“Oh for fuck’s sake!” I set my glass down with a heavy thud, surprised by my own outburst. Then I add more calmly, “He doesn’t care about me. He made that very clear.”
There’s silence for a moment, and I snatch my vodka up again, taking a long sip.
Geoff inhales slowly. “Hon… what happened?”
I drain my glass, waving toward the bartender for another. Then I realize this isn’t Bounce—I can’t get away with that shit here. I grumble, turning back to the concerned faces of my friends.
“Cat?” Alex prompts, and guilt creeps over me. Myles might have hurt me, but I know these two care. And I’m being such a bitch.
“Fine,” I mutter. I don’t really want to get into the whole thing, but they seem unusually worried. Maybe getting this out will be good, actually. I’ve been keeping it bottled up and it’s starting to feel toxic. “I found out this huge secret from his past and he basically just told me to get over it. So… that’s that.”
“What secret?” Alex asks.
I slurp up the melted ice from my drink, unable to look her in the eye. I’m afraid if I do, I might burst into tears or something equally ludicrous. And that’s not me—that’s more her style. Jesus, what’s happening to me?
“He—” My voice catches in my throat, and I take a breath, trying again. “He walked out on his family a few years back.”
Geoff’s brow dips with compassion. “And that makes you think of your dad.”
“Yeah. Or, it did, but he’s not like Dad—not really. Dad left and never looked back. Myles is desperate to get back to his daughter. So it’s not that. It’s more the fact that he lied to me.”
Alex gives a little nod, but Geoff looks skeptical.
“Right,” he says, adjusting his glasses. “And you think he deliberately tried to keep this from you?”
“Of course. He said he’d meant to tell me, but he didn’t. So, you know, he can’t really care about me all that much, can he?”
Alex tilts her head. “Er… why?”
“Because if you care about someone, you don’t hide stuff from them. You said it yourself—trust can only be built if you see all of each other. Well, I let him see all of me. But he didn’t do the same.”
Alex sighs. “What happened after you confronted him?”
“He told me everything. Then he got angry at me and said I was pushing him away. Which—hello—of course I was, because he lied. But he kept trying to pin it on me, kept saying I was scared because things were getting too real.”
“And then he left?”
“Yeah.” The image of Myles’s hurt face flashes into my mind, and I feel a pang in my chest I don’t want to acknowledge. “He stormed off and told me he wouldn’t bother me anymore.” The last word sticks in my throat and I reach for my drink, then remember it’s empty.
Geoff jumps to his feet, rushing to the bar, and I try to gather myself together. I’m feeling all wobbly and I don’t like it one bit.
When Geoff returns, he has another vodka soda and three tequila shots. I’m not sure if they’re all for me—but hell, I’ll take them.
He sets the shots aside and hands me my vodka with a kind smile.
“I’m sorry.” I gaze down into my glass. “I should be over this by now. We were only together for five minutes. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” When I glance up they’re sharing a knowing look again and I frown. “What?”
Alex nibbles her lip, still looking at Geoff. “Do you want to tell her, or should—”
“Yeah, I think—”
“It’s probably best coming from—”
“Yeah, okay,” Geoff says, turning to me.
More secret communication. I glare at them, drumming my fingers on the table.
“Here.” Geoff hands me a tequila shot. “Drink this.”
