Page 61 of All That Remains
"No…I didn't mean it like that.” He shut his eyes briefly. “Sorry. I dunno...I just meant...fuck, bro. Why can't you just be straight with me for once? Quit playin' games."
"I'mnotplaying games.”
“Then answer the question, Rafe. It’s as simple as that. What the fuck is the matter with you? Yes or no?”
“Why the fuck would I, like,dignifya question like that with an answer? Fuck off.”
“Yeah, alright.” He was livid. He sat back and played with his lighter.
"You're gonna burn it all out."
He always killed his lighters this way. I took pity since I enjoyed the thought of him being jealous, even after all this time.
"Mate, look...I’m not gonna sit here and map out every aspect of our relationship foryoursatisfaction. But I will say…ultimately he and I are just friends, alright? Simple as. Don’t have a baby about it.”
“So, he’s still around?”
“What're you acting all butthurt for? Am I not allowed to have friends, Rome? Even with you out of my life?"
"I'm not butthurt, fuckhead. Just curious. So…you still see him then?"
"Mm-hm...sometimes."
"So…nothin' happened?"
"Again, I’m not going there. Believe what you want."
“Did you fuck?”
We hadn’t, but something in me refused to give him the reassurance he sought. He had no right to demand that of me.
"Rafe…Rafe?” He grabbed my arm but I shrugged him off. “Was it even like that? Did you want somethin’ to happen? Didyou let him in? Rafe? Rafe, has he been inside you? Would you just fuckin’ answer meplease."
"Rome, mate, seriously! I can’t believe you’re even asking me shit like this already.Chill, alright? It’s making me uncomfortable. And again, what's it to you anyway?”
“What the fuck do you mean?”
“Youleftme,remember?Youwere the one 'engaged'." I hit him with the air quotes on that one. "You were the one who ran off to Italy—or wherever-the-fuck—with Piper and your mum after you left. You know how bad that fucked me up? To see you with her after I lost you? And…and now after everything, you dump her, and suddenly you're with..."
"Yeah…"
“Mila…”
“I know.”
"And it’s all the press can ever fucking talk about. All over my timeline 24/7.Roman Jacobs & Mila Hearst. If I wanna check up on you, it means seeing the two of you together. So don’t give me shit about who I’m seen with.Ever."
"Fair. So, uh…I guess we both fucked around a bit."
"Obviously," I ruffled my hair, shoving it behind my ears.
"How many?"
"A few. Just a few here and there."
"But what does thatmean?"
"Like...nearly ten." He raised his eyebrows, but I rushed to assure him. "I didn't bed them all, mate. They were just sort of a distraction."
