Page 155 of Everdoll

My gaze dropped to the pavement. My throat tightened, I couldn’t find the right words. “You… made them because of your trauma?”

“I’m sorry.”

I opened my mouth, realizing I was about to say the same thing to that little boy who claimed to ‘know her better than she did’. I wanted to say he couldn’t fool me. But… Am I flying too high? Maybe the person I knew had really changed; I shouldn’t speak based on old memories. Still… Raymond’s gloomy face made it hard for me to make a firm decision.

“Don’t be.” I said finally. “I’m sorry, too. For everything. For years… I realized much later what I’d done, but it was too late, and I…”

“I don’t wish to hear this. Like I said, it’s all in the past. I’d like to keep it that way.”

“Are you sure? Maybe you’re a bit scared that I can still confuse you?”

His gaze found my lips, and I immediately curved a smile.

“You think too highly of yourself.”

I shrugged, my spirits oddly good. “Whatever the reason, you kissed a girl who looks exactly like me.”

“Are you enjoying?”

Oh, a lot. “Enjoying what?”

“Making me suffer.” He stepped closer, pain flickering across his face, his lips thin.

“You call this suffering? I should’ve turned you in to the police. Are you aware of that?”

“Then why don’t you?”

“Because…” I wavered, a sudden mortification washing over my face. “We were close. We were like a family. After everything, I thought we should at least talk. We could still be friends, and…”

“Friends?” he scoffed. “Impossible.”

“Ra-”

“Nothing will ever happen between us, Mina. This is the healthiest way.”

My smile faded. Ash dropped from my cigarette, and with it, something in me.

“Yes, you’re right. We were… something that shouldn’t have happened in the first place. You finally realized it too.”

I saw a spark in his blue eyes, perhaps a glimmer of fear, but he nodded.

“Right. It was a mistake.”

I blew smoke upward, and leaned my back against the wall. “I’m glad we talked. Really. I had regrets, but if you’ve healed on your way, then I should do the same. I should move on with my life too.”

“You should.”

“I’ve got my ex’s support, huh? Cool.”

He recoiled, and my eyes widened. So he wasn’t as used to it as I was.

“Your ex…”

“It’s you.”

He nodded, then leaned toward me before turning away. His shadow fell before me, our bodies were too close. Close enough for a kiss. I pressed my lips together and held my breath. His eyes seemed to examine me unconsciously. From head to toe, every curve…

“We won’t ever be anything more than this to each other.”