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He smirks. “Then go make this right.”
“I don’t know how,” I gasp.
He steps back, grabbing his drink. “Yeah, you do. You know who your heart wants, Lakyn. You just have to be gentle with the rest of ours in the process.” He nods outside, and I glance over my shoulder, out the back window, seeing Archer sitting back in a chair, staring off into the distance with a joint between his lips.
I nod, turning around and heading to the back door.
The door creaks on its hinges when I open it, and I watch as Archer tenses, though he doesn’t turn toward me. I walk up to him, keeping my feet light, my heart hammering in my chest. I haven’t seen him since he was on the ground, fighting Reign like a rabid animal. He refused to see me in jail, and I think that hurts the most.
The scent of marijuana lingers in the air, and I inhale deeply as I reach him. His body is coiled tight, and I let the woodsy breeze wash over my heated, nervous skin. Stepping in front of him, I stand and wait, until his eyes clash with mine. “Hi,” I whisper.
He takes a hit, the smoke flowing through his nose. “Hey.”
I point to the spot on the chair between his legs. “Can I sit?”
He narrows his eyes, taking another hit as he slides his foot to the side, giving me room.
I sit down on the edge of the chair, feeling the distance is miles rather than just inches.
He’s tense as he sits next to me, and I can’t stand it. So I scoot closer, my butt sliding against the seat until our hips nearly knock together. I bring my hand out, squeezing his bicep as I lean my head tentatively on his shoulder. “Please don’t hate me.”
He lets out a small cough, glancing into the distance. “I could never hate you, Lakyn, and that’s the problem.”
I squeeze his arm. “I don’t want it to be a problem.”
“It’ll always be a problem, because I love you too much, while you’re in love with my best friend.”
I lift my head from his shoulder, my fingers curling around his jaw. I turn his face to mine, staring him in the eyes. “Archer, I love you too. Forever. It’s painful how much love I have for you. But you can’t sit here and tell me when we tried, when we both tried to make this work for that short bit of time, that either of us thought it was good.”
Because it wasn’t. We are awful for each other. It was apparent the very first moment we decided to try. We aren’t lovers. We aren’t soul mates. We’re best friends.
He shrugs me off and turns to me, his eyes spearing mine. “You didn’t last with Reign, either. What makes you think this time is the right time? And why our next time wouldn’t be the right time?”
My mouth falls open, and only a gasp comes out. He wants it to be, but he also doesn’t. He wants what he can’t have.
But when he has me, he knows it isn’t right.
I bring my hand to his chest, clutching his shirt directly over his heart. His jaw clenches, and I scoot even closer to him, both of our spaces invaded by the other. “Quit lying to me, Archer. You want me because I’m with someone else, but you know we’re wrong. You’re lying to yourself if you think that’s not the truth. So stop, because all you’re doing is hurting all of us.”
He leans forward, his spine arching as he curls over me, seething. “We’ll never be over, Lakyn.”
My heart pounds against my chest. “To be over, we had to have started.”
He sneers at me, anger lashing his face. “Pretend all you want, Lakyn. Your truths are secrets, and your lies are poison on the tip of your tongue. Keep lying to yourself all you want, baby Lake.”
He believes I cut him with my words, but he cut me with his actions. “I tried seeing you at the jail, but you wouldn’t visit with me,” I whisper, hurt.
He glances off into the forest, his body taut with tension. “I couldn’t see you, Lakyn,” he mumbles.
My head tilts. “Why not? I wanted to see you. You can be mad, I can be mad, but you do realize we’ll never end, right? We’ve been us for years, and that’s never going to change.”
His eyes narrow as he stares at me. “Everything changes the moment you give your heart away.”
“But Vienna and Creed have been dating and have been in love with each other for years. How is it any different for them?”
“Because they aren’t Lakyn Ashford, that’s why.”
My heart stalls, and I sigh, knowing we aren’t getting anywhere. We never will. “I’m done with this conversation, Archer. I have to go get ready for the Halloween party tomorrow.”
