Page 21 of Ambrosia Kisses
"Yeah. Found you outside your dorm in his arms. You looked so beautiful, laughing up at him like he was your world. Why sleep with me if you were just going to go running back to him, Dimples? That shit…fuck." He swallows hard. "That shit ripped my heart out."
I know exactly who he's talking about. And damn, it hurts. Not because I got caught, but because he's got it all wrong. He didn't find me in the arms of another man. He found me withmy brother. He came to surprise me, and I was happy to see him.
It was the last time I ever did. He shipped out two days later…and he never made it home.
I didn't just lose Ridley back then. I lost two of the most important men in my life all at once. Ridley because he left, and Pierce because of a sniper they didn't see.
"That…that wasn't my boyfriend, Ridley."
"Who was he?"
"Doesn't matter," I whisper, turning to look out the window as tears blur my vision.
"It matters to me."
"You had a chance to ask me then, but you didn't. Instead, you just assumed I was a liar and a cheater. You left the country instead of giving me a chance to explain, so you don't get to demand an explanation now," I say. "Just take me home."
"Paisley."
"No, Ridley." I blink rapidly to keep the tears at bay. "I spent days hoping that you'd come after me. And now you're telling me that you did, but only long enough to decide to walk away for real without even giving me a chance or a choice. So now, I'm not giving you one. You made your choice. Deal with it. We aren't together. We aren't friends. I'm here for Lucy and Lyra, not for you."
"So that's it? You're just giving up on us?"
"I didn't give up on us, Ridley.Youdid when you decided to run all the way to Italy instead of talking to me," I say sadly. "So yeah, that's it."
Saying it hurts like hell because it still doesn't feel over to me. Not when I still taste him on my lips. Not when his hands are branded into my skin. But…what other choice is there? Maybe he didn't leave the country while I was asleep in his bed, but he certainly didn't stick around for an explanation, either.
Instead, he assumed the worst, and I lost him. And then I lost my brother, too. And I had to learn to survive it all on my own, all because he was too damn afraid to stick around and ask for the truth. We both know that's because he didn't really want it. He saw what he wanted to see because it made it easier for him to walk away free and clear.
But it damn sure didn't make it easier for me.
"Hey," Lucy says, frowningwhen I climb from the passenger seat of Ridley's truck five minutes later. Her gaze drifts from me to Ridley and then back. "You okay?"
"Fine. Flat tire."
"Oh no! I'll call Oliver and have him go change it real quick."
"I've got it," Ridley says, circling around toward us.
"You don't have to do that," I mutter, staring at the ground instead of him. The short drive home was…tense and silent. He wanted to say something, but whatever it was, he never got around to saying it. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.
"Yeah, I do," he says softly.
I just stare at the gravel at my feet instead of responding. If he wants to change the tire, fine. I can't stop him.
"Give me your keys, Dimples."
I reluctantly fish in my purse for them and then hand them over, acutely aware of the way Lucy watches the two of us like she expects fireworks or detonations. I don't have the energy for either, right now, though. I finally have answers…and honestly, I almost wish I didn't. Because instead of not caring at all, he just didn't care enough.
Our hands brush as he takes the keys from me. Electricity hums just like always. I wish it wouldn't. It'd make this so much easier if the insane chemistry between us would just…disappear. But I guess that's not going to happen.
For the rest of my life, my heart is going to belong to someone who just didn't care enough.
"I'll bring the keys to you when I'm done, baby," he murmurs.
"You can leave them with Lucy and Oliver."
He tips my chin up with a finger beneath my chin, forcing me to look at him. His expression is firm, but his green eyes are so damn soft. "I'll bring you the keys, Paisley."
