Brynne #2
For a moment, she was silent. She just drank the wine, ate the crackers, and swung her feet, letting her heels knock into the wooden cabinets below. Finally, she rested her head against the cabinet door behind her, a long sigh leaving her.
“Do you love him, too?” she asked quietly.
I had no idea how to answer that.
“I don’t know.” But that wasn’t the truth—I did love him. And with the look she was giving me, I knew she knew it, too. “It’s complicated.”
“It’s really not,” she said, laughing breathily. “You either do or you don’t.”
“But—how can I after everything?—”
“Can I say something?” Her eyes flicked between mine as she lifted her head. “And don’t get mad.”
“Alright,” I said, holding my hand out for the bottle. She passed it back, and I took a deep pull, knowing I was going to need it.
“I think you’re using this as an excuse to leave first.” She bit her lip, her eyes narrowed as she watched me, gauging my reaction.
“He fucked up, no doubt about it, but I think you’ve made it worse in your head.
I think this is safer for you. I think hiding and being the one to end things is safe .
You can control your pain like this. But I think you’re making a mistake. ”
“You think this is my fault?” I asked, my voice raw, and she shook her head, brows pinched.
“No,” she murmured. “It’s a fucked-up, messy situation. I think he’s at fault, but…” She hesitated, the next words said so quietly, I had to strain to hear. “But so are you. You could’ve talked to him about it. You could’ve tried to work it out. But this was easier.”
I took another drink of the wine, letting her words wash over me. Was she right? I knew enough about myself to know that when things got hard, I ran. But things with Theo weren’t hard. Being with him was the easiest thing—the most natural thing.
Yet…
Maybe she was right.
Maybe because things were so perfect, it meant a bigger heartbreak, and from my experience, heartbreak would inevitably come. No matter how much I didn’t want it to, it would.
And if I was the cause of it, I only had myself to blame for the pain. No one else.
“Look,” she said, sighing as she tugged tangles from her hair with her fingers. “All I’m saying is that I’ve literally never seen Theo interested in a woman before. And he said he loved you, B. That’s a big deal for him.”
“What if he was just saying it to make things better?” I finally voiced my fears. “What if he didn’t really mean it? What if he really remembered the bet, and this was all a fucking game to him? What if I look like an idiot crawling back to him?”
“He’s devastated,” she said quietly, shaking her head.
“I don’t know what he did or didn’t do, or what he does or doesn’t remember, but what I do know is that I’ve never seen him like this before.
And—” She let out a harsh breath. “And I think he’s a fucking dumbass.
He was trying to protect you in his own way by saying that, and Sean—who we both know is a piece of psycho shit and would totally blow this out of proportion—took his words and ran.
I think Sean saw both of you happy and wanted to ruin it. ”
And that was what I’d been thinking about all week.
Sean.
He was the reason behind it all. The mastermind pitting us against each other. I knew he was a piece of psycho shit , and still believed him over Theo. Surely, Theo had to be pissed at me for that. Surely, he wouldn’t want anything to do with me because I chose Sean’s words over his.
The deeper I spiraled, the more I realized that I’d fucked up so wholly, I didn’t know if I could fix it. Theo was a good man—but there was only so much he could take. What if choosing Sean’s words over his was his breaking point?
What if he didn’t want anything to do with me anymore?
What if he moved on?
“Sleep on it,” Trin said, as if she could read my mind.
“What he did clearly hurt you, and I’m not trying to take away your pain by telling you he’s hurting, too.
Right now, he doesn’t matter. You do. And if he hurt you so badly, if he broke your trust to the point of no return, then don’t go back to him.
But if there’s even a little part of you that thinks you could work through this together…
” She shrugged as she held her hand out for the bottle.
“Give it another chance. Not him—your relationship.” I handed her the wine, and she laughed before she took a sip.
“I’m not an idiot, you know. I knew something was going on between you at trivia night.
I didn’t know what exactly, but I’ve never seen either of you so happy than when you’re with each other. That should count for something.”
And it did.
She was right.
I was happy with Theo. More than happy. There weren’t enough words to describe what I felt when I was with him.
But she was right about being hurt, too. I could work through it, but I couldn’t rush it.
I had to be sure that I wanted Theo, but more than that, I had to be positive that he still wanted me.
“You’re not pissed at me for falling for him?” I asked quietly, and she snorted.
“I don’t understand it, but no, I’m not mad.”
“You seriously don’t understand it?”
“I mean, he’s rich, so I guess I get it.”
“Trin!” I laughed, shaking my head. She smiled softly, taking another sip before passing it back to me.
“I’m happy if you’re happy, and if he’s the one to do it...” She shrugged, popping a piece of cheese into her mouth. “Then why would I care? I’ve always wanted a sister.”
“I’ve been your sister for years.”
“Yeah, but when you get married, it’ll be legit.”
My heart twisted at the words, my smile slowly fading away. “I doubt that’ll happen.”
She didn’t say anything back. Just stared at me, an expression on her face I couldn’t quite read.
“Are you tired?” she finally asked, and my head flopped forward in a nod.
“Exhausted.” I slid off the counter, holding my hand out for her. She glanced around the kitchen, and I waved my hand dismissively. “I’ll tell Mason to clean up. Wanna sleep over?”
“God, yes. I thought you’d never ask.” She wrapped her arm around my shoulders, tugging me to her side. “Don’t overthink it.”
“Me? I would never.”
She snorted, kissing my cheek before skipping down the hallway. “I’m stealing your fancy PJs!”
I rolled my eyes, but couldn’t help the smile that tugged at my mouth. My heart felt a little lighter with Trin’s blessing. Now all I had to do was get past this, go back to Theo, and hope he still wanted me.