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“Tristan, I—”
“How could you?!” I yell.
“Because you had it all, and you didn’t deserve it!” Luke yells back, his chest heaving as his eyes flash at me with hatred.
I take a step back.
“What?”
“You had it all! A kid who loved you, a job where you’re one of the most powerful people in the tech world, and—” He puts his two hands to his eyes, “Deanna. You had her. You had Deanna, and you didn’t cherish her enough.” He pulls his hands off his face and fixes his accusing stare on me.
Then, I finally understood. I recognize the look on his face. It’s the wounded look of a man in love who isn’t loved back.
“You loved her,” I whisper, wetting my lips. “You loved Deanna.”
Luke sinks into the leather chair across the desk. His shadow looms on the floor as the sun finally dips into the horizon. I turn my gaze to the city, and it’s darker now. Loud and dark.
“I loved her, Tristan,” Luke finally admits, his voice barely above a whisper. “I loved her as long as I knew her.”
I remain silent, my hands by my side.
“I never tried anything.” He laughs. “Well, trying would have been pointless; Deanna was completely in love with you. But after the military service, when you pulled away and started drinking, I thought… I thought she’d come to me, you know?” he laughs again, pacing the office. “I thought she’d see I was the right person for her and not…”
Luke looks at me. “I blamed you for what happened to her.”
The words hit me like a punch in the gut. I tear my eyes away from the darkening city and rest them on him. Luke breaks our eye contact and puts his head in his hand.
“You blamed me?” I repeat. “You were the one telling me not to blame myself all these years, and you blamed me all along?”
Luke nods and raises his head. His expression is pained as he rises from the chair. “I couldn’t help it, Tristan,” he confesses, his voice thick with sadness. I couldn’t stand to see her suffer, and I couldn’t stand to see you hurting her.”
“So, who did you think would be made CEO after I lost the position?” I scowl.
Luke glances around the room like he’s searching for the answer on the walls.
Anger boils within me as I watch my pitiful friend. “You? You had no right,” I snarl, my voice sharp and cutting. You had no right to invade my privacy, no right to betray my trust. Haven’t I done enough for you? I made you who you are! I treated you like an equal!”
Luke remains silent, his gaze fixed on the floor as he shuffles on his feet. I stare at him wordlessly. The door opens, and my assistant steps in.
“Mr. Jackson, I just want to—” her voice fades off as she sees the looks on our faces. She gently backs out like a cartoon character and closes the door behind her.
“I know I fucked up,” Luke says, meeting my eyes. “I know I messed up, Tristan. I’m sorry. I’m still the guy you knew, yeah? Your buddy from college. It’s me, Tristan. Please, just forgive me. We can work through this.”
The words ring hollow in my ears. “Sorry, that’s not good enough, Luke,” I declare, knowing I’ll never trust him again. You’ve crossed a line, and there’s no going back.”
But despite my anger and sorrow, I still recall the friendship we once shared, the memories of happier times lingering like ghosts in the corner of my mind. “I’m going to give you a choice, Luke.”
He looks at me, his ears perking up like a dog about to be thrown a bone. I take a deep breath as I prepare to cut yet another person out of my life for the second time in seven days. Luke deserves it, I know, but does Layla?
I return to the matter at hand. “I can have you charged with breach of privacy, amongst other serious offenses, and you won’t ever find work in the industry again.”
Luke raises a hand and steps closer. “Tristan—”
“Or you can leave Pixels right now and never return,” I complete my statement. “That’s the choice you have. Leave or face being blackballed and possible jail time.”
Luke watches me with sadness etched on his face. I harden my gaze, showing him my decision is final. He knows me. He knows I won’t change my mind. So, he nods and turns to leave. I watch him walk away, emptiness filling me up.
He stops at the door. “I know I can’t make up for the shit I did, but there’s one thing you should know.”
