Page 46 of Feed Your Fiends

“Jealous?” I ask, an incredulous chuckle escaping my lips. Does she really think I’d call her some other girl’s name? That I could ever mistake her?

“Over someone like you? Never.”

My jaw ticks with my heart. “Last chance.”

She gives me a look. “You already said that.”

I take my open palm back that I’d extended toward her and clench it into a fist.“So we’ll play.”

“Gant—”

“Call me Jack. Bae will open that skylight in thirty seconds and we can recreate Titanic when the furniture starts fucking floating. I assumed the ring didn’t cover any roof repairs. Looks like I was right.”

Her lip trembles, actually trembles,for him.

You’re ruining all of Hale’s work. Even if you’re pissed at Hale, what about your other friends? It’s not just Hale’s grand opening. It’s Zedd and Stassi’s party too.”

I scan the crowd but can’t find a single one of them.

“Do you see them anywhere? Here’s the thing, Elle, at this moment, you’re right. I am a shit friend because I don’t care about anything or anyone but you. All I care about every day, every hour, every second is having you. My mind can’t settle, can’t comprehend anything else. Fuck anything else.You. It’s always been you. It’ll always be you. Not the blokes. Not my father. You. Come with me, or we can float on the headboard together. Hale has beds in the backrooms, and I know how we both can fit.”

She snorts. “Like I’d want to fit beside you. I’m more like Rose than you think. I’d watch you freeze to death, then rip your dead palm from mine. You’d barely disappear beneath the water before I’m blowing that fucking whistle and moving on.”

Another smile stretches my lips. “Just like Rose, huh? So that means you’ll let me creampie you on a cruise in a car after I’ve painted every inch of you?”

“How could you even be, Jack? You’re rich like Cal. The man I’d leave for my true love.”

“Your true love? You just said you’d barely watch him make it to the ocean floor,” I snort. “At least Cal was your fiancé.”

“Was. She hated Cal. Just like I hate you.”

“But Jack’s gone, and Cal and Rose are still here.”

“And she ignored his ass the moment they touched land. She threw that sapphire into the sea like I threw your diamond into the pond. The pawn shop.”

More pieces of my heart flake and chip off. I’d destroyed the letters. Tossed the jewels wherever they landed, but it wasn’t until the paper had disintegrated and days had passed that I realised how much I would rather have them, even if they aren’t mine.

“Love what you did with the place with the money,” I say, eyeing the chandeliers that sparkle as brilliantly as that diamond before resettling my gaze on her again. “But a leaky roof can destroy it all, can’t it? In a matter of minutes.”

The water’s dripping down the bar, creating a soft symphony against the freshly stained floors.

She watches the waterfall, and a choked, frustrated sigh leaves her throat. “You can’t just get your way. You can’t just have me.”

But I can.

“I respected your wishes. I gave you space even though it killed me. It killed us both.”

“Delusional.”

“You should see the way you look at me, Elle. You want me to. You just won’t let yourself have me. Six days. A thousand hours. I can’t do it any more. I won’t.”

“You don’t get to decide when time’s up!”

“Yes, I do. I told you I’ll do anything to keep you.”

Water bursts down between us with full force, and the crowd jumps back, shrieking.

“Anything. And I’ll destroy everything just to get to you. Don’t you get it?”

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