Page 111 of Rules in Love
Two seconds later, I apologized profusely and threw myself at his mercy.
“Fuck, I’m so sorry. You, my darling friend, have stuck with me through everything. Please forgive me.”
“There is nothing to forgive. You’re heartbroken, and it’s okay. You need to yell, scream, recklessly and unfairly lay blame, and eat lots of shit. It’s part of the process.”
“Is it, though? Is it not too much? I’ve only been with him for a few months, but I’ve fallen so hard. Maybe I should have just said yes. Fuck. What was I thinking? He is everything I want, and I turned him down.”
Teddy kissed my head as I lay on his shoulder. “I know. He is what you want, my darling. But I am so bloody proud of you. Scarlett, the doormat, is dead and buried. Finn is being totally unreasonable, and I would put money on the fact that a big, muscly part of him will soon realize that. The boy is licking his wounds. No one that gorgeous comes without a massive ego, Scar. Trust me. I know.”
“I hope so. But you know what hit me as we finished that last bottle of rosé?”
“Oh, God. Did you fart? Geez, Scar. I told you to take it easy on the nachos. How many times must I talk about your body’s reactions to cheese?”
I laughed despite myself and cracked a good, sharp slap across Teddy’s thigh. “No, I didn’t fart. I was going to say something wise and prophetic.”
“Pathetic or prophetic?”
“Um, possibly both. I’ll let you be the judge.” To emphasize the seriousness of my epiphany, I sat up straight against the headboard, put down my wine, and cleared my throat. “Don’t you think it’s kind of cruel that the man who encouraged and empowered me to see my strength and find my voice is also the first to run when I use it? Its first victim, I guess you could say.”
“Shit, you’re right. That sucks some majorly big hairy balls. It’s also the wrongic. More ironic than pathetic or prophetic.”
“Must you correct my grammar whilst I pour my guts out to you? Is that really the best use of your time right now?”
“Sorry. It’s a habit I’ve picked up from Asher. He’s big on word use. Well, he was. Also, I was critiquing your semantics, not your grammar.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake. My point is, I can feel myself growing and I want to keep growing, but I want us to grow together. Guess that’s not going to happen now.”
“I think it will…as long as you stop eating cheese and brush your teeth. I think you will grow to become a big, bushy weed that no one can trample on, and I think Finn is going to be sprouting right alongside you…and in you…and maybe, if he’s lucky, on your fabulous ti—”
“Teddy!” I squealed, whacking him with my pillow. He grabbed it from my hands and threw it to the floor.
“What?”
Resuming my prior horizontal position, I snuggled against Teddy’s chest and pressed a soft kiss right above his heart. “Thank you.”
Finn
“Bloody English,” I muttered under my breath as Teddy pushed his way inside and surveyed the room with tired, sad eyes. As his gaze turned to me, I saw that his ever-present, cheeky glimmer was present, but dulled.
“You look like shit, Captain Koala.”
“Wow, thanks, Theodore. Nice to see you too. Anything else before you fuck off?” Teddy didn’t bat an eyelash at my grouchiness. In truth, I think it bothered me more. I hated being like this with him. He was a friend I truly valued and would miss. But he was also a friend who had this incredible way of having me confess all manner of sins before I’d even realized what I’d said, especially when it came to his bestie. I’d also had three shots of tequila before he arrived, which meant I was super vulnerable to his powers of persuasion. I couldn’t afford for that to happen this time.
“So, the rumors are true. You’re really leaving?”
“Looks that way.”
He picked up a roll of tape and began twirling it on his finger. “What about Scar and work?”
“I tried to resign today, but Jason refused to accept it. He told me to think about it for a few days. I humored him, but my mind was already made up. I can’t be there anymore.”
“You omitted someone. Scarlett. What about her?”
I ignored him, snatched the tape from his hands, and kept packing. I was on the same box as I was when Scarlett was here. Her visit had resulted in quite a downturn in activity.
“Finn?”
“What about her?” I snapped, looking up from the bubble wrap to find an unfamiliar face. I’d never seen an angry Teddy, but I was seeing it now.
