Page 139 of My Dark Prince
“We made an entire mess of the house. Not sure if you saw.”
“This is what I have housekeepers around the clock for. I pay them extra after parties, so don’t worry.”
I threw a bun on the grill and sliced the onions into thin circles. The rest of her friends crowded the table to grab their food. I introduced myself, told them they were welcome, and watched them scurry away to give us privacy, herded by a cunning Hazel, who obviouslydidthink I was worthy of a second chance.
They ate on lounge chairs by the pool while I cracked open the fridge, selecting white cheddar, heirloom tomatoes, jalapeño cream cheese, and mushrooms. Earlier, I’d noticed that Briar hadn’t made anything for herself. Always so selfless.
She tapped her lips, watching me as I sautéed the mushrooms.
I transferred them onto the warming plate. “When did you become a vegetarian?”
“Eighteen.” She swallowed hard. “Right after I graduated high school, before I started college. I couldn’t afford meat, I was so poor. It wasn’t just that. I decided I wanted to be harmless to all beings. I’ve seen so much pain in the world and suffered so much of it that I didn’t want to contribute to more.”
I nodded, sliding her patty onto the toasted bun and layering on the veggies. I went extra hard on the chipotle mayo, swirling it on the top bun. When I handed her the plate and claimed the seat beside her, she didn’t complain.
Briar opened the burger and examined it as if it were a jewelry box. “You remembered I’m a mayo girl.” She managed to sound disappointed.
“I remember you’re a mayo girl.” I smiled at her. “I remember a lot of things about you, Briar. Just because I failed you once doesn’t mean I didn’t try my best. Unfortunately, my best wasn’t enough at the time.”
“Are you ever going to tell me what happened that summer?” She sank her teeth into the burger, closed her eyes, and groaned. “Ugh, this is good.”
“I will.” I watched her, mesmerized by how fucking pleasurable it felt to see her enjoy something I’d made. “When you are ready to hear it. You still have a few weeks of hating me to death to go through, I think.”
“Tack on fifteen years to that, and you’d be right.”
But she didn’tsoundangry.
Sauce dripped from her lower lip to the plate as she bit into the burger again. I loved that she ate a juicy burger in her bikini. I loved that she was unapologetically herself. That she never tried to impress me.
She paused, set the burger down, and stared off into space. After a moment of silence, she glanced up again, fighting tears. “Did you really mean it – that you remember everything about me?”
I nodded. “Try me.”
“Okay.” She picked up the burger again, thinking about it. “What’s my favorite Disney soundtrack?”
“Mulan. Hands down. Followed – and this is not a close second by any means –The Little Mermaidand the ’90sBeauty and the Beast. ButThe Little Mermaidis also far fromBeauty and the Beast. The hierarchy is very clear.”
“Favorite indie crush?”
“Jake Gyllenhaal inDonnie Darko.”
“Favorite blockbuster crush?”
“Tie between ripped Dev Patel and Michael B. Jordan since hisFriday Night Lightsera.”
“Worst rated Batman?”
“Too easy.” I rolled my eyes. “Val Kilmer. I would’ve known that if we’d literally never met.”
She giggled around another bite, melting my fucking heart. “Why is he so bad, though?”
This.
This was what I’d missed. I’d take her wrath over her indifference, but I was really shooting for her affection.
I didn’t know what inspired me to keep trying to win her over. This wouldn’t work out.
I was too damaged. She was too guarded.
