"Have a safe trip back to New York." I stepped back and dug my hands into my pockets.
I couldn't concentrate on anything. I didn't hear Eden and Mila leave, couldn't tell if Eden said anything to me. My heart was racing at the thought of Maria; and my mind was spinning on how my friends knew her.
"So, I think this party was a success –"
"How do you know Maria?" My voice was loud against the quiet night air, even though I’d only spoken above a whisper.
Simon did a double take. "Huh?"
"Maria," I pressed through gritted teeth. "How do you know her?" Each word felt like a puncture to my gut. A storm cloud hung over my head as I willed Simon not to confirm what I started to suspect. I moved my finger between the confused couple. "You two had a weird reaction to her name."
Sofia eyed me curiously, her big brown eyes expressive in their scrutiny. "Simon used to date her."
And there it was. Right or wrong, that storm cloud grew darker.
"Date is a strong word," Simon grumbled.
"But it's the right one," Sofia gently corrected, her hand lightly slapping his forearm.
Simon pressed his cheek against the side of Sofia's head for a few moments. Her hands stroked his arms before squeezing them. They were having a wordless conversation, as couples so attuned to each other tended to do.
Finally, he sighed before turning to address me. "I was an asshole to her. We had an on-off thing for a few years, but I was a selfish dick and treated her like a piece of ass."
A scarlet haze fell in front of me. "You what?" My breath felt trapped in my throat. "What did you do to her?" I growled.
Simon held up a hand at me. "Hey, man. You're coming off a little aggressive –"
"Maria. Youhurther?" I wanted to wring his neck as he stood there with a befuddled expression on his face. How could anyone hurt Maria?
You did.
My stomach kicked itself, and I pushed my self-reflection aside. This wasn't about me.
More pieces to the puzzle that was Maria slid into place.
"Not physically. Dude, chill out –"
"Oh, my god," Sofia's eyes widened. Her hand came to her mouth as an awareness filtered through her. "Maria is the girl. The girl you…"
"The girl he what?" Simon quizzed when Maria's voice died out. "The girl you what?" His head volleyed between the two of us.
I rolled my lips in and breathed deeply. Fuck! How could I have known that the person I revealed my intentions toactuallyknew Maria? If Maria ever found out, she would be beyond pissed that I was talking about her, no matter how innocent.
Sofia tried to step forward, but Simon held her back. His protective stance had my shoulders sinking. I didn't want to come off aggressive, but the thought of Maria being treated like shit was like a red rag to a bull.
"Look," Sofia tried again, "Simon had a thing with Maria. It didn't end well, and Simon apologized to her for his behavior –"
"Whatfucking behavior?"
"Brian, you need to chill." This time it was Sofia doing the reprimanding. Simon just stared at me with a retrospective tint in his eye. "You've been drinking, and emotions are heightened."
I slowly unfurled my fists and took a small step back to show her I meant no ill will. I didn't. At least, not to her. Simon, on the other hand…
Sofia rubbed Simon's chest as she continued to address me. "We won't reveal any more. I think Maria needs to do that."
My jaw flexed and my eyes felt heavy with the weight of my glower. I nodded at her—andonlyher—before I stormed off without saying goodbye.
Chapter 28
