“Aspen,” he growls.
“I’m here to apologize and make amends,” I snap, tossing my hands up in the air.
He jerks back like I’ve slapped him.
“Excuse me? You have nothing to apologize for.”
Sighing, I lean back into the couch and let my announcement drain out of me.
“I do, and I need you to let me get this out without interruptions.”
Calloway frowns, but nods.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry for being a clingy pain in your ass since we met. I’m sorry for always thinking you were going to leave me when you never hinted that you would. I’m sorry for acting out before I was taken and for getting myself in that situation to begin with. I’m sorry for putting you in a situation where you had to save me and for potentially starting a war. I’m sorry for everything.”
He shakes his head, looking at me like I’ve grown a third eye or something.
“Aspen, you have nothing to apologize for. Have you always been a needy little shit? Yes, absolutely, but I love you despite that. I knew what I was getting into when we forged our bond. You don’t need to apologize for being you. Not to me.”
“I do, though. You didn’t deserve any of the bullshit I’ve put you through.”
“You didn’t deserve any of the shit you’ve been through either. Both of us are fucked up in the head, but we have each other. That’s all that matters.”
I look down, unsure of what to say.
I hate using my childhood as an excuse, but he’s not wrong. I am fucked up because of how I grew up. I know I have mommy and daddy issues thanks to their abandonment, but that doesn’t mean I like facing it.
I kind of like burying my head in the sand when it comes to all of that.
“Can I ask you a question?” he asks after a few moments.
“What’s up?”
“What’s going on with you and Asher?”
I blink slowly, caught off guard by the change of subject.
Out of everything he could have asked me, I didn’t see this coming.
“Asher and I are complicated. I have a lot of guilt when it comes to him. When those assholes were holding me, I had to do things that I didn’t like, and he paid the price. I used him in the worst kind of way. Honestly, I owe him an apology.”
“He doesn’t seem to mind. As far as I can tell, he genuinely cares about you. He doesn’t seem to hold a grudge or anything.”
“That might be true, but that doesn’t mean I don’t feel guilty.”
He tilts his head to the side and studies me. “Do you care about him?”
“Yes,” I say, with no hesitation.
“Do you want to be with him?” he asks, making me squirm.
“I don’t know if that’s in the cards for us. I don’t know if a relationship built on a tense situation like ours can work long term.”
He shrugs. “I don’t know. It seems to work for Maggie and me. I was a fucking asshole to her and blamed her for leaving you, but we still fell in love with each other. We both had a lot of guilt over falling in love when we did, but we wouldn’t change it.”
Could Asher and I let go of the past and be happy together?
Could we be like a normal couple and…date?
