Page 28 of F Buddy

“I get that you spend time with her because she’s someone familiar, and someone you can easily have conversations with,” I said. “But do you have to talk about her every time we get a chance to talk?”

His eyebrows jumped up. “But I don’t—”

“Uh,” I cut him off, “yes, you do. You just don’t seem to realize it.” I squinted my eyes at him in suspicion. “Are you cheating on me with her? Is that why you can't seem to shut up about her?”

He gaped at me. I could tell he was surprised by what I was saying, as surprised as I was by myself for bringing it up, but I wouldn’t bring back the question.

“Look, Scarlett, I don’t know whatever gave you the idea—”

“And why wouldn’t I think that way?” I cut in. “Look at it from my perspective. You’re on a different continent, spending all your time with this woman, so much that you keep mentioning her in every conversation. Are you sure nothing has happened between the two of you?”

I waited for him to reply to me, my heart beating hard and fast. I hadn't planned to confront him about it, but the truth was, I was growing sick of it. The times we could chat were rare enough as it was. I was excited when I got to talk to him, but he ruined it every time he mentioned that name. Abigail.

When Zach opened his mouth to speak, what he said next shocked me into silence.

“I can't help that I’m spending so much time with her, but what the hell do you mean by cheating, anyway?”

My mouth opened, but I didn’t know what to say. He was frowning at me, looking annoyed, and I wasn’t sure what to say. I couldn’t exactly brush away what I’d just accused him of, though I wished I could. Zach didn’t look in the mood to drop it either, and before I could bring myself to say anything, he continued.

“We were clear about this thing between us, weren’t we? Or I thought we were.”

“W-what—” I choked out.

“I know we had that whole deal with the marriage thing. But… it was stupid, Scarlett. I don’t want to get married, and you wouldn’t want to marry me. I never took it seriously. Don’t tell me you thought I was proposing to you?”

I scowled at him. “I’m not so stupid as to confuse a joke with a proposal,” I said in irritation. “We’re just in it for the sex and a good time, right?”

His eyes were narrowed at me, and I kept my scowl on. “That’s exactly it. We’re both looking to have fun, but no more than that, right? Like we agreed.”

“Right,” I murmured, even as my heart broke at his words.

This is why things wouldn’t have worked out between us. Everything was different now. Things were fine when we were together because I forgot myself. I didn’t let myself think about after, in the moments when we were together. A part of me hated that he had to leave the country when we’d only just started out, but a bigger part of me thought it was for the best. And now, it was clear to see why.

I let myself get too close. He was reminding me how things were between us from the beginning. What, did I think they would change, just because it was me?

I’ve never been someone so special.

Eventually, he’d have tired of me or found someone else he’d rather fuck. He wasn’t under any obligation to stay faithful but if he’d strayed I would have blown up at him. After that, we wouldn’t be able to stay friends. My heart squeezed painfully at the thought of not having Zach in my life.

Maybe it was the best outcome, I thought. Having him completely out of my life…

It hurt, but it would be for the best. Of course, I wasn’t bold enough to come out and speak to him about what I felt. If he reacted this way to just a few accusations, I knew he wouldn’t take well to me saying I’d taken him seriously, to some extent.

“Therefore,” Zach continued, unaware of my internal struggle. “Even if anything were going on between Abigail and me, you can't just go saying I’m cheating on you. Because we’re not officially together in the first place. It’s only cheating if it’s a committed relationship, after all.”

“And you don’t do relationships,” I added quietly. “So it was a stupid assumption for me to make.”

His expression softened just a bit. “Hey, no need to look like that. I swear nothing has happened between Abigail and me.”

It didn’t make me feel any better but I smiled at him anyway. “It’s fine,” I said with a dismissive wave. “Sorry about that. You just talk about her so much all of a sudden…”

He shrugged. “Well, of course. We’re almost always together. We’re both each other’s link to home, after all. And I’ve always been pathetic at learning new languages so she’s useful to have around when I feel like going out to eat. It’s so much more convenient.”

My eyes widened slightly at his wording, before I smiled, more genuinely this time. He used the same words he would describe our relationship, to describe what was between him and Abigail. A part of me was kind of happy about that, though I shouldn’t have been. It wasn’t exactly a charitable thought to my fellow woman. Not that I cared. Thinking of her trying to lure him into her bed…

“Has she ever come on to you?”

Immediately, his attitude soured. But I was sick of burying how I felt because I feared to rock the boat. We weren’t dating after all, so there was nothing to ruin.