He paused, draining his glass before continuing. “But watching your friends die? Having to zip them into fucking body bags, knowing how many hearts will be breaking back home? That really does a number on you.”
I reached across the table to squeeze his wrist. “I’m sorry, Max. That must’ve been fucking awful.”
“It was,” he said hollowly. “Worst part was knowing that next time it might be me. Or Dom. It got me thinking about you.”
“About me?”
He jerked his head in a vague approximation of a nod. “About all the ways we’d both fucked up. About the relationship me and you missed out on. The relationship we might be able to have going forward.”
Max gave me a crooked smile. “I’d like one, Ryan. You might’ve been an annoying little shit, but you’ve always been my annoying little shit. Somewhere along the way, I forgot that fact. I’d give anything to remember it again.”
I wasn’t about to make any promises. Max had said all the right things, and he seemed to genuinely regret how things went down. But just like he was different now, so was I. The days of me blindly trusting people were long gone.
“How about another drink?” I gestured at his empty glass. “Maybe we should switch to beer though, unless we want to be rolled out of the pub.”
“Good point.” He chuckled. “Let me get this one though. You got the last one.”
He stood up and all the blood drained from his face as his gaze locked on something behind me. “Fuck.”
“What?” I craned my neck, but the crowd was too thick for me to see through it. “What is it?”
Max’s throat bobbed. “I didn’t tell him we’d be here, I swear. I didn’t plan this, or help him plan it, I promise.”
I sighed, getting to my feet. Sure enough, Dom was cutting a swathe through the crowd. “I get it. It’s fine. He has a knack for doing this.”
My gaze fell on the figure over his shoulder and I groaned. “Fuck. I think I need to apologise too.”
“Why?”
I nodded at Xander, who was approaching with a lazy grin. “See your interfering best friend? That bloke with him is mine.”
Max turned to me with a smile. “You have a best friend?”
I rolled my eyes. “Sounds so secondary school, right?”
“Nah, it makes me happy to know you’ve got someone.” Max grinned enthusiastically. “I can’t wait to meet him.”
He might regret saying that in about thirty seconds.
Dom reached us first. “Shadow. Max. Fancy seeing you here.”
“You weren’t invited.” Max glared at Dom.
He just shrugged, utterly unbothered by my twin’s ire. “Had to make sure Ry was okay.”
“Ry is right here.” I sighed. “And I’m fine, Dom. I don’t need you fighting my battles for me.”
He gave me an innocent smile that was designed to remind me that hadn’t always been the case. That he’d once made me go to my knees to earn the privilege.
And that was exactly what it did. My blood rushedsouth, making me casually tug my jacket closed to hide any evidence.
From Dom’s widening smirk, I failed.
“Sorry about that,” Xander said cheerfully as he joined us. “Saw someone I met the other night.”
I raised a brow. “Met, or fucked?”
“That’d be telling.” His grin sharpened as his gaze slid to Max. “Aren’t you going to introduce us?”
