I cracked one eye open. “Have you ever cheated on one of your girlfriends?”
“No” was his answer. “That’s not to say that I haven’t been tempted by other women while in a relationship because I have. I just don’t get down like that.”
“Have you ever been cheated on?”
“Not that I know of.”
I wished I could say the same thing. During my freshman year at Hampton, my very first boyfriend, Louis, admitted to fucking one of my roommates while I was in Economics class—for the entire semester. After I broke things off with Jack, I got involved with a friend of Elise’s husband. Phil was nice and all, but he was also a serial cheater. Shattered my heart. Then, there was Kelvin…
“I’ve never cheated, but I’ve had my heart broken more times than I care to remember. When I went out with Kelvin,” I explained, “I thoughthewas the safe choice. It wasn’t a love thing; it was just comfortable. You know what happened with that.”
“Char, you can’t make their choices your problem.”
The next question stayed on the tip of my tongue because I wasn’t sure how he’d respond.
“Is that all you wanted to ask me?” he said.
I bit down on my lip, released it, and asked, “We’ve never talked about this before, but I want you to finally set the record straight.”
His brows drew down in confusion. “Okay?”
“Why did you let me ask Logan Harris out if you knew he would turn me down?”
Dex blinked.
I broke out in a fit of giggles. “Once I realized you knew all along, I was so mad at you.”
He quirked a brow. “Since we’re being honest, I did know. He was a punk-ass muthafucka.”
“So…?”
“It wasn’t my best decision,” he admitted. “Yet, I thought I was helping you by supporting what you wanted. You know we were fresh outta high school, right? I’m much wiser now.”
“But you…” I blew out a slow breath. “…had feelings for me?” Our first kiss,myfirst kiss, had caught me completely off guard.
Dex pinned me with his intense stare, the one that made me feel warm and safe and…wanted. “I did.”
“It’s weird because, at the time, I couldn’t believe that.”
“Why is that?”
“Come on, Dex. You could have anybody you want—then and now. I was just Charlye. In someways I’m better than I was back then. Yet, inmanyways, I’m still the same me.”
He gripped my thighs and tugged me onto his lap, wrapping my legs around his waist. “You’re right. We’ve never had this conversation. I was wrong about a lot of things that night. Maybe I should’ve handled it differently, but I wasn’t wrong for wanting to spend time with you, to kiss you.”
“I was wrong too. I ran from you so many times. Even when I wanted to stay.” I swept my thumbs over his jawline. “I’m not gonna lie, though, running is comfortable for me. I’m trying to do better at facing my life head on. Dex, this is new for me. I’ve never felt comfortable telling any man what I want or need.”
“It’s work.” He brushed his finger over my chin. “We have time, though.”
“Is that the lesson?”
He searched my face. “Explain?”
“Yousaid we have time.Iasked if we should slow this down. Maybe we shouldn’t question it anymore? Take each moment as it comes?”
“That’s hard for me.”
“I know.”
