“And you’re trying to change that.”
I froze, eyes narrowed. “What?”
Weston rubbed the back of his neck. “The dare thing… the kitchen thing.”
My heart dropped. “David told you about that?Allof that?”
Not only did he have friends, but he shared stuff about us with them. This entire time he’d been acting like once out of sight, I was out of mind.
“Look, why don’t you come hang out? I’ll buy you a drink,” Weston offered. “Those recruiters are gone, so the conversation is more relaxed.”
“Hard pass.”
“I feel like I said something wrong.” His shoulders sagged. “That wasn’t my intention. Far from it.”
My gaze softened a bit as I looked at him and saw a guy who just wanted to help his jerk of a friend out. “Don’t worry about it. You’ve helped me more than you know.”
“He’s good at that,” an unamused voice interrupted.
Weston and I glanced over my shoulder to find David. He had his hands in his pockets, a suspicious gaze toggling between both of us. “What exactly did he help you with?”
“Clarity,” I said, offering only Weston a smile before leaving.
I didn’t even make it up the stairs before I felt David at my elbow.
“Where are you going?” he asked so casually you’d think we were at an airport terminal, waiting to be shuttled to our gate.
“Home.” I’m growing fond of one-word answers. They provided a kind of freedom. Maybe I didn’t owe anyone anextensive explanation of the split-second decision. Maybe I had the right to change my mind and goal.
“And the one-on-one?” David kept in step with me, an easy feat considering his legs were longer and he was in better shape than me. It was vital that I started running regularly again. What I could recall from our cross-country days, I had more endurance than he did.
“You’re relieved of your duties.” I dared to look at him, and I was just in time to see a flash of confusion color his eyes.
“You came clean?” he asked, sounding impressed.
“No.” I frowned, irritated that his admiration had been within reach for a second, and I’d wanted to grab hold. “I decided I’m dating Haven.”
He chuckled. “Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“You two would be a nice couple.”
“I thought so.”
“So, how did we break up?” he asked.
I wrinkled my nose and stopped walking. “What’s it to you? You’re free. Released from duty. Go do whatever it is you do.”
“When I go back home, I’d like to have some sort of inkling of what the gossip mill will be touting,” he said.
I sighed because, with the way people talked back home, I’d want to know the same thing. “Fine. I’m thinking of saying you cheated, and I cried to Haven, and she nursed me back to health and into a deep, more profound love.”
“Cute,” he said flatly. “But I’m not a cheater.”
“It’s fiction.”
David shook his head. “You’re not telling people I cheated on you. Next.”
