Page 40 of Heartsmashed
My teeth sank into the sweet, ripe flesh as I watched Sawyer’s lips wrap around the juicy fruit, staining them red.
“Peter always hated stuff like this,” he said, waving a hand at the setup. “Never felt like it was worth the effort. Which, in hindsight, should’ve been a giant red flag, but you know…” He shrugged and finished off the strawberry. “You don’t always see that stuff when you’re in it.”
“No. You don’t,” I said, trying not to watch the way he licked the juice off his thumb.
“You ever have that? Where you’re like…wow, I really bent over backward for someone who barely made an effort.”
“Yes. I have.”
“Really?” His brows pulled together slightly. “What happened?”
I hesitated for a second, then shrugged. “He wanted something that looked good on paper. Easy. Predictable.”
“He already sounds wrong for you.”
“I didn’t fit into his plans. And I think the more I tried, the worse it got.”
“God, that’s…” He blew out a breath. “Yeah. That tracks.”
For a while he just looked at the water, his hand skimming lightly along the surface.
“That’s basically the same conversation we just had,” he said. “Apparently I’m ‘too much’ and Alec’s ‘less complicated.’ Can you believe that?”
“Can I believe Peter can’t handle you? Yes. He’s an idiot.”
“Right? I kept thinking if I gave him more, he’d meet me halfway.”
“And he didn’t.”
“No. Was it the same for you?” When I nodded, he scrubbed a hand over his face before letting it drop back into the water. “God, why do we do that? Accept the bare minimum? Like, cool, I’ll just go out of my way until the relationship implodes and you leave me and tell me I’m too much.”
“You don’t seem like the settling type.”
“Yeah, well, apparently I needed a reminder.”
“Sawyer.” I held his gaze, wanting him to hear my words over his idiot ex’s. “You’re not too much.”
Something flickered across his face at that—but it was gone before I could fully catch it.
“Yeah,” he said, biting his lip. “I know.”
The silence that fell then wasn’t awkward, but it did feel heavier. More real.
After a long moment, Sawyer exhaled and leaned his head back against the rim of the tub. “Well, this is fun. Nothing like a hot tub and emotional damage to really set the mood.”
“Sometimes you just have to let it out. Can’t keep all that shit pent up inside.”
“Finally, someone who gets it.” A hint of a smile crossed his lips. “You always this easy to talk to, or am I just special?”
“Why can’t it be both?”
“Good answer.” He sat up, but I caught the slight wince before he rolled his shoulders back. “Okay, maybe I take it back. The hot tub feels great, but it doesn’t have magical healing powers, unfortunately.”
“Is it your shoulder bothering you again?”
“I think just a general ache all over. Tight, you know.”
I watched him stretch for a bit then arched a brow. “You gonna ask or just complain about it?”
