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Edie~
Ifelt awful for lying to him, but Larswasn’tmy boyfriend. I didn’t want to look or feel stupid for making claims that weren’t true. Now, did I want him hooking up with Rosa? No, I didn’t. In fact, I didn’t want him hooking up with any girls, but I didn’t have the right to ask that of him. Lars had made it clear that we needed to talk about yesterday, but he’d also mentioned how he needed a few days before we talked, something that I still didn’t understand. So, until Lars told me what was going on, I wasn’t going to claim him as my boyfriend, making me look ultra stupid if our talk went in the other direction.
Lars’ prism-colored gaze fixed me with a stare. “Well, regardless of what you think my type is, I’m not interested in Rosa Venice,” he repeated. “I also don’t appreciate you lying to me, Edie.”
“I’m not lying,” I argued. “She is exactly your type, Lars.”
“That’s bullshit,” he spat. “First of all, even if you weren’t in the picture, since when have I ever had a type, Edie? If you’ve been paying any attention during all our years of friendship, then you’d know that I don’t have atype. I like what I like.”
“Are we seriously going to discuss the girls you’ve hooked up with?” I asked, not wanting to think about it now that I knew what it felt like to be with Lars.
“No!” he yelled. “Fuck!”
“Look, I think-”
“I’ve heard enough about what you fucking think, Edie,” he snapped, his hazel eyes glowing with anger. “From now on, I don’t want to hear any more of your bullshit.”
My eyes narrowed up at him. “If I were you, I’d be careful how you talk to me, Lars,” I warned him. “I’m not one of your groupies.”
His eyes narrowed back at me. “I’m very aware of who and what you are, Edie,” he bit out. “Still, that doesn’t change the fact that we’re going to start doing thingsmyway.”
“Yeah, that’s not going to work for me,” I huffed like a spoiled brat, my emotions everywhere. It also wasn’t lost on me how I was messing this all up. My first experience with a guy, and I had no clue how things had gotten so damn convoluted.
“I’m begging you, Edie,” he said evenly. “For the love of God, you need to rein it the fuck in before I lose my goddamn mind.” He looked serious enough that it gave me pause. “I am two seconds away from strangling the fuck out of you, so can you just please stop for a minute.”
Okay.
Letting out a low breath, I did my best to calm down. Ever since the beginning of school, Lars and I had been fighting like cats and dogs, and that wasn’t us. We’d always had an easygoing friendship, and I honestly could no longer recognize what we were anymore. One day, Lars Finley had been nothing but a good friend to me, then the next, he was making me cum in between arguments. It was crazy, and it was making me act crazy.
“I think we need some space, Lars,” I announced, grappling for some maturity.
“Come again?”
I straightened my back, doing my best to seem reasonable. “I think we need some space from each other,” I repeated. “It’s obvious that…things are getting out of hand, and if there’s any hope of salvaging our friendship, then I think that we need some space.”
“Salvaging our friendship?” he echoed.
I nodded. “Yes. I have no desire to be enemies with you, Lars.”
“Enemies,” he muttered, looking ready to snap my neck.
“I think…I think some time apart will…will give us some better perspective,” I went on like an idiot.
Lars didn’t say anything for a long time. In fact, he kept silent long enough for me to wonder if thiswasthe end of our friendship. Maybe asking for space would give him the perfect reason to just walk away from me permanently. I mean, when he had signed up to look out for me after Talon had left, this was probably nowhere near what he’d been expecting. We were fighting with each other like we were some toxic, dysfunctional, combative couple, and that’s not what we were.
Lars and I were supposed to be friends.
“And what,exactly, do you need perspective on, Edie?” he finally asked. “What is space from me going to do for you?”
“I…well, it’ll…it’ll help me calm down,” I answered lamely.
“And why do you need to calm down?” he questioned. “What are you so upset about?”
“I spent eighteen years letting Talon control and direct my life,” I told him. “While I don’t regret or resent any of it, the first time that he gives me permission to finally make decisions for myself, you step in, trying to snatch that control back from me. You can’t do that, Lars.” His back straightened, his face full of fury. “You don’t have the right to do that.”
“So, I’m the bad guy just because I want to protect you.”
