“I know what I heard.”
“Then you should get your fucking hearing checked.”
“Or you could confess all those sins you’re hiding to me since you’re not going to the reverend.”
“Drop it.”
Lachlan narrowed his eyes and sat back in his chair, bringing his coffee to his lips. “Something’s going on. You’re avoiding him. He’s acting like a weirdo.”
“Make sure to tell him that next time you see him.”
“You think I won’t? I don’t like secrets. Especially ones involving priests.”
Shit.Maybe it would help to get it all off my chest, but I couldn’t imagine saying the words out loud.Poor fucking Alessio, in love with his priest he can never have.I’d never hear the end of it.
Then again…Lachlan wasn’t stupid. He knew, even if I hadn’t confirmed his suspicions. And he was my best friend. A vault when it mattered.
I rubbed my hands over my face, a heavy sigh leaving me. “I love him.Lovedhim. I’ve always loved him.”
Lachlan didn’t blink, didn’t react in any way. “But he’s a priest.”
“He wasn’t always a priest.”
“Holy shit,” he said on an exhale. “I thought you were just hot for him. Wanted to tempt him a little. I didn’t know it was more than that.”
“A lot more than that. He was my forever. I just wasn’t his.”
The shock on Lachlan’s usually stoic face was comical, or it would be if I didn’t feel like hurling my guts up. His mouth opened, shut, opened again, and then he finally shook his head.
“Fuck, Alessio.”
“We didn’t get that far this time.”
His eyes went impossibly wide, and then those devilish lips curled. “You meanyet.”
“No, it’s over.”
“I don’t think so.”
“No, he made it clear we can never go back to—” I swallowed. “We were just kids back then. It’s stupid to think he could still feel the same. That he might change his mind.”
Lachlan let me sit with my thoughts for all of a few seconds before cursing.
“Not sure if you missed it, but the guy that just left couldn’t take his eyes off you. He never can; I’ve told you that. And I’ve sure as hell never seen him with a beard before. What was that, a week’s growth or so? When was the last time you saw him?”
“Yeah, he had to go and grow a sexy fucking scruff like an asshole just to stick it to me.”
“Or stick itinyou.”
“Jesus—”
“Is that who you think you’re up against? ’Cause I’ve never seen you back down from a fight.”
“Kind of hard to fight the Almighty.” I drained the rest of my coffee and looked back toward the door, like Rafael would walk back through it any second. “He made his choice. End of story.”
“Yeah, I saw.” Lachlan’s voice softened. “It’s you.”
“What is?”
