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I cared about the man they’d hurt. The man who had almost died.
The man I’d given my heart and body to, only for him to give me my heart back.
“You have five minutes,” Arabella said. “I’ll wait downstairs so you can fix… that.” She waved her hand in my general direction.
“What’s wrong with me?”
She grimaced. “I know your silly little crush on Tristan ended a long time ago, but it won’t hurt to make an effort, babe. After all, you’re not the young innocent girl you were back then.”
It was a harmless comment, meant to make me feel better about the whole thing, no doubt. But I still bit down on the inside of my cheek to stop my secrets from tumbling out.
If only she knew.
* * *
By the timewe pulled up outside Tristan’s apartment block, my stomach was a tight ball of nerves.
I shouldn’t have come, that was apparent from the way my body trembled as Jay opened the door and helped me climb out of the SUV.
“I’m sure seeing you will cheer him up,” he said.
I gave him a tight-lipped smile, following him and Bella up to Tristan’s apartment. My stomach churned as Jay let himself in.
“Yo, Cap, I brought company.”
“And cornetti.” Bella chuckled, so at ease with the whole situation while I felt like I might vomit all over the hardwood floors.
“Sia.” Bella glanced back. “What is it? You’ve gone as white as a sheet.”
“Nothing.” I swallowed the acid in my throat. “I’m fine. Let’s go.”
The quicker we get this over with, the quicker I can leave.
Bella laced her arm through mine and guided me deeper into Tristan’s apartment. The hall opened up into a big open plan living room with amazing views of the river.
“How are you feeling, Tris?” Bella dropped my arm and skipped over to him. He was sprawled out on the couch, a thin blanket pulled up over his naked torso. His gaze went right past Bella and landed on me, widening with surprise.
“Alessia,” he said in that deep, gravelly voice of his.
I inhaled a sharp breath, too stunned to move.
“Mom sent cornetti,” Bella interrupted the sudden tension between us and I dropped my gaze.
“She shouldn’t have.”
“Yeah, well, you know Italian women, food fixes everything.” She plopped down on the end of his couch.
I sat on the smaller couch with Jay, putting as much distance between us. Tristan couldn’t easily look at me from this angle. Couldn’t see the hurt in my eyes.
The three of them chatted about his recovery, and Bella told them all about her plans for the summer. Plans she’d made for the both of us. Plans I wanted no part of.
Nothing felt the same now.
I didn’t feel the same.
And maybe I wasn’t.
Maybe I’d left the old me there in that cabin, and now I had to figure out who I was in the aftermath of everything that had happened.
