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Twirling a piece of her hair around her finger, tattoo girl steps aside. I walk in.
“Where’s Vic?” Haze asks her.
“Passed out in his room. He’s going to need that rest, trust me,” she smirks, leaving me and Haze equally disgusted.
Wait, Vic’s not with Bea anymore?
“Is this her? The reason you’ve been a fucking soap opera?” Tattoo girl analyzes me some more. “She ain’t all that.”
“Shut up, Kelly,” Haze snarls.
She gives me the nastiest look she can muster and disappears down the hall.
Apologetic eyes drift to me. “Ignore her. She destroyed the few brain cells she had left today.”
I nod faintly. Expecting me to say something, he buries his hands into his sweatpants pockets and sways from left to right. He gives me the puppy eyes, and I don’t even think it’s intentional.
I miss him.
He broke you. Did you forget that part?
I shut the door with one hand. Only then do I become aware of my surroundings. The neat apartment I once visited is now a complete and utter mess. Cigarette butts and holders are scattered across the living room. The couch is covered in bongs, empty glass bottles, empty takeout boxes.
This is where he’s been living?
“It’s not as bad as it seems,” he says like he’s reading my mind. He knows me so well it’s annoying. “So… you read my texts.” His smile is sincere. Hopeful.
“Yeah, I needed to know where you were staying.”
The maybes in his eyes takes a blow.
“Did you get my gift?” He gives hope one last try.
“I did. It was very thoughtful. Thank you.” My tone is hard, but my heart is liquifying. I don’t know what he wished would happen after he gave me the bracelet, but the look on his face displays that this wasn’t it.
“What can I do for you?” He runs a quick hand through his wet hair, and my gaze clings to the drops of water rolling down his pecs. Eyes up here!
“Can we go somewhere private?” I clear my throat.
He nods, walks toward what I remember to be the guest room, and pushes the door open. A sliver of guilt throbs in me. He’s sleeping on an old pull-out couch that seems so uncomfortable my back aches just looking at it. He shouldn’t be here. He should be home.
With me.
He breaks the silence. “Winter, if you came to tell me that you never want to see me again… Please don’t.”
Heart squeeze.
“I didn’t,” I reassure him, and he sighs in relief. “I came because I want to know.”
My sentence catches him off guard.
“Everything. You said you could explain. Well, now I want you to. I need you to.” I hang on to what Caleb told me earlier. I have to see if he’s going to admit it to me. Or lie. Again.
Haze nods and beckons me to sit. We both do, the awkward silence in the air so thick it’s hard to breathe.
“Shit, where do I even start?” He drags out a sigh. “It all started at the airport. I got a call saying that Marcus was in Canada, and I swear, before my source told me, he was the only thing, and I mean the only thing keeping me from getting on that plane with you. The second I would’ve found him, I would’ve been on my way back to you.” He goes in for my hand, and I don’t have the strength to oppose.
“I know you think you weren’t enough. That I never came for you. But you’re so fucking wrong, you have no idea. I thought I was protecting you. I thought I’d let you go home where you’d be safe, keep you out of harm’s way while I sorted my shit out. I thought I could get this over with before I started over in a new life with you. I’m so sorry.”
