“I’m sorry, I just don’t see it. In my head—trying to picture you and—what—no—you’re joking.”
Annoyance brewed, and my chest tightened. “Why would I joke about this?”
“I don’t know, to fuck with me? Make me think I’m in some coma hell… Are you my fucking subconscious? Am I dying?”
“Do not be unnecessarily dramatic about this. You were the one who wanted to know why I was in a mood.”
He nodded. “Right, yes. I wanted to know, but I didn’t think you would tell me you’ve been fucking—hold on, when did this start?”
“Months…” Her face flashed in my head, the carefreeness in her smile that always made her brown eyes look like a good coffee, the sweet smell of vanilla and amber always coming from her hair, the softness of her skin—
“Elio,” Casmiro snapped and I blinked.
“A few months now,” I continued. “Although it was a little back and forth at first.” I sighed. “I won’t disrespect her by telling you any details; all you need to know is that we were involved until recently.”
“I thought you didn’t like her? You tried to drown her, for fuck’s sake.”
“That was before I got to know her. I could not understand why she made me feel things. I could not predict her. I still can’t, nor do I want to. I only seem to know her better now.”
“Just because you fucked her.”
“Before then,” I corrected. “She has this… charisma, very much like mine, and I was interested, and one thing led to another, and we…”
“Right.” Casmiro shook his head. “I am way too sober for this conversation, and—”
“You are not drinking.”
“No, I think I am—”
“The doctor clearly stated you cannot drink alcohol until you’ve fully recovered,” I told him. “Banish that thought this instant.”
He sighed. “How am I supposed to digest all you’re telling me with a clear mind? For God’s sake, it’s just impossible. I thought you were celibate.”
I raised a brow. “Was I?”
“I haven’t seen you with a woman in so long—like, years, and—just—of all the women out there, you choose the one who personifies suspicion.”
“I cannot help who I like.”
“I don’t know, E… I’ve never trusted that woman. I don’t like her at all. I don’t know why, I just don’t.”
“Hm.” I nodded, averting my gaze. “I can imagine why.”
“No, no, you don’t get me. I told you the day I was attacked, she threatened me. She told me to stay out of her business. The look in her eyes, her whole demeanor? Everything changed in that one second I glanced her way. If I could read minds,I would have definitely caught her plotting something.” He pinned me with a stare that begged me to see reason. “Think about it, E, she threatened me, and then I’m being shot at, hours later? Can’t be a coincidence.”
“I see the sense in what you are saying. But I asked her, she denied it, and I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. Besides, there was no concrete proof to show she was indeed behind your attack.”
He worked his jaw, shaking his head. “She’s using you. I am one hundred percent sure she doesn’t feel anything you’re feeling for her.”
My chest tightened at the truth in his statement. “I know that. But all of this was not why I told you about our temporary involvement in the first place. It concerns my brother—”
“Right, she just randomly has theonlyliving Marinos wrapped around her fingers.”
“Ignoring that observation, the mistake I made was getting involved with her without checking to see if my brother still held feelings for her.”
Casmiro’s lips thinned. “So you messed up your relationship with your brother by sleeping with his girlfriend.”
“She told me they weren’t together.”
