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Her gaze slices across the room, cutting deep into Sebastian, but he just shrugs.
“You used to know about loyalty.” My remark is cold, but it brings her attention back to me quickly. “You know, before you turned out to be a selfish, lying little cunt.”
She smirks, suddenly reining herself back in. “Is that the best you have?” she asks, her voice light with humour. “You weren’t calling me that when we fucked the other night.”
I shrug. “Physical need is completely different to personal hate of a person.” I lean in, like I owe her any level of privacy. “You served a purpose.”
She rolls her eyes. Not to rid an oncoming monsoon of tears, but to make sure the hurt doesn’t get a chance to show in her eyes before I can see it. However, she’s forgotten the only way her darkest secrets stay that way is to get rid of the person who knows the most.
“And before you say it, I know I served one too.”
I take her insult away before she can use it because, right now, she isn’t herself, and it’s no fun to play with her when she’s not firing on all cylinders. I need the back and forth.
“I don’t understand what purpose he serves,” she says, pointing across at Andreas. “He knows nothing.”
“He knows you. And while you acted like him taking a bullet wasn’t all that important, your interaction with him beforehand was all too telling.”
I give her a chance to speak, but she doesn’t.
Which shows I’ve really got my girl in a chokehold with this.
“I told you any man who so much as looks at you isn’t safe. They’re no friend of mine. Even if it happened in the intermission to our story.”
“So, you’ll make every man a prisoner?”
She’s antagonising me, but I knew this would be the game she’d play.
Andreas suddenly clears his throat. “Pretty comfortable prison I’ve been given for the trouble and wasted years.”
Natalia clearly sees that as a reason to approach him. “Andreas-”
“Don’t.” He cuts her off bluntly and moves back on the sofa, putting space between him and Sebastian. “I was told time and time again you were bad news, and maybe part of me didn’t want to believe everything until I witnessed it myself.”
“And now?”
There’s an ebb of something foreign in her tone. It’s a weird concoction of hurt and worry. Like finally someone made Natalia worry about their opinion of her. I’m just sorry I didn’t have the effect strong enough to cause it.
“The stories don’t even do you justice, Tally.”
She mulls on that, chewing on the meaning of his words and where this should lead them.
“I never hid who I was.”
“No, just hid the fact that you are far worse.”
“Look, Andreas, let me explain.”
The room sobers. Even I’m taken aback by the evident beg to her plea with Andreas.
“I don’t want to hear it!” he bellows, gingerly getting up as he does. “All you ever have is words, but your actions show they mean nothing.”
“You’ve got it all wrong. I never lied to you. I never used you for any ulterior motives.”
Sebastian and I can’t withhold a burst of laughter.
“Sorry.” I’m quick to apologise when she stares at me. “As someone personally associated with you, all I’ve ever known is you use people to get what you want.”
“That’s not fucking true! I loved you. I don’t know how many times I have to say that, but I did. There weren’t any ulterior motives to that!”
