“Sod off,” I say. “You’ve been trying to get between me and Agatha since the day she chose me over you.”
“She never chose you over me.”
“Get over yourself, Baz.”
He looks pained; that’s a new one. “No,” he goes on. “What I’m saying is—I’ve never been an option for Wellbelove.”
I push my head back into my pillow. “I shouldn’t have thought so, but apparently, I was wrong. Look, you’ve got a clear shot at her now. She’s done with me.”
“Sheinterruptedme,” he says. “That day in the Wood.”
I ignore him.
“She interrupted mydinner. She saw me. I was asking her not to tell anyone.”
“And you had to hold her hands for that?”
“I only did that bit to piss you off. I knew you were watching.”
“Well, it worked,” I say.
“You’re not listening.” He’s looking very pained now. “I’m notevergoing to come between you and Wellbelove. I was always just trying to piss you off.”
“Are you saying you flirted with Agatha just to hurt me?”
“Yes.”
“You never cared about her?”
“No.”
I grit my teeth. “And you think I want to hear that?”
“Well, obviously. Now you can make up with her and have the best Christmas ever.”
“You’re such an arse!” I say, jumping to my feet and charging at him.
“Anathema!” he shouts, and I hear him, but I almost plant my fist in his jaw anyway.
I stop just short. “Does she know?”
He shrugs.
“You’resuchan arse.”
“It was just flirting,” Baz says. “It’s not like I tried to feed her to a chimera.”
“Yeah, but shelikesyou,” I say. “I think she likes you better than me.”
He tilts his head and shrugs again. “Why wouldn’t she?”
“Fuck you, Baz. Seriously.” I’m standing so close, I’m practically spitting in his face. “She was carrying around your bloody handkerchief, that whole time you were gone. Since last year.”
“What handkerchief?”
I go to the drawer where the handkerchief is shoved in with my wand and a few other things, then I wave it in his face. “This one.”
Baz pulls the fabric out of my hand, and I pull it right back because I don’t want him to have it. I don’t want him to have anything right now.
