“No, he… he never said much.”
He brings the glass to his lips and takes a small sip—notfollowed by shivers. “You know I did my share of dumb shit when I was younger.”
“Dumb shit like driving without a license?” I tease.
“Yeah, well.” He rubs his jaw. “My date really wanted to see some crappy indie band two towns away, and I’m nothing if not a gentleman.”
I glare. “Go on.”
“Right.” He traces the edge of his glass with one finger. “I spent most of my life being pissed off because everyone thought my dad was such a good guy when he really wasn’t. Angry at him for not being a better father, at everyone else for expecting the worst of me. Furious with myself for delivering every single time.”
What he said about wanting to be good comes back to me, and my heart squeezes. Is that what he meant? That he wants to go against everyone’s expectations of him beingtrouble?
“Rafael…”
“Let me finish.” He rubs his jaw for a long moment. “It always felt like an endless loop. My dad couldn’t be better, which meant that I didn’t know better, which made everyone think I was… bad.”
He holds my stare.
“Until I realized I found comfort in that. In knowing I could control the narrative, even though I was the villain in it. You know what was really hard? Not falling into the same pattern once I left Willowbrook.”
It sounds like he’s trying to make a point, but unsure of what it is, I ask, “Why are you telling me this, Gray?”
“Because maybe that’s the reason you won’t tell your brother why you didn’t move in with your grandparents. Because as long as he doesn’t know that, you’re the evil guy, and you get to keep a… barrier between the two of you?”
Of course not. I don’t want him to hate his grandparents. That’s it. “I text him all the time, Rafael. I call. Itry. You saw me begging for him to stay tonight, didn’t you?”
He holds a hand on mine. “I did. But I also saw him reaching out to his sister and hitting a wall.” Smiling softly, he insists, “You’re terrified of losing him, so you keep him at a safe distance. Because as long as he blames you, he won’t want to be in your life.”
I slide my hand away from his, looking down at a spot on the table.
“Fear is irrational, Scarlett.”
It makes sense, of course. Everything he said. But it’s not whatI’m doing. I love Ethan more than anyone else in the entire world—creating distance between us wouldn’t make losing him hurt any less.
“I’mnotpushing him away.”
Rafael’s gaze lingers, his head tilting slightly, as though he’s weighing my words. “Okay, then. My bad.”
“I’mnot,” I insist.
“I believe you.”
“I’m going to my grandparents’ tomorrow and demanding an explanation. I definitely won’t let them send him to Virginia, and I won’t stand by and watch them make him miserable.” I realize I’ve raised my voice, but I insist, “I love Ethan. I’dneverdo anything to hurt him.”
“Scarlett, hey.” He gently grips my forearm, leaning forward. “I’m sorry. I know you do, okay? Forget everything I said.”
I exhale, trying to get my heart to settle, but before I can, Rafael’s gaze moves beside me, and I look up to see Vanessa and Theo standing next to our table. They exchange glances, then turn their attention back to us with furrowed brows.
Shit. Did they hear me?
“H-hey, guys.”
“Is everything okay?” Theo asks, giving Rafael an icy glare.
“Yeah.” I tuck my hands into my lap. “What’s, um, what’s up?”
“We came to get a beer. Paige is in the restroom.”
