“I’m sure you made her feel very comfortable here, Max. So comfortable that she figured she’d throw on your AC/DC t-shirt.” The t-shirt I gave you for your birthday, you asshole!
“I’m sorry I didn’t make it tonight, but it’s not because I didn’t want to be there with you,” he murmurs, reaching out to me. “I just had to take care of something. I didn’t have a choice.”
I recoil, my eyes flickering in Layla’s direction. She fires a glare at me and then at Max, arms folded over her chest, making her boobs inch closer to her chin. “Yeah, you did, Max. And you made it. Now I’m making a choice to never bother with you again.” I let out a shaky breath. “I thought we were friends. But you don’t know the first thing about being a friend. You only know how to hurt feelings and take advantage of people, namely me. I’m tired of it, tired of making myself available to you whenever you want to kill time until some better offer comes along.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he mutters.
“Maybe that’s because you never tell me anything! You’ve never been honest with me. What kind of fucked-up friendship is that?” I clench my fists and slam them against my legs. “Is it because I’m not part of that top secret ‘life’ of yours? Is that why I don’t rate? Is it the reason why I’m only good enough to be a video game partner but not your girlfriend?”
Oh, shit. That wasn’t supposed to slip out…
I press my hands to my temples, a hot flush creeping up my neck. This can’t possibly get any worse, right?
“I don’t deserve to have you in my life.” Max’s expression darkens. “You can’t count on me, Sloane. You never could.”
“At least we agree on that.” My stomach rolls, and if I stand here for another second, I think I might just spew tiramisu all over the front door. I spin on my heel, gripping the railing on the side of the stairs, desperate to get the hell away from here…from him…from them.
“I never meant to hurt you.” His voice. Dammit, as cold as it is outside, that low, gravelly rumbling sound never fails to quake my insides and melt them just as quickly.
I turn back around one last time. “You’re a fucking asshole, Max. And, just so we’re clear, I meant for that to hurt you.”