Page 52 of Bittersweet Revenge

“Switching is a great idea,” Antoine beamed. I turned around again, this time looking at him with confusion.

Taylor turned her head and glared at him. If looks could kill, I'd be going to his funeral.

“Is it?” she asked through gritted teeth. “Maybe it will happen over my dead body...or yours.”

“Come on! You and Esme, me and Archie. Embracing the pride colors.”

Archie chuckled. “You’re basically a vagina and my sister has more balls than you, so yeah, it’s not much of a stretch.”

I knew Antoine had meant it as a joke, but Archie was still not aware of Antoine's sexuality, not that I thought he would care. I just didn’t feel like joking about how real it was given how he was compelled to hide it.For Antoine it was surely auto-derision, but I was not used to being in a world where sexuality was a crime. I might have been poor in my old life, but there gays didn’t have to hide.

“I don’t think you coming along would be an issue. Tay is my best friend and you’re friends with Archie. Joining us for a day in Port Harbor is not that much of a stretch.”

“Yeah, because everybody knows how close Taylor and Archie are, right?” Antoine always had to point out the elephant in the room.

“You really are a shit-stirrer, aren’t you? Is that a French thing?”

Archie snorted. “Nope, whilst they are quite blunt, this is not a French thing; it’s an Antoine thing.”

Antoine shrugged before grabbing Taylor’s handand looking out of the window. I let my eyes wander to their hands and watched him gently brushed her knuckles with his thumb. They might not be in love in the common sense of the word, but they did love each other. It was cute.

The rest of the drive was much calmer with Archie questioning me about Ben and Antoine telling us about all the material he had gotten from his father's stash.

“Where are we meeting again?” Archie asked as he parked the car at the waterfront.

“Oceanview,” I whispered.

Being here again brought a wave of feelings I hadn’t really expected. I looked toward the Ferris wheel and couldn’t stop my heart tightening in my chest at the memory of Caleb and I up there. I took a couple of steps and stopped again. I looked around at the closed drink cart and the iron trash can. This was the exact spot where he’d kissed me sweetly, tasting the hot chocolate on my lips.

“Are you okay?” Taylor asked, taking my hand.

I turned toward her, blinking away the memories. “I - Yes, sure.” I forced a smile, but I could see she didn’t buy it.

I looked over her shoulder. Archie was eyeing us both with concern. I smiled at him and he sighed with a small shake of his head. He hated seeing me troubled just as much as I hated it when it was him.

“We still have some time, don’t we?” Taylor asked looking around.

I looked at my watch. We were an hour early. Most shops were still closed, including Oceanview.

She pointed to a few shops, including a coffee shop that was open on the other side. “Why don’t we go browse for a while? Just to see what’s out there.”

I nodded, grateful that the coffee kiosk and the jewelry store were closed.

She followed my eyes to the locked storefront. “Want some bling?” She nudged me playfully. “Don’t bother with this here. This is my family business. Let me hook you up, dawg.”

I laughed, turning toward her, the weight of the memory on my chest finally easing up. “Did you just call me dawg?”

She grinned. “Maybe?”

I pulled her into a hug. “I love you, Taylor Oppenheimer. I really do.”

Archie looked at us with a small smile, longing in his eyes. He could not hide in this moment how heartbroken and mournful he was. My eyes slid to Antoine who was also looking at my brother, his eyes reflecting some of the pain. No matter what he said, no matter how much he cared for Taylor, he didn't like to see Archie hurting either.

“We’re going to check the stores,” Taylor said, turning to both Archie and Antoine. “Do you guys want to join us?”

Archie and Antoine looked at each other. “Hard pass.”

I chuckled. “Yeah, thought so. Let’s just meet in front of Oceanview in forty minutes. Deal?” I pointed at the store where Alice worked.

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