Abigail reappeared, sitting next to Gray, tea in her hand. He glanced at Abigail before going back to his video game. Theo stared daggers at us.
“I knew we couldn’t be together,” Theo said.
Abigail looked up from her tea, surprise written across her features.
“A guy like me, with someone like you, Abigail? I was your dog. I was only good enough to sleep at the foot of your bed.”
“Yup,” Gray said, without taking his eyes off his video game.
I swallowed against the pain of another scratch on my heart.
“Theo—”
“You weren’t just my best friend, Abs,” Theo said, cutting her off. “You were the best thing that ever happened to me. I couldn’t lose you… but if I loved you, I would. Every day with you I got closer to telling you the truth and ruining everything. When you kissed me?”
My heart was pounding and pounding. Whatever was going on between them, it obviously wasn’t meant for us, but I couldn’t stop listening. It felt like I was supposed to hear it. Nothing had ever been more relevant.
Was that what Grayson Crowne had become? My friend? After years of loneliness, of hiding, I had someone to talk to, a confidant. Someone to share my soul with. Even when he ignored me, I felt like he was watching me, seeing me, the real me.
I felt sick.
No.
I barely glanced at him, but his steely blue eyes were already on mine. I didn’t hear what Theo said next, because I was lost in Grayson. Then he looked away, back to his video game.
I don’t know how many minutes passed in silence, but I watched him play a few games. When Gemma came into our part of the plane, heading toward the cockpit, the silence shattered like glass.
“Why is Story with you?” Abigail suddenly snapped.
“Who?” Gray asked, and my chest hurt, even if he was pretending.
“My servant.”
Gray barely glanced at me, but Abigail stared at me. I wasn’t used to having the attention of all the Crownes.
“You took her from me. She doesn’t belong to you.”
Gray shrugged, eyes back on his video game. “Tell me her favorite food, and you can have her back.”
My heart leaped but I forced myself to stare at my hands. Did he really remember it was Italian?
How are you going to convince her you love her when you don’t even care enough to learn her favorite food?
Abigail sputtered. “Are you kidding? Can you name any of your servants’ favorite food?”
Gray shook his head, a smile twitching his lips.
“This is so. Fucking. Ridiculous,” Abigail practically screamed. She stood up, but her eyes were on Gemma, and it felt like that was where her anger was really directed.
Don’t ask. Don’t ask. Don’t ask.
Gray didn’t remember anything about me. He didn’t care about me, and thinking any other way was foolish.
“What’s my favorite food?” I asked.
Gray rolled his eyes. “Who cares?”
Something inside me dropped and shattered, cutting the soles of my feet. At the cockpit, Gemma and Abigail were fighting, Theo was trying to break it apart.