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He shrugged. “I’m not always the brightest bulb on the taco platter, but I own that.”
“What are you both going to do?” Aubrey’s question echoed the one that hadn’t stopped bouncing in my head yet.
What could I do? Tell Onyx I’d hate him forever if he left? We were adults with lives outside of each other. If he had a chance somewhere else… There’s more for me there than here.
But I’m here. We’re here. The unspoken response echoed in my head.
“We’re going to take the night to think about it.” Maddox answered when I didn’t. “Onyx has had months to ponder what to say and he still hadn’t figured it out. I think a night is fair for us.”
“You’re both welcome to stay here tonight.” Aubrey stood. “I support whatever you decide.”
“Thank you.”
“Go finish closing up,” Maddox said. “And we’ll order pizza and watch movies.”
“Nerd Herd meeting?” Aubrey looked at me.
In other words, should she call Evie?
There was safety in numbers.
Weird thought. It wasn’t like we were in danger… But I was feeling a little battered.
“Then I’d have to leave.” Maddox made the conclusion sound like the only one.
Aubrey wrinkled her nose. “You can be our mascot. Maddox the tattooed golden retriever.”
The way Maddox scrunched up his face was adorable. “I really see myself as more of a border collie. But are you doing each other’s nails and makeup?” He held out his hand. “Because I haven’t had a good mani in way too long.”
“If you let me put you in guyliner,” Aubrey said.
Maddox grinned. “When have I not?”
This was making me feel better. Was I allowed to do that? Nothing had been resolved. I was still torn between thinking I was the asshole for walking out on Onyx before he could explain, and being so hurt I never wanted to see him again.
Or maybe I was just pissed that I’d been lied to again. That he thought this kind of secret was okay to keep.
15
Maddox
I left Alys and Aubrey to figure out what they wanted to watch, and I walked down the street to grab pizza and—in Alys’s words—all the garlic knots in the known universe, and then some.
I was waiting for my order, when Onyx walked past the front window. His gaze met mine, and he turned into the pizza place instead of continuing on the sidewalk.
What was I supposed to say? The last thing I wanted was for Alys and Onyx to be fighting, and I wasn’t too fond of the idea of taking sides, either. I understood exactly why Alys was upset, though.
“Hey.” Onyx stopped close enough to be heard.
“Yo.”
“Are you going to walk away from me?” He asked.
“Don’t know yet.” I wanted this to be a mistake. A misunderstanding. Something other than what it looked like. “Is it true?”
“That I’m selling and moving? Yes.”
I blew out a noisy raspberry. “And you kept it a secret for at least a year?”
