Tangled Up In You (Rogue #1)

Chapter 94

94

CONOR

C onor could have punched in the access code at the gate at Gavin’s house, but he decided instead to buzz the intercom. It had been three days since the tabloids reported Gavin’s return to Dublin. Conor hadn’t been able to take the anticipation of the confrontation he expected any longer, and decided to force the issue himself.

After several fruitless tries at the intercom, he pulled his car to alongside the stone wall and got out. He leaned against the car door and dialed Gavin’s cell.

The corresponding ring had a surround-sound to it, as he heard it in his own phone and in the air behind him. Turning, he saw that Gavin was returning from a run, clad in tracksuit bottoms, long-sleeve tee shirt, and trainers. The idea of Gavin purposefully exercising was almost as shocking as the haggard look on his face.

“What the fuck do you want?” Gavin asked. He said it without malice, though, as he brushed past him to punch in the access code to the gate. “Sophie’s not here. She’s in L.A.”

Conor knew that. She had called to warn him about Gavin finding out about them. He’d been dumbfounded, but hadn’t pressed her to explain why she had confessed.

“I want to talk to you, Gav,” he said.

Gavin didn’t reply and instead walked up the drive. Conor followed him, a step behind. They were halfway to the house when Gavin turned around to face him.

“Just have your say. Go ahead and be done with it,” he said.

“Here’s the thing,” Conor started. “I took advantage of a bad situation. She was weak and lonely. It was just once and I’ll always regret it.”

Gavin examined him for a moment. “No, you won’t.”

“What?”

“You won’t regret it. Not really. You love her. For years, yeah?”

Conor started to shake his head to protest, then gave up. He put his hands on his hips and looked away. The light rain that had been falling was growing heavier.

“Gavin, I’m sorry. I know that doesn’t mean much to you, but I’m truly sorry.”

Gavin took a deep breath and looked up at the sky as the rain came down. He washed his hands over his face, clearing away the sweat from his run.

Conor waited, the only noise the patter of raindrops. Then he was startled as Gavin let out a groan that turned into an anguished roar.

“Every one of those songs we wrote together about her—you were able to add your own special fucking touch, weren’t you?”

“I, em, I don’t know.”

“Yeah, right,” Gavin said with disgust, shaking his head slowly. “Christ, I let you two have at it, didn’t I?”

“What?” Conor asked, thrown by Gavin’s change in direction.

“I’ve been jealous and protective of her since we were kids. Except with you. I let you two go off god knows how many times. I saw the way you cared for her and I let it go on.”

“I’m not sure?—”

“I just about pushed her into your arms. I always told her I didn’t deserve her. I couldn’t be—I could never live up to the version of me she had in mind. I mean, what was she ever even doing with a fuckup like me?”

“You’ve got it wrong. The girl worships you. She made a mistake and that’s it.”

“Tell me something. She love you?” Gavin asked, again shifting from the topic Conor thought they had a handle on.

“No,” Conor said without hesitation.

“No?”

“No. We got to be mates, really good friends. But I was the one who wanted more. Not her, Declan.” He might lose his best friend over this. His band, too. But he would at least go out trying to help Sophie salvage what it was that she had always wanted—Gavin.

The rain had drenched them both and now Conor saw that Gavin was trembling from the wet and the cold. He had also retreated into his own thoughts. Conor was unnerved by Gavin’s lack of any real malice. He was almost apathetic about it all, which was worse than if he had taken it out on him physically. Several minutes passed and Conor realized Gavin wasn’t going to express anything else on the subject.

“You should go inside, dry off,” Conor said.

Gavin looked at him with confusion for a moment, then seemed to realize that he was soaked and it was getting colder by the minute. With a half-hearted wave, he turned and walked the rest of the way to the house, disappearing inside.