Chapter 19
DANNY
“We should talk,”I say to Eden. She doesn’t even blink when she nods. It’s like she was totally expecting me to say that.
We walk toward the back of the bar, stopping in a darkened hallway next to the bathrooms. She stands against the wall; I move so I’m in front of her. When I realize just how close we are, I take a step back.
“Look, Eden. What happened earlier…when we…when we, um…”
She raises her eyebrow at me. She’s so unimpressed. “When we kissed?”
I frown. “Yeah. That. We probably shouldn’t do that again.”
For a second, all she does is stare at me, lips pursed, like she wants to say something but isn’t letting herself.
She shakes her head, and I catch her rolling her eyes. “Okay, Danny.”
When she starts to walk off, I grab her arm. She yanks away. “Don’t touch me.”
I hold my hands up, realizing that she’s exactly right, I shouldn’t have put my hands on her when she’s so clearly upset.
“I’m sorry,” I say softly. “I just don’t want you to be mad. That wasn’t my intention.”
She lets out a bitter laugh. “Danny, I really don’t care what your intention was. You hurt my feelings. And I’m pissed that one conversation with my brother has changed how you feel about me.”
I shake my head. “It hasn’t. I still like you, Eden. A lot.”
That hard look in her big brown eyes softens.
“It’s just that I can’t be with you. Not in the way that I want to—that we want to be together. It feels wrong.”
Another bitter laugh. “Wow. Good to know that you see me as nothing more than an extension of my overprotective big brother.”
“Eden. It’s more complicated than that. It’s kind of been an unspoken rule since Cruz and I have been friends that you don’t go after certain people, like sisters or exes. It’s been that way for all of our friends, actually.”
“God. If that’s not the most antiquated and sexist bullshit I’ve ever heard,” Eden mutters.
She moves like she’s about to walk away but turns to me. “For fuck’s sake, we’re adults, Danny. We’re clearly attracted to each other. We genuinely like each other. And you’re not willing to give us a proper chance because of some silent pact you have with my brother from when you were kids?”
The way Eden puts it, it sounds ridiculous. But Cruz’s friendship means everything to me. He’s my longest friend.
I think back to all those times Cruz has been there for me. When he stood up to my middle school bully who picked on me because I hadn’t gotten my growth spurt yet and I was smaller than most of the other guys in our grade. When he took the blame when I was sixteen and got into a fender-bender driving my parents’ car because he knew my strict parents would lose their shit.
When my ex Sienna and I were dating long-distance, she was living in Seattle for business school. I was broke and wanted to surprise her for her birthday, but I didn’t have enough money to fly, so Cruz drove me. When he helped move me back to Portland from Seattle after things ended with Sienna.
Those moments are what count for me—and Cruz was there for all of them. Hooking up with his little sister behind his back feels like the worst kind of betrayal when he’s been nothing but honest and loyal to me.
“This might be news to you, Danny, but Cruz is my big brother and no matter who I choose to be with, he’s not going to like him,” Eden says. “He never has, and he never will. I’ve lived my whole life accepting that and dated whoever I wanted. I love him to death, but he’s got no right to dictate who I choose to date. Are you really going to let him do that to you too?”
“Your brother and I go way back, Eden. We’ve been friends since we were in diapers—since before you were born,” I say. “I know it would piss him off if any of his friends dated his little sister. And yeah, I know that’s messed up, but I can’t betray him like this.”
Eden’s eyes go glassy. She quickly blinks away any unshed tears. My hand aches to touch her, to comfort her. I reach for her, but she pushes my hand away.
“Got it.” She crosses her arms. “We should just forget about this thing between us. Whatever flirting or feelings we’ve let develop, it stops now.”
My chest aches at what Eden just said, but it’s the right thing to do.
“We’re colleagues. Nothing more.”
Her firm tone rattles in my ear. It’s such a mind-fuck. She was so happy and teasing earlier. Now she can barely stand to be around me.
Can you blame her? You just rejected her.
I nod at her. “I’m sorry, Eden.”
“Don’t.” Her eyebrows crash together, like she’s appalled that I’m even trying to be nice right now.
She walks off, leaving me to stand alone in this darkened hallway, feeling like the biggest sack of garbage on planet Earth. This is what I deserve, though. I dig my phone out of my pocket and pull up Cruz in my contacts. A whole new wave of guilt hits. While he’s been such a good friend to me, I’ve been crushing on his little sister. God, I’m the worst.
But now I’m determined to fix it.
Me: Hey, dude. How about grabbing a drink next weekend?
Cruz: Damn, that was fast haha. I figured you’d be too busy with work.
If only he knew what I’ve actually been busy doing—that I’ve been spending the better part of these last few months lusting after his sister. I swallow back the bitter taste in my mouth that thought leaves.
Me: Screw work. I think I owe you a round, right?
Cruz: Sounds good to me. I’m free next weekend.
We make plans to meet at a bar near his workplace. As I walk back to everyone at the table, I catch sight of Eden laughing with Kayla and Gavin. But I can tell her smile doesn’t reach her eyes. She looks at me for a split second, her expression falling before quickly looking away.
That crack in my chest deepens. Cutting things off with Eden was the right thing to do, but man, does it hurt like hell.