True, and he was closer to his pottery studio. Dex rented space in a co-op, giving him a private workroom, somewhere to store everything and dry his pieces, as well as access to a kiln. This was the best condo he’d seen. By far. If it didn’t have a view of the damn park, it would have been perfect.
“I don’t know. Maybe I shouldn’t downsize. One bedroom feels small.”
Ollie opened the sliding door to the balcony. “Seriously? Small? Even with indoor-outdoor flow like this? A balcony is the dream. Can you imagine sitting out here in the evenings? It’ll be great. And what do you need two bedrooms for? You don’t want a roommate, do you?”
“No.” Dex cringed. He was used to his own space.
“Then what?” Ollie shut the door. “Why is downsizing and saving the extra cash not the plan anymore?”
Dex pretended to be interested in a throw blanket on the couch, running his fingers along the stitches. “It’s still the plan. I guess this place is fine.”
It wasn’t as if he would look out the window and pine after Luc—wishing the kind man he’d met was real—for the rest of his life. Fuck. He shouldn’t be pining at all. If only this mess of feelings would leave him alone.
Ollie moved closer until they were shoulder to shoulder. “Whatever it is, you can talk to me. This must be hard. But is moving what’s bothering you? You haven’t been yourself lately.”
Dex’s fist clenched around the blanket. “How can I be myself after kissing the man who hurt you?”
Ollie went completely still. “You don’t have to feel bad about kissing Luc.”
“Why not?”
Ollie glanced around the room, maybe checking that the realtor was still giving them space and hadn’t snuck in from the hall. “Dante and I may have overreacted when we ran into you. I’m sorry.”
“What?” Dex’s heart rate skyrocketed. Was this a joke? There was no overreacting after what Lucifer had done to Ollie. Of course Dex should feel terrible for kissingthe Devil.
Ollie crossed his arms defensively. “I really am sorry, Dex. I was so sure Luc was planning to hurt you, but it turns out I was wrong.”
Sorry? Ollie was sorry? Dex braced himself on the back of the couch, a weight pressing on his chest. Ollie waswrong? Luc hadn’t been planning to hurt him? “How could you possibly know Luc wasn’t going to hurt me like he did to you?”
Ollie hesitated, and Dex’s heart sank. Ollie didn’t know. He was speculating. But why? What was happening right now?
Ollie had a turn avoiding eye contact and inspecting the blanket. “Luc hasn’t contacted you, has he?”
Dex shook his head, fresh guilt for being both relieved and hurt by Luc’s radio silence swallowing him whole.
Ollie ran a hand through his messy curls. “We were wrong about Luc going after you because of me. He proved to Dante that he didn’t know we were friends. He really wanted a date with you. There wasn’t an ulterior motive.”
Dex had to be dreaming. Ollie wasn’t making sense. “Fine, say he randomly wanted to date me. That doesn’t change what he did to you on the beach.”
Ollie winced. “No. It doesn’t.” He paused, lines forming around his eyes. “Do you want to talk to him again?”
Why did it sound like Ollie already knew the answer?
Blood rushed in Dex’s ears. Ollie had guessed he was a terrible friend, conflicted when he shouldn’t be.
Ollie gripped Dex’s arm. “It’s okay if you want to talk to Luc. We never gave him a chance on the roof. But Dante did, and he doesn’t think it would be a bad idea for you to call Luc if you want to hear him out, and I agree.”
Dante wanted him to call the Devil? After growling at Luc and shoving him away?
“You agree? You can’t seriously want me to talk to someone who attacked you.”
“It’s not that simple. I hate Luc, but I can’t grasp the extent of the conflict between him and the other demons. Not really. It’s impossible to get my head around knowing someone for four thousand years. They hate each other now, but that could change. Who knows what the next decade or century or millennia will bring? I talked to Luc, and he’s sorry for hurting me.”
Dex should want to hear this, but his blood boiled. “So what if he’s sorry? That’s bullshit. You almost died. Being sorry doesn’t make it okay.”
“Do I have to hate him forever? What if Luc can make up for what he did? Show that he regrets it enough to do better.”
“I don’t know.” Why hadn’t Ollie felt this way two weeks ago? Sure, one action didn’t define a person, but ripping someone’s throat out wasn’t a small misstep.
