“Oh.” She blinks a few times. A moment of silence hangs between us before she tilts her head slightly, her brows furrowing. “I thought you said you didn’t date anyone.”
Fuck. I hate talking about this. “I didn’t.”
She sucks in a breath, nodding. “Right.” She shakes her head and laughs, but it sounds off. Taking another sip, she gulps down the alcohol before passing me the bottle. “Your turn,” she says.
I take a swig and look at her, my eyes tracing her features. “Truth or dare?”
She chuckles and brings her legs up, resting her chin on her knees. “You don’t even need to ask.”
My head tilts as my lips lift into a smile. “I dare you to let me drive the rest of the way.”
Her brows furrow in confusion. “That isn’t a punishment.”
“I never said it was.”
She sighs, tilting her head back against the headrest. “You’re too good for this world,” she murmurs, almost to herself. Her head turns slightly, blue eyes landing on me. “Too good for me.”
“Why do you say that?”
She shrugs, grabbing the bottle from me before taking another gulp. My jaw tightens, and I almost reach out to stop her. I don’t want her to get too drunk. “I don’t know,” she says, licking the alcohol from her lips. “You’re so kind, and loving, and…” Her eyes flick to me. “The best person to have around. And I’m—”
“You’re what?” I interrupt.
“I’m a mess,” she whispers, her bottom lip trembling.
“What?” My heart pounds in my chest. “Why the fuck would you say that, Gabi?”
“Because it’s true,” she says with a shrug, taking another sip. “My father hates me, I pushed you away. I deserve to be alone.”
“No.” I grasp her face in my hands, turning it to look directly into her eyes. “You hear me? No. It’s not your fault that your piece of shit father can’t see how amazing you are. That’s on him, not you.” My thumb brushes over her pulse point below her ear. “And you did not push me away,” I repeat, because it breaks my heart that she still believes that. “I wanted to stay foryou.”
“Then why did you leave?” she asks, her voice rising. “Why did you leave that night?”
I drop my hand away from her face, closing my eyes briefly. “Gabi—”
“Tell me,” she insists. I run my hand through my hair, gripping the strands tightly in frustration. “You never used to hide anything from me.”
“And neither did you,” I say, snapping my eyes open.
She furrows her brows. “What are you talking about?”
“What the hell did you talk to Aiden about that you couldn’t tell me?” I ask with a bite in my voice, my heart racing. Fuck. The alcohol was not a good idea.
“You really want to know?” she asks, leaning forward.
I let out a bitter laugh. “Gabi, I want to knoweverythingabout you. I want to know why you felt like you couldn’t talk to me.”
“I talked aboutyou.”
I blink in surprise. “What?”
Gabi’s eyes lock with mine, and she shakes her head slightly. “I told him all about you. All our stories. How my life starts and ends with you.” Her eyes flick away from mine. “I told him you were always there for me, even if you had every reason not to be,and how…” She squeezes her eyes closed, shaking her head. “I missed you like crazy, Chris, and I just needed to talk.”
“You could have talked to me,” I say, my expression twisted with confusion.
She shakes her head, eyes dropping to the floor. “You had a whole life away from me. I didn’t want you to get caught up in my mess.”
“Stop it.” I lift her chin with my hand, clutching her face. “Stop saying you’re a mess and acting like you’re a burden in my life.”
