He smirks. “Bullshit.”
I shove my plate away. “What do you want me to say? That she’s in my head? That every time I close my eyes, I see her face and I don’t know if it’s because of what we did to her or because I want her again?”
Jamie’s quiet for a long time. Then he says, “Maybe it’s both.”
“Jesus, Jamie.”
He shrugs. “I’m serious. You said she’s leaving. You want to do something? Tell her the truth. Tell her you like her.”
“She won’t believe me.”
“Then make her.”
I laugh, sharp and humorless. “Yeah, because that’ll fix everything.”
He gives me a look. “You think this—whatever the hell is happening between the three of us—is gonna fix itself?”
I lean back, glare at him. “The three of us?”
Jamie’s expression doesn’t change. “You’re not the only one she got under.”
“Don’t start.”
He smirks again, but there’s no malice in it. “You’re telling me you haven’t thought about it?”
“About what?”
“Sharing her.”
I nearly choke. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
He shrugs, calm as ever. “We’ve done it before.”
“Bella doesn’t count.”
“Why not?”
“Because that was Bella, and this isChloe.”
He laughs softly. “And that’s the point. Maybe that’s why it’d work.”
“Jamie—”
He holds up a hand. “I’m just saying. She likes both of us. You like her. I like her. She’s leaving, and we’re running out of chances to stop pretending this isn’t real.”
I stare at him. “You’re out of your mind.”
He finishes his drink, pushes it aside. “Think about it. What’s the worst that can happen?”
I shake my head, but my chest feels tight, my pulse uneven.
He smiles faintly, tired. “You’re in love with her. Don’t look so surprised.”
I want to punch him, but I also want to laugh. Instead, I just sit there, staring at the cracked vinyl table, thinking about Chloe’s face, her voice, the way she said my name that night like it meant something.
Outside, the rain starts. Sammie’s neon sign flickers against the wet pavement, red and blue bleeding into the night.
Jamie stands, tosses a few bills onto the table. “Think about it,” he says again. “Before she’s gone for good.”
