"He hired her," I murmur.
"Ah, I'm starting to see the problem."
"Exactly! If he had a casual relationship with her, then why would he be interested in a relationship with me when I'm not really interested in that?" I sit down on her bed and rub my hands over my face.
"I was not starting to see the problem," she murmurs.
"He says it didn't mean anything, and they just slept together while they were doing their apprenticeships. He was very clear about the first part."
"Maybe he wanted you to know that it wasn't serious?" she suggests.
"It doesn't matter. If that's what he's interested in, then it can't work, so there's no point telling him that I love him."
"Evie..."
"What?" I ask, really hoping that she sees something that I've missed and can explain it to me, because otherwise, I might scream.
"Have you talked to him about how you feel about sex?"
"Of course not."
"I thought you told him everything?" she asks softly.
"Everything except that," I admit. "I suppose it's not really something I thought about much until not long before he left. Now he's back..."
Veronica reaches out and puts a hand on my back. "It might not be as complicated as you think."
"What do you mean?" I look at her, confusion racing through me. I'm not used to the feelings within me, and I want to put them back inside.
"You seem to be upset that Camille could give him something that you don't think you can. That sounds a little bit like you're jealous."
"I'm not jealous," I counter.
"Consider that you might be," she says.
"What do I even do if I am?"
"I'm not sure," she admits. "I guess it depends on what's stopping you from having sex. When we talked about it before, you said that you didn't mind it. I think you also used the words kind of fun."
"I suppose so," I respond. "I'm not in any rush or anything, but it wasn't awful."
"I would love to be a fly on the wall when you told people that." She's clearly amused, and I know it's at my expense, but I need her knowledge about these things more than I need her to stop.
"I didn't tell anyone that," I respond.
"That's a shame. It would be an amusing reason to start a diplomatic incident."
"Are you laughing at me?" I ask.
"A little. but only because I love you," she responds.
"You have a funny way of showing it."
The fire crackles, and I look over to it, feeling a little guilty that I've abandoned Ember in the fire in my room after abandoning her in the kitchen. I know she's fine, and it won't be a problem, but I still feel bad.
"I'm here helping you, aren't I?" Veronica reminds me.
"Seems more like you're here for your own amusement."
