I watch the taillights disappear down the street. And then the silence crashes back in.
Five minutes later, there’s a knock, then the door creaks open without waiting for an answer. Phoenix strolls in like he owns the place, a crate under his arm.
“You look like hell,” he says cheerfully, kicking the door shut behind him.
“Nice to see you too.” I sink into the couch.
He drops the beer on the coffee table, cracks one, and hands it over. “So. Chief’s sister. Spill.”
I take a long swig, the cold fizz burning my throat. “She ended it.”
Phoenix whistles low. “Already? Thought you two were setting off fireworks.”
“We were.” My jaw flexes. “And then she flipped the bloody switch. One minute it’s bring your hose and the next she’s like ice giving me the cold shoulder.”
“Maybe you came on too strong.” Phoenix says, cracking his own beer.
“I didn’t bloody propose.”
“Didn’t need to. You had the look.”
I scowl. “What look?”
“The look of a man already shopping for family-sized boxes of cereal. Women sense that shit.”
“Women usually like that shit.” I groan, dragging a hand down my face. ”She just turned within minutes, Phoenix.”
He takes a swig, then softens. “Look, older women… they’ve got layers. Complicated as hell. Trust me.”
I arch a brow. “You’re still banging on about Fern Sinclair?”
“Yeah, like I said, complicated doesn’t even cover it.”
Despite myself, a laugh barks out of me. “It was like six years ago.”
“Still. I know when a woman’s pulling away. Sometimes it’s not about you at all. Sometimes it’s about their own mess.”
I lean back, staring at the ceiling. “So what? I just sit on my arse and wait?”
“Depends.” Phoenix props his feet on the table. “You want casual, or you want the whole deal?”
“The whole bloody deal,” I say without hesitation. “Sienna loves her. But me—” My chest tightens. “I can’t put my heart on the line if she’s not all in, Phoenix.”
For once, he doesn’t joke. He just nods. “Maybe… ease off the dragon routine. Not every fire needs to be fought head-on.”
I stare at my beer, his words settling heavy but true. Maybe I came on too strong for her. “It’s over now, anyway. She made her feelings clear. I’m not putting us through another loss with someone who can turn hot and cold like that. We don’t deserve it.”
“Fire and ice.” Phoenix leans forward, pointing at me with his beer. “Women are so unpredictable, mate.”
I chuck an empty bottle cap onto the coffee table. “She looked at me as if I were the problem. Like she’d already decided.”
Phoenix shrugs. “Or maybe she looked at you like she was scared of her own feelings. Either way, don’t go full dragon and burn the whole thing down before you know the truth.”
“Easier said than done,” I grumble, taking anotherlong drink. The beer’s already buzzing in my blood, loosening things I don’t want loosened.
Phoenix stretches, grabbing another bottle. “I’ll crash here if you want. Save you brooding alone in the dark like some moody bastard.”
“I’ll be fine,” I lie, sinking deeper into the couch.
