Chapter 21 #2
“The rose symbolizes love. And the butterfly…” She sighs. “It’s something ephemeral. Something you can’t catch. Or if you do catch it, you can’t keep it.”
I hear the message within the message. The breath leaves my lungs. Leah, the girl I’ve fallen for, doesn’t believe in everlasting love. It’s the saddest thing I’ve heard.
“Leah.” I press my palm against the tattoo. I don’t know if I’m covering it up, or making a vow upon it. Both, perhaps. Emotion clogs my throat. I swallow it down. “I love you.”
Before she can respond, Dmitri clears his throat. “I love you, too. Both Gage and I love you. And I really fucking believe this is the kind of love you can keep.”
She slowly sits up, dragging the sheet with her to keep her chest covered. “I love you both. It’s a dream come true that you love me back, that you think this kind of love can last.”
A hollow emptiness takes residence in my chest. “But you don’t agree it will last?”
She bites her lip. Doesn’t speak.
* * *
Leah
I wake up with a man on either side of me. They each have a hand somewhere on my body—Dmitri sleeps behind me, the big spoon to my little, and he has an arm wrapped around my chest. Gage, in front of me, has one hand on my hip.
Last night was amazing. No other word for it. The whole “love doesn’t last forever” conversation afterward wasn’t the best. But before that? Amazing. I didn’t know it was possible to feel so defiled and so adored at the same time.
I have to shove the final conversation out of my head. They both said they love me. I love them, too.
But nothing lasts forever. Not life, not love. Nothing .
This kind of dreadful, empty-gut feeling can only be fixed with carbs and caffeine. The coffee shop down the block carries both.
I climb out of bed, careful not to wake them. I find a pair of jeans and a hoodie down the hall in my room. Then, I sneak out to the elevator and take it down to the lobby.
Bright sunlight fills the space, reflecting off the shiny marble floor. I peer out the giant windows, wondering if reporters or paparazzi are waiting outside, but there’s nothing. Whether or not Beryl Crake had a recording to share, nobody’s paying attention to me.
“Hey, you.” The male voice behind me is familiar.
I spin around to see Seth Colton in the lobby. I eye him warily but keep a polite smile on my face. “Oh, hey.”
He holds up his hands. “I swear I’m not stalking you. I live in this building, too. On Gage’s recommendation, actually.”
“Okay, cool.” I don’t want to piss off Gage by talking to Seth. Especially after Seth expressed interest in me. Unwelcome interest.
He blows out a breath, almost a sigh. “Look. Can we start over? I was an asshole. I realize that now.”
I take in his handsome face, his whiskered chin, his disarming smile. His greenish-brown eyes are sincere. But what really gets me is the hint of sadness within them.
“Okay,” I say. “I’m going to grab some coffee and breakfast to go. You can walk with me if you want.”
He checks his watch. “Yeah, I got twenty minutes before I have to meet my sisters for brunch. Let’s go.”
We make our way down the sidewalk. There’s some traffic along Caro, but the atmosphere is leisurely. No frantic rush, just a Sunday laziness. The sky is bright blue and the tall buildings gleam, throwing that brightness all around.
“Gorgeous day,” Seth says.
“Yeah. It really is.” I grin to myself. Dmitri and Gage both love me. I love them, too. We can worry about definitions of “forever” later.
Seth holds the coffee shop door open for me. “I was at the Youth Arts benefit last night. I saw you there.”
“Oh, I missed you somehow.”
The scent of coffee fills my nose. We step into a short line. A couple of teenage girls come in right after us.
“It’s okay. My date wanted to leave early.” Seth frowns at the counter. “I wish I knew what the fuck I was doing wrong.”
“What do you mean?”
He can’t answer, because it’s my turn to order. I list off what I want, then pay, then we’re waved to the side to wait for everything.
Now that we won’t be interrupted for a few minutes, I nudge Seth’s arm. “So, what do you mean? You think you’re doing something wrong?”
“I must be. Look, I can fuck around with whoever, any old day. The auctions are fine, but even just chilling at Low Vice, there’s usually someone who wants to play.
It’s going beyond that. I want what you have with your guys.
Not with you—I won’t do that to you again, and I still feel bad.
But…someone. For longer than an evening. You know?”
“It makes sense. You’re probably not doing anything wrong…maybe it’s how you’re picking dates, or maybe where you’re finding them?”
He gives me a sad smile. “Yeah, could be.”
The teenagers who came in behind us are staring. Seth is way, way too old for them—he looks closer to Gage’s age than mine, putting him in his thirties.
“Hey, isn’t that her?” one of the girls whispers.
They aren’t staring at Seth; they’re staring at me.
“Hey, you.” Her friend waves at me. “Are you Gage Hawthorne’s girlfriend?”
Seth turns around, looking as confused as I am.
“Uh.” Shit. I don’t want to get into this again. I just want coffee and scones for me and the guys. But denying it would probably be worse. “Yeah. That’s me.”
“Well, I guess she didn’t run her over.” The first girl shrugs.
The other one says, “She could’ve driven up early this morning?—”
“Sorry.” I clear my throat. “But what the hell are you talking about?”
“She didn’t do it.” The first girl puts one hand on a slender hip and gestures toward me. “Look, she doesn’t even know.”
“Order for Leah!” A cheerful barista sets three cups on the counter in a little to-go tray, along with a bag full of pastries.
I gather the bag and coffees, my brain puzzling over the teenagers’ conversation. “Thanks.”
When I turn around to ask the teens again what they’re talking about, they’re no longer there. Seth nods toward the opposite side of the coffee shop.
They’re avoiding me.
I hurry back to him. “Do you know what’s going on?”
He grimaces. “I looked up your name, nothing came up. Then I looked up Gage’s. Shit. Leah, this is weird. You should head home. Like, right fucking now. I’ll walk you.”
“What? What happened?” Gage is fine, I was sleeping next to him half an hour ago.
“I’ll walk you back.”
“Tell me what the fuck is going on.”
He holds up his phone. I read a headline in bold letters above a picture of Nicola. Dread curdles in my stomach.
Another sad day for AoG fans. Nicola Johnson has been confirmed dead after a hit-and-run accident.
* * *
Thank you for reading Mastered by Love !