Page 73 of One Night Only
“Can you stop being you for one moment, please?” I ask as I try to think about how to save this. “This is your fault.”
“My fault?”
“Yes,” I snap. If he hadn’t been here, this wouldn’t have happened.
The humor vanishes from his face. “You’re going to have to help me out here, Sarah. Because I gotta say, whatever grudge you suddenly have against me is pretty confusing.”
“I don’t have a grudge.”
“No? Then what’s the attitude? You made it perfectly clear you didn’t want anything more from me. You’re the one who called the shots.”
“And you’re the one who disappeared.”
I clamp my mouth shut as soon as I say it. Shit.
Declan doesn’t answer right away, his eyes flitting over my face like he’s looking for a hidden message. “You mean at the wedding?”
“No. Forget about it.”
“I always planned to leave after the toasts. Annie and Paul knew that.”
“Yeah, well you didn’t tell me.”
“Is that what this is about? You’re mad because I didn’t say goodbye?”
“I’m not mad,” I say, hopping off the stool. “I’m leaving.”
“I thought that was what you wanted.”
“And you thought right!”
He watches as I fumble for my wallet. “It’s on the house.”
“I’m paying for the beer.”
“I don’t want your money.”
“I don’t care!” I toss the bills over the bar and storm off. Of course, the way it flutters doesn’t exactly have my desired effect, but I think the point is well made.
“Bye, Sarah,” he calls loudly, causing several heads to turn.
Asshole.
I find Matthias standing on the curb outside, typing into his phone.
I hurry over to him, trying to decide whether it’s better to pretend like I don’t know why he’s leaving or go for the groveling approach. One look at the stiffness of his shoulders tells me the latter would be best.
“I’m so sorry,” I begin.
“You stole my line.” He holds up his phone. “It’s my sister. She’s locked out.”
“I can come with? We could try somewhere closer to you. Start over.”
“It’s too far,” he says, not looking at me. “It’s better if I just go.”
I nod, trying to smile. “I’m sorry,” I say again. “I have some history with that guy and I didn’t expect to see him there. It threw me.”
“I get it. It’s not a problem.”
