Page 27 of Only Be Mine

He took a sip of his beer, then set it down like he’d decided something. His fingers tapped the condensation on the glass once, and that was when I noticed his ring.

Thick. Gold. Worn in a way that suggested he actually wore it, not just owned it. A crest I didn’t recognize caught the low bar light every time his hand moved.

“What’s that?” I asked before I could stop myself, nodding toward his hand.

He glanced down, like he’d forgotten it was there. “Fraternity ring,” he said.

“You were in a frat?”

His mouth curved faintly. “I was. Engineering house. Less parties, more bad coffee and group suffering.”

“That explains the patience,” I muttered.

He laughed softly, thumb brushing over the crest without thinking. “It was important to me back then.”

Something about the way he said it made it feel like it still was.

“Can I ask you something?” he said.

My stomach tightened. “Depends.”

He smiled faintly. “Why did you leave so fast the other night?”

Heat crawled up my neck.

“I didn’t…”

“You did,” he said gently. Not accusing, just honest. “And I’m not mad. I just… I’ve been thinking about it.”

Of course he had.

I stared at the lime wedge in my drink like it might offer a script.

“I don’t do…” I started.

He waited.

I exhaled. “I don’t do this part.”

“This part?” he echoed.

I made a vague gesture between us. “The talking. The getting to know you. The… whatever people do when they actually like someone.”

John’s expression softened in a way that made my chest ache. “Why not?”

I laughed once, sharp and humorless. “Because it complicates things.”

“Complicates what?”

I shrugged too casually. “My life.”

He leaned forward slightly, not crowding, just closer. “Cate.”

Something about the way he said my name, like it wasn’t a pickup line, like it wasn’t just a sound, made my throat tighten again.

“I’m not a relationship girl,” I said, and I hated the way the words tasted. Like a lie I’d practiced until it felt true.

John’s eyes didn’t leave mine. “Is that because you don’t want one…” He paused, careful. “…or because you don’t believe they last?”