“Oh,” he says. “Oh.”
Mark speaks quietly. “And it mattered.”
“Yes.”
Alex lets out a low whistle. “Jesus, Pierce.”
I take another drink. “I knew it would. That’s why I shouldn’t have done it.”
“But you did,” Mark says.
“I did,” I agree. “And I let her know it mattered. That’s on me.”
Alex crosses his arms. “Okay, but let’s be clear — this isn’t Sunday.”
My jaw tightens. “I know.”
“You screwed up Sunday because you were avoiding,” he continues. “Tonight? That was you choosing.”
Mark nods once. “That’s the difference.”
I stare down at the glass. “I went home with someone Sunday night just to prove I could.”
Alex grimaces. “Yeah, that tracks?—”
Mark cuts him a look.
Alex sighs. “That makes sense. In the worst way.”
“She doesn’t know,” I say.
Silence stretches.
Mark finally asks, “Are you going to tell her?”
I think of Audra’s laugh. The way she trusted me to order forher. The way she held my gaze afterward like she wasn’t afraid of what she’d see there.
“I don’t think so,” I say. “We weren’t together. I didn’t lie.”
Mark studies me. “You didn’t tell the truth either.”
Alex nods slowly. “And she’s not the kind of woman who’ll care about technicalities.”
“No,” I admit. “She’ll care about timing.”
“And meaning,” Mark adds.
I close my eyes briefly. “It meant something to her.”
Alex’s voice softens. “And to you.”
“Yes.”
That lands heavier than anything else tonight.
Mark exhales. “Then you’re already late.”
I open my eyes. “Late for what.”
