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“Saw who?” Shane sounded irritated.

“You and that guy. When you kissed.”

A rumbling sound came through the line.

“And that’s why you’re leaving? Are you . . . Aiden? It was only a prank. Fun. A bet. It meant absolutely nothing. And if I may say so, we never talked about exclusivity.”

He spoke casually, yet every word was a punch to my gut.

“I know, that’s why I’m not blaming you. But I’ve realized that I can’t do this. That your idea of fun is simply different from mine.”

“And how do you figure that? You never asked me. You’re assuming that because . . . I hang out on the beach all summer long?”

I groaned angrily. “Look at yourself and me. Do you think we’re compatible? Do you think we could last when you’re surrounded all the time by people who . . . who are like you?”

“Like me.” He sounded exhausted. “Good to know. I could have easily imagined that we were on the same wavelength. My bad.”

I stared ahead in silence. I couldn’t wrap my head around why he sounded so down. What he wanted.

“Then I guess you’re right. It is better to stop pretending. Take care, Ruben.”

My heart contracted, tied itself into a knot, and squeezed the air out of me. Why did I feel as if someone had sucked the life out of me? That was what I wanted. To end things cleanly. To focus on my work again.

Why did I feel like I had just made a huge mistake?