Page 42 of Stags

“Yeah,” said Athos.

“You can’t leave,” said Bruin.

“You’releaving,” said Stockton, glaring at him.

“Yes, but I’ve done these things before,” said Bruin. “You never have.”

Stockton groaned.

CHAPTER TEN

RORA WAS ONthe elevator to go to Bruin’s room when the elevator door opened on the second floor to let someone on, and it was Stockton.

He saw her, and his eyes got huge, and then he acted like he was going to back out of the elevator, but the door was closing, so he tipped forward into it with her.

She blinked at him.

He scrubbed a hand over his face. “You… I’m sorry I acted like I didn’t know you.”

“Wait,” she said. “So you did recognize me. You used to date Maibell, right?”

Chagrined, he backed into the wall, tilting down his antlers, shaking his head. “Yeah.”

She nodded. “I thought so. I remember having a conversation with you once, when everyone went dancing, and it was just you and me sitting together at a table, watching everyone else. We were the only people not dancing.”

“Oh, yeah,” he said, giving her a half-smile. “Yeah, I remember that night. That was, uh, that was right after she told me she cheated on me. I was kind of drunk. What did we talk about?”

She remembered the conversation well. It was one of those conversations where she’d asked a friend’s boyfriend what was wrong with her. Now, it seemed utterly embarrassing, and she began to realize that she had probably been ruining every interaction she’d ever had with a member of the opposite sex by saying things like that. It made her look pathetic. She wanted to die.

“Oh, yeah, actually, maybe… I do remember,” he said. He lifted his head, his antlers rising. “Wow, and then I acted like I didn’t know you. That must have been…” He winced, shaking his head. He took two steps toward her. “Look, the reason I did that was because, like, you and those other women were standing there, with yourtails, and I was thinking about…” He groaned, looking away. “Okay, so, this whole weekend, it’s the definition of awkward, and there you were, and I thought you’d see that I was being, like, I don’t know. Athos,hewas being a dick, right? And I didn’t want you to think I was one of those kinds of guys, the kind of jackass guy who just thinks of a woman like a… an object. But, um, I was objectifying you, actually, right in that exact moment.”

“You were what?”

“And, you know, that night, when we talked,” he said, “you were really upset and feeling really low about yourself. And I was fucked in the head over Maibell at the time. I don’t know if I conveyed to you how totally wrong you were in those things you were saying about yourself.”

She let out a little gasp, horrified. “Oh, moon and sun, we don’t have to talk aboutanyof that ever again.”

“Well, for whatever it’s worth,” he said with a shrug, “there’s literally nothing wrong with you. You’re fucking gorgeous.”

The elevator arrived on Bruin’s floor.

The door opened.

He started forward and then motioned for her to go first. “Are we both getting off here?”

“Oh, this is your floor?” she said.

“My dad’s floor, actually,” he said. The door tried to shut. He reached out and put a hand over it, holding it open. “I’ve been doing this thing this weekend. It’s like I’ve been a character in a really bad comedy movie, a character who keeps lying about stuff, and it never works out in those movies, and I think I’ve learned my lesson. I have a relationship with my dad. I know who the hell you are. I’m not hiding things anymore.” He let out a breath. “Well, that felt good.”

“I…” She retreated, back into the corner of the elevator. “I just remembered, it’s actually the floor up, not this one that I need. So, you go ahead.”

“Sure,” he said. “Next floor? Here, I’ll hit the button for you.” He gave her a smile. “Sorry for being a total dick to you. Really.”

“You weren’t a dick,” she said.

He shrugged. “Thanks for saying that, but I think we both know I was.” He let go of the door and exited the elevator.

It swished closed.

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