Page 91 of The Ache That Stayed

He leaned in close to her. Too damn familiar. And my breathing went… quiet. Then instinct took over. She looked fine—laughing at something the bartender said.

Relief twisted and curdled into something uglier.

Rage.

Since the kiss, my restraint had stopped pretending. I didn’t just want her anymore; I didn’t want anyone else near her. Especially the extra-friendly bartender. It was like my obsession multiplied tenfold. My own head reminded me of an ugly truth.

You don’t get to have her.

I ignored it and walked in. She turned her head slightly, eyes landing on me. And then she looked right past me. As if I were invisible. As if I hadn’t torn through a fucking storm looking for her.

I sat on the stool beside her—my pulse buzzing with extra adrenaline. She didn’t acknowledge me.

Fine.

We’re doing this. Two could play this game.

“Whiskey. Neat,” I told the bartender, voice sharp.

Before he could pour me the drink, a woman slid onto the stool on my other side, like she sensed blood in the water.

Blonde. Cherry lips. Wet hair from the rain.

“I’ll have what he’s having,” she chirped. “This weather sucked the fun out of everything.”

I ignored her.

She introduced herself anyway. “Mira.”

I didn’t answer. Didn’t care.

Roxanne didn’t react. Not visibly. But her spine straightened, squaring her shoulders. Her jaw clenched, fingers tightening around her glass.

Oh… she felt it. She hated it.

The bartender placed my glass in front of me. The blonde turned to me and spoke with that calm, sultry tone that felt like spiders crawling on my skin.

“What brings you here?” she asked.

Her fingers made idle circles on my arm. I looked straight ahead into the reflection in the mirror behind the bar. At the same time, Roxanne spoke to the bartender, which I couldn’t hear courtesy of Blondie’s constant yapping.

He chuckled. “Aye. Storm’s made folk cranky.”

I spoke too—loud enough for Roxanne, quiet enough to pretend I’m talking to the blonde.

“Some people vanish entire days and pretend it means nothing.”

Roxanne lifted her glass, eyes cutting to mine for half a second through the reflection. She answered the bartender, not me.

“Some people don’t realise the world doesn’t revolve around them.”

Blondie let out a soft laugh, leaning in closer. “Men are dramatic as hell.”

I ignored her again. And Roxanne…pretended to ignore me.

“So what brings you here?” the bartender asked her.

I answered before she could.