“I didn’t. You can choose to believe me or not, that's on you. But please, let me explain?—”
He held a palm up to stop me. “There's nothing to explain. We aren't together. You can fuck whoever you want. I’d prefer it wasn’t my best friend, but it's too late for that, obviously,” he snarled.
Keep. Your. Cool.
“I didn’t sleep with him. Do youreallythink I would do that to you?”
“Well I didn’t think you would kiss him, so I don’t know what lies on your lists of dos and don’ts anymore.”
Fair enough. I deserved that.
“Wait.Whydo you think I slept with him?” My brow arched.
He was quiet for a moment before he reluctantly answered. “Kade said?—”
I held a palm out to silence him. “Woah. Donottell me you letKadeget in your head.”
He ran a hand down the back of his neck, letting it linger on his upper spine. “He said when he was in the arena with Kohen and I—after you told me—and I quote,by the cocky look on Sinclair’s face when he came back to the party, I would bet money that they screwed.”
Kade was nothing if he wasn’t an antagonizer. “And you believed him? Come on, Seb, you know me better than that.”
He shrugged. “I thought I did.”
I closed my eyes and drew in a deep breath, rounding my lips out to release the air. I walked towards him, stopping when I was close enough to hear his breathing. “At my party, when you and me were talking like we used to, it just reminded me of everything we had lost. And then I saw Pia and Kohen together so happy, and it just broke me because I missed that connection with you.” I paused, taking a moment to breathe. “I don’t think it was until that moment that I truly realized how much I missed you.”
“So where in this story do you kiss him? Because right now, it’s kind of sounding like you decided you wanted to be with me, but then kissedhiminstead. Am I on to something here?” he growled.
“No. Well. Kind of. Yes. Anyways, Sawyer came to check on me after I left and—” Gods, I hated this. “I had convinced myself that I couldn't have you. That we couldn't be together…sound familiar?”
His jaw ticked as he undoubtedly recalled how he himself had acted with me last winter.
“I had just told myself that I needed to move on when he came to see me. We hugged and when I pulled back, he kissed me and I—” This was the hardest part of this horrific truth to share. “And I didn’t stop him. Not right away at least.”
Sebastian's face fell into a deep scowl. “If you’re locking me in this room just to tell me how my best friend touched you,than you are exposing me to a brand new form of torture that I’d rather be dead than endure.”
That comment made me nauseous. “That’s not what I’m doing. I just want to explain?—”
“Wait.” I could see his brain working. “Did this happen more than once? How many times were his hands all over your body?”
“His hands weren’tall overmy body.”
“Okay. His mouth then,” he deadpanned.
I cringed.
“Just that once. I swear to all of the gods.”
Ialmostwished Venay was alive so she could prove the integrity of my words to him.
When he didn’t continue speaking, I did. “Nothing else happened, and it was never going to.”
Sebastian scoffed, letting his tongue linger on the roof of his mouth as his eyes met the veil once more. “Wonderful. Well, thanks for sharing, Maeve. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have even more anger to work off.”
He tried to move past me, but I jumped in front of him.
“No. I’m not done,” I pleaded.
“That’s too bad, Maeve. Because I am. Move.”
