“Wait, what do you meanno?”
“I meanno, I am not going over there, andno,I’m not going to physically pull Viper out of her café, Ashton.”
Panic rises in my chest.
“But… Why the fuck?—”
“She asked us to stay away from her,” he tells me, voice curt. “Remember? And she specifically told me not to come. She says it’s fine. He’s just sitting there, not bothering her. She only mentioned it to me so I would be aware.”
He’s not bothering herfor now.Who the fuck knows how he’ll act five minutes from now?
But I’m too hung up on something else he said, my mind crashing to a stop.
“What do you mean she told you? Sydney called you?”
“Texted, but yes. She sent me a message a few minutes ago to let me know he was there. And telling me not to come.”
I take my phone away from my ear and touch the screen, navigating to my own messages. The conversation history with Sydney—saved as Babygirl in my phone—just shows my last six text messages to her.
All unanswered. All unread.
“She didn’t message me,” I say, numbly, into the phone.
“Because you are not giving herspace,” Sebastian snaps. That fucking prick. “You really think she’s ready to open those floodgates by texting you?”
“I haven’t been back to the café! I’m giving her space!” It’s taken every ounce of my self-control, but Ihaven’tbeen back to see her, not since Alec told me that it would just be painting a target on her back, that I could be putting her in danger. Just like Viper is now.
“It’s not just being there in person.” Sebastian sighs in irritation. “All you do is message her, over and over. You’re not respecting what she asked of you. And if you keep it up, you’re going to push her away for good.”
He doesn’t even know the half of it. Thisisme restraining myself and giving her space, okay? Doesn’t anyone understand that? But he’s right about one thing. Obviously, I’m not giving her what she wants because…
She didn’t message me. She messagedhim.
I’m squeezing the phone so hard in my hand I’m surprised it doesn’t snap into pieces.
Since when is he the one who knows how to deal with these situations? Since when is he the one she’s reaching out to for comfort? To save the day?
I could fucking kill him.
“Ashton?” Sebastian prompts through the phone. “You still there?”
“I fucking hate you,” I snarl.
Sebastian snorts. “Like I give a shit,” he says dismissively. “Listen, I’ll swing by if it’ll help calm you down. I won’t go in, but I’ll keep an eye on things, make sure Viper is behaving.”
My laugh is dry. “Yeah, sure, Doc. We all know how much you love to keep an eye on things.”
“Fucking asshole,” he mutters before hanging up.
Right back at you, prick.
Fuck, I’m a mess. Scheduling this fight was a terrible idea, with my mind all over the place and my heart definitely not in it, but…
There’s the tiniest, tiniest chance she’ll come next week, right? And that tiny, insignificant chance is looking more and more like all I have left.
I roll my shoulders and think: fuck it. Training is a bust for today, anyway, and I’m not in the mood to stick around and try to fit in another workout. I pack up my shit, and by the time I’ve showered and changed, there’s a text message on my phone from Alec, telling me to meet him at work.
I almost ignore him. My team can handle things just fine without me. But it’s been a while since I’ve shown my face at the office, and since the alternative is to head home and eat an entire pint of ice cream all on my own, I suck it up and head downtown toward the Sterling Enterprises main building.
