“You weren’t at last confession.”
“So? I’ve missed confession before.”
Which was true. I’d missed it several months in a row at one point. So why would that be such a problem for him?
“You also turned off your light,” he said, his voice lowering to almost a whisper. “Put a…wall between us.”
The curtain.
He was talking about the curtain I’d put up in my window.
He’d been looking for me? Why? He’d made it pretty clear he wanted nothing to do with me. So why was he so annoyed I’d removed myself from his life?
“I thought that’s what you wanted?”
“I never said that.”
“No? I’m not stupid, Rafael.” I leaned across the table, my eyes falling to full lips that were surrounded by a dark blond scruff that I would give anything to feel against my skin. “That whole speech about being weak and giving in to temptation wasa pretty obvious fuck-you directed at me. So I did you a favor—I removed temptation. I removed myself. From confession, church…you. You’re welcome.”
“That’s not what I?—”
“One caramel latte,” Lachlan interrupted before Rafael could get his words out, and thank God for that. If I’d had to sit here and stare at him for much longer, I knew I’d cave.
Lachlan went to pull up another chair, but before he could, Rafael got to his feet.
“Thank you, but please, here, have your seat back.” Rafael looked down at me, his eyes roving over my face. But if he was waiting for me to extend the invitation, he was in for disappointment.
I couldn’t do this anymore. Couldn’t be the one always waiting.I’d done that for too long, and look what it had gotten me—nothing.
“You’re leaving?” Lachlan said when the two of us remained in a silent stare-off, and finally Rafael broke the connection, turning back to Lachlan.
“Yes, I just remembered I have somewhere I need to be.”
“Really?” Lachlan looked at me, an eyebrow raised. “You just remembered now, huh?”
Rafael gave a small nod then looked down at me. “I hope I’ll see you again soon, Alessio.”
I had nothing to say to that because I already knew I wouldn’t be going to see him, not ever again—my mind was made up.
“Thanks again for the coffee,” Rafael said, and as he turned to head out of the café, I tried not to watch him go. But what if this was the last time I ever saw him?
He stopped at the door, hesitating, and then looked over his shoulder at me.
That couldn’t be regret I saw flashing in his eyes. Because that wouldn’t make any sense at all. He didn’t regretme. Maybe it was more regret over being such an asshole.
Yeah, that was a hell of a lot more likely.
Someone slipped by him to enter the café, and that jolted him enough to break our eye contact. I watched him disappear into the crowd passing by, and before I could feel any way about that, Lachlan gave my shin a swift kick under the table.
“What the fuck?” I snapped.
He gave me a knowing look. “He just stared at you like he forgot how blinking works.”
I sipped on my coffee, ignoring him.
“Why does he watch you, Alessio?” Lachlan leaned forward, lowering his voice. “Tell me about the kiss.”
“There was no kiss.”
