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“So you said you guys just finished a project,” he prompts, clearly trying to make conversation though I’m not entirely sure why.
“Yep.” I nod, feeling Emma move beside me.
I slide my eyes to see her on her feet, her phone to her ear. She holds up a finger indicating she’ll be right back, turning and walking toward the front door, swaying a little as she steps outside.
“I should make sure she’s okay.” I start to move but Gage’s hand lands on my shoulder, halting my movement.
“She said she’d be right back, Lennon.” He removes his hand when I glare daggers at where he’s touching me.
“She’s drunk,” I point out.
“She’s also a big girl,” he counters.
“What do you really want, Gage? And don’t pretend it’s to see how I’m doing because we both know you never cared about my well-being. So, do us both a favor and cut the bullshit already.”
“I don’t remember you like this.” He shakes his head, taking a long gulp of beer.
“You don’t remember me like what?”
“So... Angry.”
“Angry?” I bite back a laugh. “I’m not angry, Gage. I just don’t like you.” I take a long pull of my Cosmo, needing it now more than ever.
“And you say you’re not angry,” he counters, his tone disbelieving.
“To be angry would imply that I care, Gage, and truthfully I don’t. Not anymore. But that doesn’t mean I want to sit here and play your games either. I know you want something so get to it already.”
“What if I miss you and just wanted to come say hi. Is that so unbelievable?”
“Maybe to a normal person, no. For you, yes.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because I know you, Gage,” I remind him. “You’re a self-serving piece of shit who only cares about himself. So no, I don’t believe you just came over to say hello.”
“Fuck, I miss you,” he breathes out, his gaze drifting to somewhere behind the bar before his eyes drift back to the side of my face again. “Look at me, Lennon.”
For reasons I don’t fully understand I find myself turning my face toward him. I guess deep down I don’t have it in me to be cruel to someone even when they more than deserve it.
“Did you hear what I said? I miss you.” He repeats himself when our eyes lock.
“I’m sorry to hear that, Gage. Maybe this should be a lesson to you in the future. Maybe the next girl you’ll appreciate a little more while you have her.”
“I don’t want another girl, Len. I want you.”
“Not gonna happen, Gage. We’ve been over this. Multiple times actually.”
“If you could just give me a chance to show you how sorry I am. I think about you every day. I find myself driving by your house. I walk on your beach. I can’t let you go, Lennon. Not without a fight.”
“You should have fought for me when it mattered,” I say, choosing to not touch the other shit he just dropped on me.
He drives by my house? Walks on my beach? The thought makes my stomach twist in a sick knot.
“Besides, I’m with someone and I’m really happy. I hope you can find happiness with someone else too.”
“The guy at your apartment?” His voice strains for the first time since he sat down.
Hell, I had forgotten he’d met Hudson. Truthfully I can’t even tell you the last time I thought about Gage. Probably the night Hudson showed up and he was at my house.
