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“Meh.” I shrug playfully, and he chuckles.
“I will be sure to put her on my card.”
He takes a step back, lifting my hand up and encouraging me to turn. Following his lead, I spin around, both of us letting out a laugh when he pulls me back in to continue with the dance. He’s noticeably more relaxed now, and I’m glad. He deserves to have fun tonight.
“He really loves you, Ava.”
My smile drops at the mention ofhim,and I look away, feeling melancholy creep up on me again.
“He never wanted to hurt you,” he continues.
“It doesn’t change the fact that he did,” I reply bitterly. “It seems to be a common trait in the men I choose. They all love me, but they can’t help but hurt me.”
“He’s nothing like Logan.”
“His actions match Logan’s. They are more alike than what they think.”
“No they’re not,” he states, firmly stopping to look directly at me. “Both of them were given a choice. Logan chose to buy silence with his body. Mason didn’t.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Mason was given a chance to keep you from ever finding out what he and Hadley did. Lily was the only other person who knew the truth, and she tried to blackmail him into taking her virginity in exchange for her silence. He turned her down. He would have rather you learned the truth than cheat on you.”
My eyes widen, and my mind flashes back to that afternoon when Lily showed up demanding to talk to Mason alone. He was acting strangely after she left, and when I asked him about it, he blew it off, saying it was just school stuff. I knew that there was more to it in my gut, but I didn’t push the subject any further.
“Why didn’t he just tell me?”
He blows out a breath. “He was scared. He knew once you found out that he would lose you, so I guess he was holding on to whatever time he had left.”
I look away and bite my bottom lip to stop it from trembling as I fight to keep my emotions at bay.
“You have to understand what it’s like for guys like him and me.”
My eyes meet his. “What do you mean?”
“Nice guys like us always finish last, Ava. We never get the girl. I know what he did was fucked up beyond belief, and even though I disagree with it, I do understand it. He is a nice guy, and he has been so desperately in love with you for so long that he was willing to go against all of his morals and better judgment in an attempt to win your heart.”
“Then why did he sleep with Hadley? It doesn’t make sense.”
He shakes his head. “It doesn’t make sense to me either. Nor him for that matter. You didn’t deserve that.”
I look down at my feet as a tear trickles down my face, and I feel the light touch of his finger as he brushes it away.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
I look up at him and wipe the remaining tears away. “It’s okay. Really. It’s just been tough.”
“I know,” he adds solemnly. “You’re a good person, Ava, and you deserve to have everything amazing this world has to offer. In fact, I have something for you.” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a folded piece of paper, and hands it to me. I take it and open it up to see that it is a certificate. A star certificate.
“Oh my god,” I gasp, placing a hand over my mouth. “You had a star named after me?”
“Yeah.” He smiles, then points to the section on the bottom of the paper. “Look, the coordinates are right here. It’s best to view it with a telescope, but you should still be able to spot it on a clear night. There’s the name of the app you need to download to help you find it.”
I’m speechless. Not to mention I think I’ve stopped breathing. I’m so overwhelmed with emotion that another tear starts to trickle down my face.
“Damn it. I’ve made you cry again. I’m so sorry,” he says painfully.
“No.” I wave him off. “It’s fine. It’s just… this is probably the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. I mean, it’s so incredibly sweet, but—” I hesitate for a moment. This is huge, and it’s a gesture I’m not sure he should be wasting on someone who doesn’t have feelings for him… like that. “I hope you know that I think you are an incredible guy but—”
