“I loved you too, you know. So much.”
Running both hands through my hair, I tug. But the pain it inflicts does nothing to ease the pain in my heart. In my fucking soul.
Fuck.
This wasn’t supposed to be so hard. I came back toLakeside to work, maybe find some closure. Instead, I’m right back where I was the night after graduation—completely at her mercy.
I grab a beer from the fridge and down half of it in one go.
The words I wanted to say before she passed out are still burning in my throat.
I still love you. I’ve never stopped.
Sinking onto her couch, I stare out one of the tall windows at the dark, star-studded sky.
Trivia Night was going so well until I went all fucking caveman on Carter. I couldn’t help myself. Watching him lean in close, brushing against her as he laughed at her jokes—it drove me insane. And it’s not like Lizzy was pushing him away either.
Maybe I’m reading too much into this whole situation. Maybe she’s going along with our fake dating arrangement because she feels sorry for me, or because it might help her art career. Maybe those drunken words meant nothing—maybe it was just the tequila talking. But the way she said them—so raw, so honest—makes my stomach twist.
Taking another pull from the bottle, I lean my head back against the couch and roll my head to see Slash watching me from his terrarium, tongue flicking lazily into the air.
Is he judging me? If he is, can’t say I blame him.
“What would you do, little dude?” I whisper. “If the one person you’ve loved your entire life was right there in front of you, but still so far out of reach?”
He flicks its tongue again, clearly unimpressed with my current predicament.
I chuckle softly. “Yeah, that’s what I thought you’d say.”
Setting the empty bottle on the coffee table, I stretch out my legs.
I’m gonna sleep on the couch, just to make sure she’s okay.Maybe I’ll slip out before she wakes up. The last thing I need is for her to think I’m trying to take advantage of the situation.
Grabbing a throw blanket from the back of the couch, I kick off my shoes and settle in. It’s surprisingly comfortable, molding to my body as I turn onto my side.
The sound of her soft breathing creates a soothing rhythm that wills my eyelids to grow heavy. My mind starts to drift, her words still playing on repeat in my head.
Before I know it, I’m dreaming of treehouse summers, stolen kisses, a girl with black hair, emerald eyes and a smile that lights up the darkest corners of my soul.
thirty-two
An incessant buzzingpummels through my brain, making me groan into the mattress. My eyes flutter open, but all I can see is black. There’s a moment of panic before some semblance of lucidity kicks in and I realize I’m lying on my stomach with my head buried beneath a pillow.
Light instantly pierces my retinas when I toss the pillow aside, making me fumble a couple of times before I manage to snatch my phone off the nightstand.
Blinking away the blur, I swipe up.
LOGAN
You up, sis? How’s your hangover this morning? Bet it’s a doozy.
Below the text is a GIF of a guy with his head lolling back against a couch, mouth open and a line of drool leaking from his mouth.
I snort, rubbing the sleep from my eyes with my free hand.
I’m fine. Fuck you very much.
No more than ten seconds pass before his reply pings through. I can literally hear the baby talk in his voice as I read it.
