“No,” he agrees. “But it could’ve cost you more.”
I nod. I know that. Intellectually, I know that. Emotionally, it still feels like I’ve been flayed open.
The pub door opens, letting in a gust of cold air and a burst of laughter that cuts through the room.
I feel it before I see her. That prickle at the back of my neck. That instinctive tightening in my gut. Lukas stiffens beside me and I look up.
Talia stands just inside the doorway with a group of her friends clustered around her, all glossy hair and sharp smiles and coats that cost more than my monthly rent. She looks exactly as she always does; effortlessly put together, eyes bright with something that’s never quite kindness.
Her gaze sweeps the room, lands on our table, and sticks as a slow smile curves her mouth.
“Fuck,” I mutter under my breath.
Ryan follows my line of sight and swears. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“She planned this,” Ben says flatly.
Talia says something to her friends and they all laugh, too loudly, before making their way toward the bar. She doesn’t look at me again, not directly, but I can feel her awareness like a spotlight trained on my back.
My chest tightens.
“Ignore her,” Lukas says immediately. “Don’t engage.”
“I’m not planning to,” I reply, though my jaw aches from how hard I’m clenching it.
For a few minutes, it works. I keep my eyes on the table, on my glass, on literally anything else. I focus on breathing. On the hum of conversation. On the scrape of chairs against the floor.
Then I hear her voice.
“Oh my God,” Talia says, loud enough to carry. “Is that him?”
Laughter follows and my shoulders tense.
“Wow,” she continues, her tone saccharine. “I didn’t think he’d show his face in public so soon.”
Ryan starts to rise out of his seat. Lukas’s hand shoots out, gripping his wrist.
“No,” Lukas says sharply. “Not worth it.”
I stay seated, fists clenched, my heart pounding so hard it feels like it’s trying to escape my chest. I tell myself to be better than this. To not give her what she wants.
Talia doesn’t stop. She drifts closer, one step at a time, like a shark circling. Her friends hang back, eyes glittering with anticipation.
“Hi, Cal,” she says sweetly, finally addressing me directly. “Rough week?”
I look up at her then. At the cruelty in her smile. The satisfaction she’s barely bothering to hide.
“It’s Callum not Cal. You should leave,” I say flatly.
She laughs. “Still charming. Guess some things don’t change.”
“Back off,” Lukas warns, standing now, positioning himself half in front of me without making a show of it.
Talia’s gaze flicks to him, unimpressed. “Relax. I’m just here for a drink. Same as everyone else.”
“You’re here to provoke him,” Lukas says. “And you know it. You’re after some scandal to post on your shitty social media account.”
She shrugs. “If the truth provokes him, that’s not my problem.”
