Page 18 of Not So Happily Ever After (British Bad Boys)
“You must admit, when it comes to girls, you’ve the attention span of a gnat.”
I don’t want to talk about other girls with her. Which doesn’t make any sense, seeing as it’s solid proof we’re back to how things used to be between us.
Except things will never be the same, the way they were before that night we slept together. And although I’ll never cross that line again, there’s a crazy part of me that doesn’t want her thinking I have the emotional depth of agnat.
Not sure why that stings so much.
“That’s harsh.” I’m not even joking.
“Hey, it’s not my fault if the truth hurts.” She smiles, obviously waiting for my smart retort, but for once I have nothing. Because I have the insane compulsion to tell her she’s wrong.
You’re not seriously going to tell her about Jenna?No one outside Uni knew about us. Not even Lucas.
Don’t even think about it.
Too late.
“Truthis, I dated the same girl for over six months, my last year at Uni.”
Shock flashes over her face. It’s almost funny. “You’re kidding.” Then she sucks in a sharp breath. “You’re not, are you?”
I shrug to let her know it’s no big deal. “You just told me I had hidden depths.”
“Yes, but I had no idea aboutthis. It’s like…why didn’t we ever meet her?”
“It was just a Uni thing.” We hung out together all the time. She loved doing crazy, fun things, and I assumed we’d always be together.
Never assume anything.
“Oh.” She’s obviously still processing my confession, and I take a long swallow of my beer. Why did I think this was a good idea? I should’ve kept my mouth shut. “You both decided to, um, end things?”
“Something like that.” It was nothing like that. When my dad had his heart attack the week I left Uni, and I needed her support the most, she told me she wasn’t ready forthatkind of commitment.
It was more than a punch in the gut. She damn near broke me.
It was only Mac’s friendship that helped me get through that time. She didn’t know about Jenna, but she understood how shitty it was to lose my dad. I didn’t need to explain anything. She’d already been through it all with her mum.
“Is she the reason why you don’t get serious with girls?”
I should’ve guessed Mac would jump to that conclusion.Doesn’t mean she’s wrong, does it?There’s no reason not to tell her the truth. “Yeah. You could say that.”
There’s a strange, watchful expression on her face, and I’ve had enough of raking up the past.
Ask her a safe, friend-zone question.“How’s your day been?”
I sure won’t win any prizes for originality.
“Oh.” She avoids my gaze and shifts against the bar, as though my question made her uncomfortable. Or maybe it was my subtle-as-a-brick shift in conversation. “It was good. You know Brooklyn’s mum is manager at Hartley Court, the care home?”
It rings a vague bell in the back of my mind. “Yes.” I’m not sure where she’s going with this, but it’s not what I expected.
“I was visiting some of the residents this afternoon.”
Definitely didn’t see this one coming. “What, like visiting the ones who don’t have any family?”
She frowns. “It’s not really like that. Brook and I started when we were fifteen, as part of a charity project we were doing at school, but we kept going afterward because, well, it was fun.”
She’s been doing this for more than six years? “Why didn’t you tell me before?”
