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My natural instinct is to defend and deny, like I always have to myself and to others. So much so the lie spills without even trying. Leave it to Dash to crack the chain because around him, I’ve never been anything but vulnerable. So the truth easily falls, raw and crooked.
Everything comes pouring out.
“Love doesn’t scare me, it’s the aftermath. The inevitable heartbreak, the tears and the agony, and the worst part comes later when self-doubt creeps in, the apology that never comes to give you closure. The shattered pieces that would never fit again and the ghost of heartache that haunts and blackens the light and the good,” I profess, a sad laugh spilling from my lips. “I never understood why the people in my world pretend their home is perfect when it’s rotten inside, it’s because happily ever afters don’t exist. But unlike them, I would never resign myself to the same fate.”
“You’re still the same eighteen-year-old girl, Bianca.” His voice is devoid of emotion, and I flinch. “You may not love him anymore but you’re letting him hold all the power even seven years later.”
He doesn’t need to say Niall’s name because the familiar dislike is alive in his eyes. Another emotion flickers in them but I can’t name it and it’s gone in a flash. However, I can’t focus on anything but his cutting accusation.
The expression in his depths is the one I’ve been prey to countless times whenever we ran into each other in the past. Like I’m a silly, weak girl.
If I want to protect my heart by never falling in love, it isn’t a weakness.
It certainly doesn’t mean Niall still has a hold over me.
“You’re wrong,” I growl angrily. “Says the man who hasn’t been in love, let alone had his heart broken. So what the fuck do you know, Dash?”
My back hits the wall when he crosses the distance and grips my jaw, tilting my face to his. His grip is firm yet soft as he stares into my angry eyes while staying as calm as a deep ocean.
“I don’t know what love is but it’s not because I’m running or hiding from it—unlike you,” he says, his voice cold as ice. “So, I certainly wouldn’t fall for you, kitten. As for flying you here, I like to spoil my woman and as long as you’re mine, I’ll continue to do so. Don’t mistake it for anything more.”
Chapter Twenty-seven
BIANCA
“You’re in Paris? Without us?”
“He took you to Paris?”
Rosa and Iris scream on the screen when I reveal where I am, making me wince, and I lean away from the phone until they calm down and stop cursing at me. As soon as I was alone in the bedroom, I video called them, not caring it was midnight back home. They picked up on the second ring, both wide awake.
Rosa glares at me for leaving her behind so I focus on Iris, whose eyes are comically wide like a cartoon character.
“Yeah. He wanted to surprise me,” I tell them, trying not to melt into a puddle before I remember his harsh words from earlier, “and buy me an engagement ring, even though I said no.”
“Does he not know we have stores here?” huffs Rosa sarcastically. “And did he forget it’s a fake engagement?”
“I think it’s romantic,” sighs Iris dreamily. “Just imagine the things he’d do if he were actually in love with you.”
These two are like an angel and devil perched on my shoulder.
I snort a laugh. “Do not romanticize him, Iris. He does these extravagant gestures for all the women he dates. Or should I say,sleepwith. I’m just another girl in a long list.”
“So that’s the reason for the sullen face?” queries Rosa suspiciously.
“We had an argument and he left without a word.”
“Did he hurt you?” Rosa demands. “I still have the tape from the club. Just say the word and I’ll teach him a lesson.”
“Whoa! Relax, Ro,” I answer until the murderous rage melts from her eyes. “First, delete that damn video. Second, we both said mean things to each other. And also, we don’t wanna give him a reason to leave me in a foreign country.”
My attempt at a joke fails when they continue to stare back at me with concern. Iris looks thoughtful, before asking softly, “What was the argument about?”
My mind replays the whole conversation and my stomach tightens with guilt for being harsh with him when he was only trying to understand my point of view. Dash has always been a blunt and direct person and never sugarcoats his thoughts. A fact I both hate and love.
“He said that I’m letting Niall’s betrayal affect my future,” I answer, settling back comfortably against the pillows on the huge fluffy bed. “That I’m scared to trust another man. You guys don’t think that’s true, do you?”
Their faces mirror matching sadness and hesitancy as they fall silent for several seconds. It’s Rosa who speaks first and with caution, as though she doesn’t want to hurt or offend me. Suddenly, it feels like an intervention.
