We sat in the furthest corner of the room from mine and Zed’s table, at the diner’s small bar. It was a milkshake bar, not an alcohol bar, and it was usually packed from what I remembered. “I’m surprised you settled down,” Stewart remarked. “Given everything that happened with your dad, you were always talking about how bad relationships were and how much you distrusted people.”
My throat swelled.
I hated that I’d opened up to him so damn much.
“You didn’t exactly prove me wrong.”
The waitress stepped over, and flashed Stewart a smile. “What can I get you?”
“Two of my usuals,” he said, flashing her a grin right back.
He’d always ordered us both strawberry milkshakes, when we were friends. And dating. I didn’t like strawberry milkshakes, but I’d drank them because I thought it was sweet
“Chocolate for me, actually,” I corrected him, shooting her a small smile.
“Sure.” She nodded, turning around to start making them.
“You love strawberry,” he countered.
“You don’t know me at all,” I shot back.
He lifted an eyebrow. “I remember you telling me that you felt like you could say things to me that you couldn’t say to anyone else.”
My face flushed, and my anger flared a bit.
Anger… and embarrassment.
“That was a long time ago. And anyway, I remember you telling me you wanted to marry me before sneaking into the bathroom to fuck your coworker.”
His face reddened a bit too. “That meant nothing.”
I scoffed. “You cheated on me. Maybe it didn’t mean anything to you, but it sure as hell meant something to me. And we had already had sex earlier that day.”
“Yeah, but you were new,” he pointed out. “I had to be careful. It wasn’t… good.”
I stood up, my face bright red and my emotions a damned roller coaster. My voice raised with every word as I said, “You are an absolute bastard. You lied to me for months to get me to agree to sleep with you, and then had sex in the bathroom while I was in the same building because you didn’t think I was good in bed. Go to fucking hell, Stewart.”
Spinning around, I stalked back toward Zed. Rage burned in my chest.
I only made it three steps before Stewart’s hand wrapped around my bicep. He spun me back around, his grip so tight it hurt.
“You always were a bitch, June. This is my work place; you can’t just come in here and—”
“Get your fucking hand off her before I break it.” Zed’s voice was low, the man barely in control of the animal.