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“Itching powder,” he announced smugly. “Good to know it actually works.”
No words left me as I stood there gaping at him. After floundering for something to say and coming up empty, I did a very girly and unattractive screech before stomping around him and out of his apartment.
Bryce was pacing when I made it back to mine. But as soon as I entered, he turned and leveled me with a glare. “Who the hell was that?”
“My neighbor,” I said irritably, even though that was obvious. Once I’d grabbed my phone to research how to de-itchify myself, I explained, “He’s one of my brothers’ best friends, so he’s kind of protective.”
“I don’t like you living next to someone like him, and I don’t appreciate you letting him order me around.”
I slammed my hand onto the counter at the absurdities that continued pouring from Bryce and turned to look at him. “Are you serious right now? I didn’t let him do anything. You were being a douche, and he didn’t like that you were ordering me around. Neither did I, for that matter. You know what? I don’t even know why you’re still here. You should go. I’ll see you when you’re not being such an ass.”
“Maci, this is ridiculous. We have to stop this game we’ve been playing. It’s stupid, and your neighbor kinda had a point, even though he doesn’t seem to have all the facts. It isn’t just me keeping us a secret, but I’m done with it. I’m almost twenty-four. My parents expect me to be married by the time I’m twenty-five.”
“Oh Jesus,” I whispered when he started toward me.
“I become a partner in my dad’s firm on my twenty-fifth birthday. I can’t go into the firm single; you know this.”
No, I so did not know that.
Bryce grabbed my hips and pulled me close, his gaze roaming over my whited-out hair as he continued. “We’ll get your hair back to blond, and we’ll take this out,” he murmured, tapping the small hoop on my left nostril. “As for the tattoos...we’ll cover them when we make appearances.”
“Appearances? What—”
“Babe, you know I think you’re hot...God, you’re sexy. But I need the tame-looking Maci in public. You can be this when it’s just us. Promise.” When I just stared at him in disbelief, he added, “As soon as you look normal again, we’ll announce our engagement.”
I’d known Bryce had always thought we’d end up together. Just like I’d known he’d expected me to go back to the old me. I just hadn’t realized that when the conversation would finally happen, it would hurt so much.
When we were with friends, he never cared who saw us together. But saying that if we were to continue with an actual relationship, I could only be me in private? That I needed to get back to “normal?” This was my normal.
My eyes welled with tears and my throat tightened at the insults and insecurities that packed a surprising punch.
“Babe, don’t cry,” he said as if he wasn’t the reason behind my tears. “It’s just, like this, you look like the mistress...not the wife. I need you to be my wife.”
A sob burst from my chest, and I hurried to cover my mouth as I tried pulling from his hold.
“You and I both know it’s time,” he went on. “It’s time for us to move forward and grow up. We need to stop acting like we’re still in college and appear ready for the world. No one takes you seriously because you look like this and dress the way you do. It was one thing in school, but now—”
“Get the fuck out.”
My blurry stare shot past Bryce’s shoulder to see Connor standing there, face slowly turning red in anger.
“I swear to Christ I’ll break your neck if you say one more word to her,” he seethed.
Bryce exhaled heavily through his nose before glancing over his shoulder. “Now you’re in an apartment that isn’t yours, so it’s your turn to leave. We’re talking about something important.”
“Yeah, no, I heard,” Connor ground out. “You can talk about it another time when you aren’t making her cry. And I’ll give you a clue if you haven’t caught on yet: she isn’t crying because she’s happy.”
“You’re really starting to piss me off.”
“Go,” I choked out as Bryce spoke. “Please, go.”
One of Bryce’s arms left my waist to gesture toward the door. “You heard her.”
“You, Bryce,” I said through the jagged rocks in my throat, unable to comprehend how he could think I was talking to anyone else.
But when he faced me again, his eyebrows were drawn together in surprise and confusion. “What?”
“Go. Just...please. We’ll talk later.”
