“I know you are his, but a third of your heart is mine, just as half of mine is yours. We both know that’s true,” he murmurs, his voice barely above a whisper. He presses a kiss to her temple. “I am here. Whether you want me to be or not, I am here. I’ll always be, just like I’ll always come for you. I promised, remember?”
I place the cups of coffee on a side table, and Clay’s gaze finally shifts toward me, his eyes widening in surprise.
“What did you just say?” I press, my hackles rising. The room is suddenly charged with tension.
“Josh, I…” Clay starts, standing up straighter, his expression torn.
“Did you just confess your love formygirlfriend?” I demand, my brow furrowing, a wave of nausea washing over me at the mere thought.
This is a joke, right?
It has to be. This can’t be real. I feel sick and betrayed, and my heart aches with a strange mix of anger and hurt.
“Josh, just hear me out…” he starts, stepping closer, his voice pleading.
“Fuck no! What kind of lousy best friend does that?” I accuse, my voice rising as I get into his personal space. Just as I am about to shove him, the door swings open, and Xander, Sophia, and Chiara enter the room.
“What’s going on here?” Xander asks, his gaze darting between Clay and me, uncertainty playing across his face, his brows furrowed.
“Well, what’s happening is that yourboyfriendjust declared his love to my unconscious girlfriend,” I accuse, the words tumbling out of my mouth, my fists clenching involuntarily at my sides.
“What?” Sophia asks, sounding taken aback, but my gaze doesn’t leave Xander.
His eyes snap back to Clay, surprise evident on his face. He seems at a loss for words.
“You didn’t know either?” I ask, my tone filled with incredulity.
Xander’s gaze flickers down to Carolina and back to Clay again, his eyes now reflecting a deep sense of hurt. He hesitates for a second before wordlessly turning and leaving the room, accompanied by Chiara’s gasp.
“Babe,” Clay yells, his desperation evident, and he instinctively moves to chase after Xander, but I grab his arm to hold him back, my grip firm.
“Are you fucking serious right now?” I seethe, my voice trembling, just like my hand. “She ismygirlfriend. She’s everything I’ve ever wanted. I thought you were my best friend. But no, you can’t let me have one good thing. You and Xander have each other. You always have. All my life, I’ve wanted someone like her. Yet here you are, trying to wedge in? For what? Your little arrangement? A bit of fun?”
“Turn it down, Josh. We’re in a hospital,” Sophia hisses out.
“Josh, I know how this looks, but it’s not like that. It’s more than that. I love her,” Clay pleads with me, eyes desperate.
I huff, shake my head, and look at the ceiling.
His shoulders sag, and the guilt is written all over his face.
The audacity!
“And I love you too, man. You’re my best friend. I would never do anything to hurt you. We’re family. You’re like a brother to me.”
The bitterness in my voice cuts through the tension like a knife as I lock eyes with him again. “Oh, what a great brother you are, trying to steal my girl.”
“I wouldn’t dream of taking her from you,” Clay defends, but I know what I heard. “She could have us all, we could share?—”
“Out!” I erupt, my voice echoing through the room, making Sophia flinch and pull Chiara to her side. I release my grip on Clay’s arm and thrust a finger toward the door. “Get out now, or I can’t promise I won’t punch you in your pretty face, Clay.” I’m seething.
His eyes dart to Sophia, who’s holding Chiara in a side hug. Her expression is one of disappointment as she tells him sternly, “I’ve got this. Go.”
He nods but hesitates. “Josh, please, let’s just talk about this later. I promise I would never…”
I can’t bear to listen to his pleas. Instead, I walk over to the bed and gently stroke Carolina’s hair, trying to regain my composure and taking deep breaths.
“I think it’d be best if you leave now,” Sophia snaps, tone icy, and the next sound I hear is the door closing behind him, leaving behind an unsettling silence.
