“Ah!” He stops me. “You should thank me.”
“Bastard.”
“You two never listen to me. And you never trust anyone. You’re suspicious and always so stubborn in your ways, so convinced you’re right, that you know everything… You’re the same. You deserve each other. This is why it’s been my life’s goal to introduce the two of you.”
“Wait a minute. What did you just say?”
“That my goal was to…”
“No, before that. What did you say before that?”
Jake smiles, knowing he’s hit the target.
“Go to him.”
“What?”
“He’s at home with Mila right now.”
I hurry through my apartment in search of my car keys, grabbing my coat and heading to the door, followed by my friend.
I open it, and he studies me from the doorway. “You can thank me later.”
“Go fuck yourself,” I say, before flying down the stairs, into my car, and over to him.
* * *
IWAITEDFOR almost half an hour in the car. I didn’t want to ring the buzzer in case he didn’t let me into the building. I waited until I saw Mrs. Conrad head inside and offered to help with her shopping, before showing up at Sean’s door.
“I don’t want to talk to you,” he says from the doorway.
“Please, just give me two minutes.”
He glances behind him, where his sister is poking her head over his shoulder. “I don’t think so.”
“Please, just let me explain. What I said the other day, on the hill…”
“It’s not about what you said, Eric.”
I furrow my brow, confused.
“It’s how you made me feel.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I never want to feel like that again. You used me. You used me to make someone jealous, to stay in your family’s good books. You used me for… For sex.”
“No, that’s not true…”
“I don’t want to spend my days wondering whether you’re still pretending or whether you were being genuine.”
“You know I was being genuine.”
“When? When you said that…?” His voice drops. “That you wanted to fuck me?”
“Sean…”
“When you said you wanted me in your bed?”
