Page 85 of Heartsmashed
“No, I didn’t. Beckett did.”
Like he’d had a feeling but hated the confirmation, he glanced away, and I felt a sense of satisfaction that he knew I was sharing a bed with someone else. That had been the whole point of coming up here, to rub that fake fact in his face, only now I didn’t have to pretend.
“So this is serious, then?” he said.
“Is there a reason you’re asking?”
“Just trying to understand.”
“No, you’re not.” The words came out before I could make them sound nicer, and Peter blinked.
“Wow. He’s made you bold.”
“No.” I stepped down one stair, not enough to be in his space, but enough that he knew I wasn’t backing down. “You made me tired. Beckett just happened to be around when I finally noticed.”
His eyes narrowed slightly before he exhaled. “Come on. Don’t make this ugly.”
“Why not? You’ve been poking at me all week,tryingto make this ugly.”
“I haven’t done anything to you this week.”
I laughed, actually laughed, because did he truly believe the words coming out of his mouth? His audacity was truly something else, and you almost had to admire it. Almost.
“You showed up with someone else to my parents’ vow-renewal celebration two months after dumping me and have spent every day waiting to see how much I’d bleed for you.”
“Jesus, that’s dramatic.”
“Sorry, have we met? Dramatic’s my middle name.”
“Sawyer, I—” He ran his fingers through his hair and gripped the back of his neck. “I don’t want to fight. I just wanted… Look, maybe I jumped the gun on things with us.”
I blinked, his words settling between us but somehow not registering. “What?”
“I mean, we had our issues, but I think we can work things out. I…I miss you.”
My entire body had gone numb. I wasn’t even sure I was still standing and hadn’t been knocked over by a gentle wind. “But you’re with Alec.”
“Eh.” He shrugged, glancing behind him like Alec would turn up any minute. “It’s not really serious.”
Oh my God.
He had to be fucking kidding. There was no way those words had just come out of his mouth, that he hadn’t just told mehe missed me. This had to be a prank. Peter had done everything in his power to show me how little he thought of me, of our relationship, of our two years together, but now all of a suddenhe missed me?
My skin felt like it was on fire, the blanket dropping from my shoulders as pissed-off Sawyer came out to play.
“Fuck. You,” I said, moving down another step.
He looked genuinely taken aback. “Excuse me?”
“You don’t miss me. Are you kidding right now? You came here expecting to shove my face in your new sugar-daddy relationship, but when you saw I’d actually moved on,nowyou want me back? First of all, bullshit, and second of all, fuck you twice.”
“That’s not—” he started, but I was done listening.
“No, I’m talking now.” Somehow, miraculously, I didn’t kick him in the nuts like I wanted to, and that was only because Iwasn’t wearing shoes and didn’t want my bare foot or any other part of me anywhere near his dick. “It’s driving you insane, not that I’m here with Beckett, but the fact that I’m actually thriving without you. You came here to kick me when I was down and now you’re pissed off you can’t. And, I’m guessing, a little embarrassed thatI don’t want you back.”
When all he could do was stare at me in shock, I wanted to pat myself on the back.
Because holyshit. I’d left him speechless.
