“You weren’t home,” Klaus continues. “But your fridge was.”
“My…fridge?” I echo, confused beyond belief.
Nick nods. “The party invitation was right there in plain sight. Location, time, dress code…”
What the fuck?
“It was on the side of the fridge!”
“Yeah, next to a neon pink‘Don’t forget your leftovers’sticky note and a whole motivational quote about hydration,” Klaus adds.
Well, that’s not embarrassing or anything…
“That still doesn’t explain why you came,” I argue, even though the answer is staring all three of us in the face.
Klaus’s jaw visibly ticks. “You disappeared, that’s your explanation.”
“I was busy,” I retort, sharp, defensive heat flaring in my chest. “It’s not like you weren’t knocking down my door, either.”
“Sure,busy.” He scoffs through his nose. “Sounds like you were avoiding us.”
“No. I was…recalibrating.”
Nick tilts his graying head. “Recalibrating?”
“Reevaluating,” I clarify.
“Reevaluating what?” he presses.
“Things were getting messy. I needed space.”
“You could’ve said that,” Klaus says. There’s no accusation in it, just a small, quiet hurt that lands like a punch to my sternum.
“I didn’t know how,” I admit. “If I chose one of you, I’d lose the other, and if I kept going the way things were, everything would blow up anyway. So I walked away.”
“You didn’t just walk away. You ghosted us.”
“Can you blame me? Everything was unraveling and I didn’t want to screw up your relationship. It was strained enough because of me already!”
Nick steps forward then, that blue-eyed gaze locked on mine.“Wedecide what affects our relationship. That’s not up to you.”
“I was trying to be responsible!” I shout.
“By ghosting us?” Klaus growls.
“I don’t know! I…panicked!”
Tensions thicken, crackling in the air around us like embers. Frustration, longing, confusion, it’s all there, threatening to overwhelm us at any given moment.
Feelings really do ruin everything.
Now it’s Nick who drags a flustered hand through his hair as he expels a deep breath. “We’re not doing this in a hallway.”
“Why not?” I demand.
“Because you’re yelling,” Klaus deadpans.
“I amnotyell?—”
