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She hummed, the noise one of disbelief. “Me doth thinketh you protest too much.”
He pulled out a blade of grass by his feet. His movements as he tore it up were short and sharp, anger and frustration at just how right Eve was bubbling in his veins. He took it out on the weed, intent on showing her no emotion. “Medoth thinketh you’re so far off base you’re on a different damn continent.” His voice was a growl, lower than his usual timbre as he struggled to deny her comment.
“Am I?” She held up her hand when King opened his mouth to answer, silencing him. He grumbled instead, wishing she’d stop talking. “I think it’s something you should talk to Adelaide about. It’s something she deserves to know.”
“Are you implying I’m lying to her, or that I’d cheat on her? I’d never do that. Never.” He was adamant about it. He would never hurt her like that. He couldn’t imagine ever hurting Adds. It’d break him knowing he caused her pain. That he’d destroyed her trust in him.
“I know you don’t have a hurtful bone in your body.” There was no challenge in her remark like her disagreement earlier. Eve’s gaze met his and held. “I know that.”
“Then why’d you say it?” He stood, walked over to the rubbish bin, and tossed the half full iced coffee he’d been drinking. There was no way he could stomach it now, not with his gut churning at even the thought of hurting Adds.
“Because I think if you really loved her, you wouldn’t fall for someone else.”
Her words struck King like a freight train slamming into him. It was the very reason that had made him hesitate to tell Adds that he loved her. He’d needed to be certain. And he was. But did he have it all wrong? Was his attraction, this desire to be around Liam and the importance of his friendship enough to be called cheating? What if it was more than attraction? Liam had captured a piece of King’s heart. Was that cheating?
He wanted to puke, the fear that he’d done the very thing he found most abhorrent—hurt Adds—overwhelming him. If there was any question, any possibility, that she would think he’d cheated on her, he had no doubt he’d break her heart. He muttered, “I’ll see you later,” to Eve and walked away, his legs carrying him inside while his body went numb, dread settling over him.
“King,” Eve called when he’d reached the top of the stairs. “I’m sorry.”
“Yeah. I’ll talk to you later.” He nodded and went inside, letting the door click closed behind him. A moment later he heard the rubbish bin lid fall back into place and the gate rattle closed as his friend left.
He paced the small living room. His stomach churned, King trying his hardest not to bring up the milky coffee as he catalogued his feelings. He enjoyed spending time with Liam. They had fun together. They laughed, and they had serious moments too. He admired the man. Liam worked hard, always trying, always doing his best. He was persistent too, never giving up. Liam knew what he wanted, and he went for it, pushing himself until he got there. But he was quick to offer help too. He was there for his family and friends—he hadn’t hesitated to offer up his house when Adds needed a place to study.
He was as beautiful on the inside as he was on the outside. The man was gorgeous. Brown hair that was just shaggy enough to look perpetually ruffled, hazel eyes that were more green than brown when he was happy and darkened when he was tired, frustrated, or angry. He had kissable lips and muscle tone that King could only dream of having. He liked touching him, liked feeling that restrained strength and coiled power under his hands. He loved the way Liam responded to his encouragement too—the shoulder squeezes and claps lit a fuse in him, giving him the nudge he needed to push through whatever roadblock he was stuck at. Liam did it back too, grasping his arms and meeting his gaze whenever they were having a serious moment.
It was platonic. It had to be.
King would never let the times they touched be anything but friendly, but did even thinking about how gorgeous Liam was count as cheating? Was it true that he was falling out of love with Adds to make room for Liam? It didn’t resonate with him. Didn’t ring true. King knew down to his very soul, without a sliver of a doubt, that he loved Adds. He couldn’t reconcile Eve’s reasoning in his mind—his heart wasn’t a scale. He didn’t take from one and give it to the other to balance the sides.
But was attraction plus feelings enough to be called cheating, even if he never acted on it? He hadn’t thought so, but what if he was wrong? What if Adds thought it was cheating? Worry crept in. Concern that he was hurting Adds without even knowing it. He replayed every encounter, every moment he and Liam had shared, analyzing whether he’d overstepped. King looked to the bookshelf at his front door, his phone perched in the bowl. Adds might be in class, or she could be busy. Could it wait? Probably. But the thought of hiding anything from her was abhorrent.
King snatched his phone up and dialled. She picked up on the second ring, a smile in her voice as she answered, “Hey, baby. How are you?”
“I’m…” He hesitated, unsure of what to say. “I don’t know.”
“Talk to me. What’s wrong?” He heard a voice in the background, an announcement of some sort.
“Are you in the middle of something?”
“I’m on the train, but there’s only a few people in the carriage with me. I’ve got time. Talk to me.” The concern in her voice broke him and he swallowed, trying to dislodge the lump in his throat.
“I was just speaking to Eve. She made me realize something… no that’s not right. I knew it. But I didn’t think it was a problem, until now. She does. She’s convinced I’m lying to you. But I didn’t think it affected you. Or maybe it does. But—”
“King, take a breath.” Her voice was calm and collected, but firm. Instantaneously, he obeyed, sucking air into his lungs. After a moment she added, “Blow it out.” Again, he followed her lead. “Right, now I want you to go slow. I want you to tell me first, what you knew. Then we can talk about whether it’s an issue, okay?”
“Yeah,” he rasped, grateful that she was so together about this. He closed his eyes and began talking, forcing his words out slowly. “I’m falling for Liam. But it doesn’t change how I feel about you. I love you.”
She was quiet for a moment, as if there was a delay in the line. It was only a second or two, but it could have been an eternity. King’s heart slammed against his ribcage, nerves sending both his pulse and his blood pressure skyrocketing. When she finally spoke, it was in a calm, soothing voice. One he could imagine her using on a cornered wild animal. “King, it’s okay.” She added quietly, “He’s easy to love.”
He blew out a breath. Adds understood. She knew Liam too. She’d grown up with him, probably knew him better than most with the amount of time they spent together. “He is. I like him, Adds. But, as I said, I love you. I didn’t say anything because it doesn’t change my feelings for you. You’re it for me. I love you, without question, without limitation.”
“I love you too,” she murmured, the warmth in her voice wrapping him up like a blanket. “And I want to be with you too.” She paused and King was about to interrupt, but she added, “Why did Eve say that it was a problem? Did she think you were lying to me by keeping it a secret?”
He cleared his throat. She never hesitated to ask the hard questions, and he owed it to her to give her a straight answer. It didn’t make it any easier to tell her though. Fear, thick and heavy, coated him like an oil slick. What if his confession was the beginning of the end, just like Eve had suggested? He didn’t agree with her. He couldn’t. King knew his heart. He didn’t have a single doubt in his mind that he loved Addy, just as much now as what he did before he’d gotten to know Liam. But it might account for nothing if Adds disagreed. “She thought that if I really loved you, I couldn’t fall for him.” He hastened to add, “But I know how I feel about you.”
She spoke slowly, as if she was picking her words carefully. “I think it’s possible to love two people at the same time. I don’t think love is mutually exclusive. I mean, it can be, like with cheating, but… I believe you, King. I know you love me.”
“I wouldn’t cheat on you, Adds. Never that. But was I cheating without realizing it? Is feeling something for another person cheating? Am I betraying you by being attracted to him? By enjoying the time we spend together?” He sucked in a breath, his chest heaving with the need for oxygen, and his heart shattered. Oh God, he really had been cheating on her. “I’m sorry. I’m so damn sorry.”
