The bathroom door opens behind me. I don’t bother looking up.
Then I catch a familiar scent. His scent.
“Tate.”
I turn around, and there he is, standing by the door like he’s guarding it, guilt etched into his expression.
“What the hell do you want?” I growl.
“I saw you leave your table. Thought we should talk.”
“Talk?” I let out a bitter laugh. “About what? Your cozy little date out there? Is he okay with you meeting another guy in the bathroom?”
“It’s not what you think.”
“Well, it looked like you were having a romantic dinner. Sharing wine, sweet fucking nothings, and plans about fucking him later.”
Zane flinches. “That’s not what was happening.”
“Then what was happening?” I step closer, my anger rising. “Because after what almost happened today, I gotta wonder.”
“You don’t understand... ”
“I think I understand perfectly. You get me all worked up during practice, make me think there’s something between us, then you run off to your boyfriend for dinner.”
“He’s not my boyfriend.”
“Right. Just some guy you have romantic dinners with. My mistake.”
The sarcasm drips from every word, but I don’t give a shit. I’m tired of being jerked around by a guy who thinks I’m too stupid to see what’s really happening.
“Tate, listen to me... ”
“No, you listen to me.” I back him against the wall, my hands hitting the tile on either side of his head. “I’m done with your bullshit. I’m done with you making me feel like an idiot for wanting something that clearly doesn’t exist.”
“It does exist,” he says in a quiet voice.
“Fuck you. If it existed, you wouldn’t be out there having dinner with some other guy.”
“It was just a business meeting.”
“Business meeting, my ass. The guy looked like he wanted to fuck you right at the table. Like you were gonna be his dessert.”
Zane’s jaw tightens. “You’re being ridiculous.”
“And you’ve been lying to me about everything. About Vegas, about why you’re here, about what you want.”
“I haven’t lied about what I want.”
“Then what do you want, Zane? Because I can’t figure it out. One minute you’re looking at me like you want to devour me, the next you’re pulling away like I’ve got the plague. Today you’re catching me on the ice like you can’t stand the thought of letting me fall, tonight you’re having dinner with another man.”
Zane looks away and sweeps a hand through his hair. “It’s complicated.”
“Everything’s complicated with you. You know what’s not complicated? Being honest. Tell me if you’re seeing someone else. Tell me if this afternoon was just some kind of game to you.”
“It wasn’t.”
“Yeah, well I’m getting tired of trying to figure out what goes on in your head.”
