Page 27 of Due Dilligence (Takeover)
None of Todd’s reactions spoke of guilt—and for as long as they’d known each other, Todd had always owned up when he was at fault, without thought, without any anger. Todd loved being right, but he was also fine with being wrong.
Finally the waitress took them back to their table, and thank God it was near the end of a long row of windows that overlooked part of the market. He slid into the closest chair and Todd took the other. The waitress placed the menus and cheerfully mentioned the specials. Fazil didn’t comprehend one word because of the way Todd stared at him.
Oh yeah, Todd wasmad. Really fucking mad. Well,shit.
When their waitress left after a promise to bring them water, Todd took a breath. “You’re going to fucking listen to what I tell you. Actually listen. Because it’s the truth and I wouldn’t lie to you about this. Ineverlied to you about anything.”
“Okay.” Every inch of Fazil’s body stung.
“I never, ever cheated on you,” Todd said. “Not once.”
“But...” Todd lifted his chin and the words died in Fazil’s throat.
“Never.”
That couldn’t be true. He had a list! He’d heard the stories! “But I—”
“Not once,” Todd ground out. “You can’t say the same.”
Oh God. Todd knew about that? Fazil thumped back against his chair.
A nod and a grimly satisfied look. “Yeah, I saw you sucking Debbie’s tonsils down your throat behind the gym.”
Oh fuck.Yeah, he knew. He’d been mad at Todd at the time. Rumor had it he’d spent the weekend with Susan Finnegan and, well, Debbie had been on him for ages to go out, so why not? They’d kissed, and he’d gone back to her house and knocked one out of the park, so to speak. His first time with a girl.
She hadn’t been the only one, either, in retribution for the times Todd had cheated.
I never cheated on you.
Todd’s anger, hurt, and righteousness sucked the air from Fazil. “Not once?” He’d never felt so cold in a crowded restaurant.
Todd put his elbows on the table and dropped his head into his hands. “Oh God, Z. You believed them? You fucking believed all those stories?”
He had. Every last one. Fazil couldn’t breathe. The whole world shifted into some horrible reality where he was the villain.
The waitress dropped off their waters and paused, her cheeks growing pale. “I’ll, uh, give you two more time to look over the menu.”
They hadn’t even touched the menus. Fazil’s hand shook as he reached for his water. He drank a little to wash the bile back down his throat.
Todd hadn’t cheated. Ever. Fazil had, though. Several times. He couldn’t feel his heart—probably because he didn’t have one anymore.
“I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.” Todd looked like he might do either. “Fifteen years,” he muttered. “You fuckingasshole.”
Fazil stared down at his menu and flipped it open, tears in his eyes. Henevercried over Todd, not since he’d arrived at Stanford that August day so long ago. He’d been alone then, and he’d cried for everything Todd had put him through just to get it out of his system. Put it behind him.
It hadn’t been Todd who’d put him through all that pain. It had beenhim.Oh my God. “I can’t...” His voice caught and then a tear fell, and another. He wiped at his eyes when they kept falling. “I don’t think I’m hungry.” Yep. Asshole. Todd had gotten that right.
Silence from the other side of the table, then a sigh. “They make good burgers here.”
Fazil looked up. There was moisture in Todd’s eyes, too. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. You should try one.” The sweetness in Todd’s voice, that hint of forgiveness.
Shit.He wasn’t going to lose it anymore than he had, not here. Maybe when he was back in the hotel room. “Bacon cheeseburger, then.”
Last thing he wanted was forgiveness. He didn’t deserve that, not if what Todd said was true.
Todd took the menu from him. Fazil clung to his water glass and combed his brain to find any memory that pointed to Todd lying. His heart flayed itself in his chest and burned his lungs.
