I stand. “Let’s go talk outside,” I say, because if we don’t, he will have this entire room recording us in minutes and then my face will be all over the damn internet, again.
He follows me out.
We don’t even make it past the bottom step before he spins on me. The air outside is cooler now, but his breath is hot on my face as he leans in close.
“Is this really your plan? Show up after all these years, and rub other guys in my face as if you being back in town isn’t fucking enough?”
I shake my head, shocked that he is still making all of this about him. I get anger, but this... this is something else entirely. “I came back to make sure you weren’t dead, Travis. You have made it very clear how you feel, so I don’t know why you’re here carrying on like this.”
He steps in closer. The hurt is real now, and it stings. “You’re playing fucking games with me. Just go home. Why the fuck are you still here?”
“Because for whatever goddamned reason, I can’t seem to walk away from you.”
My voice is shaky now, but I don’t back down.
“Funny, it didn’t fucking stop you two years ago. Don’t let it hold you back now.”
I lean in, so there’s no way he can miss the next part. “You know what, I don’t even know who you are anymore. If this is the kind of man you have become, Travis Phoenix, then that little girl is far better off without you.”
I know my words are harsh, and deep down, I regret them as soon as they leave my lips, but it’s too late now. He reels, physically, and for a split second I see the boy I loved, not the man he became. “Fuck you, Violet. Fuck you for coming back just to break everything all over again.”
I glare at him, my voice unwavering. “That’s where you’re wrong. You broke it, Travis.”
He stares at me, for a long, long moment.
I don’t let him have another second.
I turn and walk back inside, every inch of me shaking, and sit down next to Jacob, who doesn’t ask any questions, just tells the bartender to bring me a water and offers me a smile I probably don’t deserve.
I don’t know how much longer I can do this.
Maybe I should just go home.
Maybe it’s better for everyone if I do.
