Page 40 of Exposed

Rob laughed again. “So accurate. Does that mean she’s not coming to the game today then?”

“No.” I shoved my hands into my pockets. “I doubt she’s speaking to me at all.”

“The Stockholm syndrome thing isn’t that off base,” James said. “She was locked up with that guy.”

Penny shook her head. “That guywas her husband, James. That’s like saying we’re only together because you were my authority figure and took advantage of me. Come on.”

“I mean…he kind of did,” Rob said.

“Stop it, Rob.” She turned back to me. “And I get that you’re hurting, Matt, but really? Brooklyn thought you moved on, so she moved on. It happened. No one can change it. And telling her that her love wasn’t real isn’t going to fix anything. It’s just going to make her loss feel worse. She’s hurting. She…”

“You think I don’t know that? It kills me that she’s hurting. But it kills me that she’s thinking about another guy when I try to console her. She doesn’t want me anymore. She wants him.”

“That’s not it exactly,” Tanner said. “It’s more that she feels guilty for wanting you to be her shoulder to cry on. She feels like she’s betraying Miller. More so because her feelings for you are so strong.”

I hated that she was talking to Tanner instead of me.

“There was one more thing she said…right?” He just kept staring at me when I didn’t fill in the blank for everything. “She still loves you, Matt. And you still love her. So what are you doing yelling at us?Go to her.”

Rob laughed at the way he said ‘go to her.’

“I think she needs some time to cool down,” I said.

“That’s the problem with time,” Tanner said. “For most people there’s never enough of it. And for some there’s too much.”

What the hell did he mean by that?

Tanner sighed, grabbed the remote, and turned on the football game even though I knew he wasn’t really going to watch it. But it meant that he was done with this conversation.

Tyler cleared his throat. “So…um…who’s Brooklyn?”

James looked over at me, like he was wondering if I’d tell the story.

“Come on,” Penny said and grabbed my arm. “Sit down and relax for a bit. Tell us more stories. And maybe we can all strategize on how you can win her back.”

“I thought we agreed that you’re a terrible matchmaker. And aren’t you mad at me? You just stern talked me in your mom voice.”

“Only because you yelled at James. This is a messy situation, but I really think we can figure out a way to fix it.”

I nodded. I needed all the help I could get. My stomach was twisted up in knots. My chest hurt as much as it did those first few months after Brooklyn’s death. I felt physically sick. I wanted Brooklyn back. And that meant I needed to come to terms with what she’d done in her absence. What I’d done. How much we’d both messed up. Especially since Brooklyn wasn’t willing to admit that what she’d done was a mistake. I think that’s what hurt the most.

Chapter 16

Sunday

Brooklyn

I remembered fake smiling back in California. I remembered truly believing that happiness was just a bonus in life. Not a necessity.

I never wanted to fake smile again.

And being back in New York City was nothing like the beach in California. But this house did feel like it was taking away some of my pain. Like maybe my time here would give me clarity like my time in California did. I let my feelings for Matt fade there. And my feelings for Miller grow.

I didn’t want Miller to fade away. I wouldn’t let him. I wanted to remember our time forever. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t let my feelings for Matt grow.

I looked down at my phone. I wanted to text him. I wanted to tell him I was sorry for mentioning how much I loved Miller a thousand times.

But Matt had said some terrible things too.

---