Never again.
I will never willingly give my heart to another man who is unable to hold it carefully in the palms of his hands.
You know that saying—when someone shows you who they are, believe them?
Yeah...I need to take that expression more seriously.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, and I deserve everything I get for being a naive dumbass. I’ll be damned if I allow Colton to ruin this night for me. He no longer has a place in my life. He made sure of that when he dumped my ass and walked away.
“You don’t get to tell me what to do,” I snap before turning my full attention to the guy behind the long stretch of counter. The hunky bartender’s gaze bounces cautiously between us. I grit my teeth, hoping my ex-boyfriend will slink off now that I’ve put him firmly in his place.
“Hey, Shane,” Colton says. “How’s the knee holding up?”
“It’s better. Went under the knife at the end of May and have been rehabbing it ever since.” He adds, “Pretty sure my football days are long gone.”
“That sucks, man. Sorry to hear it.”
I press my lips together until they feel bloodless as Colton continues to commiserate with the bartender. Even though I had zero interest in a hookup, I suspect my ex is attempting to cock block me. It’s almost enough to make me snort, except...he has no right to interfere in my life.
Hunky bartender shrugs. “It is what it is.”
“Truth,” Colton agrees.
This is the point where I wonder if there will be a moment of silence in memory of Shane’s knee.
Instead, the bartender slants a tentative look in my direction. “Is she with you?”
I open my mouth to tell him that I’m my own person and can answer that question for myself when Colton beats me to the punch.
“Yup.”
Is this guy being serious right now?
We aren’t together.
We will never be together again.
“Got it.” Hunky bartender doesn’t bother to spare me another glance. All flirty banter has now ceased. “One bottle of water coming right up.”
My mouth hangs open. Before I’m able to gather my wits, the drink is set in front of me, and then he’s moving on to greener pastures. Or, in his case, readily available one-night stands.
Anger bubbles up inside me like a geyser.
Who the hell does Colton think he is?
He can’t just saunter in here and attempt to jack up my night. He wasn’t even invited to the party! It’s a struggle to keep all of my riotous emotions in check. The last thing I want is to lose my shit and create yet another spectacle.
Been there, done that. Not interested in a repeat performance.
A week later and there are still a few apartment residents throwing cautious glances in my direction when our paths happen to cross in the lobby or elevator. I’ve been dubbed the psycho chick who should be avoided at all costs.
When I finally have a thin veneer of civility in place, I growl, “What are you doing here?”
Colton shifts his stance, angling closer. “I came to see you.”
“Why?” Did I not make myself perfectly clear the other day? We have nothing more to discuss.
“I hate what happened when we ran into each other. It shouldn’t be like that between us.”
A gurgle of disbelief bubbles up in my throat as my eyes widen. “Did you really think it would be any different?”
Guilt flickers across his expression before he plows his fingers through his blond hair. “I don’t know. Maybe I’d hoped that enough time had passed, and we could start over with being friends.”
You know what I think?
That he’s lost his damn mind. A year isn’t nearly enough time to dull the pain he carelessly inflicted. I had loved him with all my heart, and he’d stomped it to smithereens as if I hadn’t meant anything to him. The painful truth is that I probably hadn’t. Him settling down had been an experiment—an epic failure, at that.
Why bother pretending? So he can absolve himself of guilt?
No, thanks.
Hard pass.
“You and I will never be friends.” The air gets clogged in my throat, making it difficult to breathe. I take a hasty step away, needing distance. I’m not usually one to retreat from a skirmish, but in this instance, it’s all about self-preservation. I’m making a tactical decision. The sooner I get away from Colton, the better off I’ll be. The sight of him dredges up too many unwanted emotions.
Just as a breath of relief slips from my lips, Colton’s hand shoots out. His fingers wrap around my forearm, halting me in my tracks, making escape impossible. His touch sends a jolt of electricity sizzling through my veins.
There used to be a time when I melted beneath his calloused hands. All he had to do was flick those gorgeous blue eyes my way, and my insides turned to jelly. It takes every ounce of resolve to fight the unwelcome desire growing inside me and remain strong. Even though he’s sent me spiraling into chaos, I’ll be damned if I give him the satisfaction of seeing how easily he’s able to affect me.