“I want her to find someone better, Dean. Someone better than me.”
“Fuck, Cam. It’s not going to be easy for anyone to understand her.”
“Maybe Gabriel will,” I said, resigned.
“I don’t really like the guy, you know.”
I looked at him. “Why? He seems okay.”
“There’s just something about him...” He trailed off, thoughtful. “I don’t know. Ben didn’t like him, so maybe I’m just projecting.”
“I’m still going to be there for her. If she ever needs me. At least until there’s someone else who can take care of her. If it’s not Gabriel, then I hope she finds someone who will.”
“But you know what you did wrong, Cam, and you regret it. You know now that she was in love with you, so why not fight for her? Try to build something real this time, the right way. The way she treated you wasn’t fair, but staying silent and just taking it wasn’t right either. Eventually, it built up and exploded, and you did the worst thing you could’ve done. There has to be a better way. Some way to meet in the middle.”
“Don’t you think it’s too late?” I asked. “After what I did?”
“Cameron, you love her. It’s fucking heartbreaking how much you love her, and honestly, it still blows my mind that you could betray her. But you do love her, and you know she loves you too.”
“We had many sweet moments together, too, you know,” I said, reminiscing. “It wasn’t always like this. We didn’t fight as much before.”
“So why’s that?” Dean asked, sounding confused. “I’ve known her about as long as you have, even if not as close. I know she’s usually closed off, even to you, but she wasn’t like this before, not so angry with you all the time. What changed?”
“I think because I’ve started to talk back. To get angry back at her.”
“I believe this is one of those messed-up situations where pain and love get tangled. People sometimes hurt the ones they’re closest to, not because they want to, but because that’s where the rawest emotions live. You both did that to each other.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Sounds like you’re psychoanalyzing me.”
“I am,” he grinned.
We both jumped when Ben suddenly appeared behind Dean and slid in beside us, facing the bar.
“Don’t look,” he whispered sharply. “Don’t look behind me.”
Naturally, we both looked.
“Goddamn it, I said don’t look!”
“What? Why?” Dean asked, confused.
“Gabriel and Sloane just walked into the bar.”
I froze. A wave of dread rushed over me.
“I probably screwed up,” Ben admitted. “We were on our way to the lobby, and Gabriel asked if I was heading home. I said I was probably going to a bar with you and Cam. Then I suddenly got called back upstairs.”
“Did you tell him exactly which bar?” Dean asked.
“Not exactly,” Ben said. “I didn’t know where you’d end up at the time since I wasn’t sure if Cam wanted to go. So I just said maybeNoir—because you mentioned wanting to try it since it’s new.”
“Do you think they showed up here on purpose?” Dean asked, sounding unconvinced.
“Out of all the bars in the city...” Ben muttered.
“Ben, if Sloane knew I was here, she wouldn’t have come,” I said, shaking my head. “She’s not like that.”
“Yeah, I didn’t think so,” Dean said quietly.
