek, stop. You didn’t cheat on me. Do I hate that her mouth was on yours? Fuck, yes. But you didn’t cheat. We were over as soon as you walked out the front door after I told you we weren’t okay. And from the sounds of it, you didn’t want her to kiss you.”
He shrugs. “In my mind, we were still together, Vin. So, yes, I did.”
“If that’s what you need to tell yourself, but that’s just not the way I see it. I won’t lie and say it doesn’t hurt because it fucking makes me sick to think about it, but I can’t see it as cheating because in my mind we were already over.”
“Stop excusing it!” he growls harshly.
I spring to my feet, catching Titan doing the same. I jab a finger into Alek’s chest. “You want to hash this out now? Because I sure don’t, but it looks like we’re doing it anyway. Outside. Both of you.”
They just stare at me, wide-eyed and frozen. I snap my fingers. “Now. Titan, tell our server we’ll be back. She can watch from the front for all I care.”
