“I can’t go against the boss’s orders, Princess. No matter how much I might want to.”
“I get that, Theo. But—"
“If I’d told her, she’d have left.”
“Goddamn, you’ve got it bad, huh?”
I shrug, downing my coffee.
“You’re aware that no matter how much she might have fallen for you, she’d still have left when she discovered you’d lied to her the whole time?”
“Figured it was worth the risk. I don’t deserve her, anyway.”
“Something we might just agree on,” she deadpans.
“Liar. You’ve wanted us together from the beginning.”
“Nah, I just knew how badly you needed to get laid.”
“Fucking hell, Princess,” I mutter, although I can’t deny that her words aren’t true.
“Facts,” she states. “Problem is, from the state of you when you came to earlier, moaning her name with one serious tent in your boxers, I’d say you need her even more after all this.”
“Ain’t that the fucking truth. I’m addicted.”
“Then you’re going to need to come up with a fucking kickass way to get her back. And,” she adds before I get a word in, “it’s going to take a lot of grovelling.”
“Great. I can’t wait.”
“I’m sure you’ll love every second of being on your knees for her.” She winks.
“Now that’s something I can get on board with. I’m fucking starving.”
Shaking her head, she pushes from the coffee table.
“She’ll have to come back at some point. And when she does, I can assure you she won’t want you if you’re still moping and stinking from a two-day bender.”
She walks around the sofa, toward the front door.
“If you hear from her, you’ll tell me, right?”
She pauses and sucks in a breath.
“I’m sorry, Theo. My loyalties will always be with Emmie first. If she doesn’t want me to tell you anything, then I won’t.”
“Fair enough. She’s lucky to have you, Stel. I’m pretty sure she’s never had any real friends before. Look after her.”
“You got it. Go shower. And maybe pull that Vaseline back out… something tells me it’ll be a while before you see any action if you’re serious about her.”
“I am,” I say, but it’s drowned out by the slam of my front door.