He ran his fingers through his wavy locks and sighed, “I want us to forget what happened today. We both made mistakes and?—”
I straightened. “Please get out of my apartment,” I cut him off and pointed to the door.
He blinked in surprise.Actual surprise.“What?” Did he think he could walk into my apartment and convince me to pretend he hadn’t crossed a line?
“You want to know what I want?” I didn’t wait for him to respond. “I want a pony. That’s right, a motherfucking pony, a hundred grand in my savings account, maybe a nice chocolate molten lava cake, and definitely not to have just witnessed youdry humping Anne of Green Gables 2.0 less than three hours ago.”
Jason exhaled slowly, but I didn’t give him a chance to speak.
“But we don’t all get what we want, now do we?”
“Tara, it wasn’t like th?—”
My lips curled in disgust. “Then how the hell was it? Because from where I was standing, that was exactly what it was.”
He clenched his jaw. “I just?—”
“Just what, wanted to hurt me? Well, whoop-de-do. Congratulations.” I lifted my hands and mockingly clapped.
Jason inhaled sharply, his control fraying.“How about you let me get through a damn sentence before interrupting me again?” he growled.
I smirked. “Or what, you’ll punish me?”
His face fell. “No, I’m not going to do that. You have a right to be mad.”
I wanted to stay mad.
Ineededto stay mad.
But then his eyes flickered with something else—guilt. Regret.
He scanned my expression before continuing, “I was out of line earlier and shouldn’t have… dry humped Wendy.”
The ceiling fan squeaked above us as we waited in silence. My inner voice whispered for me to forgive him, but it also convinced me to take the job at Pink Cherrie in the first place. And look how that turned out.
Every part of me screamed to keep my walls up, to shove him out the door and never let him in again.
I exhaled slowly. “Okay,” I finally said.
His brows furrowed. “Okay?”
I nodded, but I refused to look at him. If I did, I’d fold. “I accept your apology.” My voice was detached. “As far as I’m concerned, your conscious is clear.”
His expression was torn. “Tara?—”
“I think it’s time you leave,” I blurted out before I lost the nerve.
Jason hesitated. Then, slowly, he nodded.
He turned toward the door, and I watched him walk away, watched another person leave my life without so much as a second thought.
But then… he stopped.
“I forgot something.”
“Wh—”
Jason turned suddenly, and before I could react, his lips crashed into mine.
