His jaw tightened.
"You made it very clear that I meant nothing to you, so why exactly are you angry now?" she demanded, her voice trembling with anger. "Shouldn't you be relieved? Isn't this what you wanted?" A bitter laugh escaped her as she shook her head. "I'm finally out of your life."
"That's not what I meant."
"Really?" Juliet shot back immediately. "Because it sounded pretty clear to me."
Silence fell between them.
Vincent looked away first.
He took several harsh breaths, visibly trying to calm himself. One hand came up to rake roughly through his hair before he scrubbed a hand over his face in frustration.
When he looked back at her, his expression had softened slightly, but the anger simmering beneath the surface hadn't disappeared.
"Juliet, we've known each other since we were children," he said, his voice low and strained. "We've spent practically our entire lives together."
He took a slow step toward her.
Juliet immediately stepped back.
The movement caused pain to flash briefly across Vincent's face.
"You know me better than anyone," he continued, trying to keep his tone even. "You know I say things I don't mean when I'm drunk."
He exhaled sharply, clearly struggling to put his thoughts into words.
"I was just too drunk that day. I shouldn't have said those things."
Juliet crossed her arms over her chest, putting another barrier between them.
"But you did say them."
Vincent clenched his jaw.
"Because I was angry."
"And that somehow makes it better?"
"It means I didn't mean them!" he snapped.
The words came out louder and harsher than he intended.
Seeing Juliet flinch, Vincent immediately closed his eyes for a brief moment and turned away, visibly forcing himself to calm down again.
When he spoke this time, his voice was lower, though the tension in it remained obvious.
"Juliet..." He dragged a hand through his hair again before looking back at her. "We've been friends for so long. After all these years, you should know me well enough to understand what I'm trying to say."
He took another step toward her.
"There will never be anyone better for you than me."
Juliet stared at him for several long seconds.
Then she slowly shook her head.
"You're wrong."
