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“I can’t stay.” My gaze slides to Ava, her spine straight as she sits stiffly in the seat pretending I’m not here.
“He’s busy working on a new business deal, aren’t you?” she says, keeping her back to me.
William seems to register the sudden plummet of temperature in the room, and he looks back and forth between the two of us.
“Look, I know you two kissed and whatever.”
“Gramps,” Ava gasps.
“I was young once, love, I know how it is.”
“Oh my god,” she mutters.
“But whatever happened, you’re both here now. And you’ve come to see me, not each other. So leave whatever this fall out is between you outside, you hear me? You can go back to ignoring each other after.”
“Yes, Sir,” I answer immediately.
Ava’s eyes dart to my face, then she exhales, shaking her head in defeat. “Fine,” she mutters, sounding anything but pleased.
“Sit down,” William says to me. “Get that other chair.” He points to one across the room.
I stay rooted to the spot until he jabs a finger toward it again. Then I slowly walk over and curl my hand around the back of it, twisting it to face the bed beforeI sit, conscious of giving her as much distance as I can. It fucking wrecks me that she can barely stomach to be in the same room as me.
“Jet’s been here since I was brought in,” William says to Ava. Her eyes widen as she glances at me with a look of surprise. “And he’s just got back after I kicked him out to take a rest. I’d like him to stay. At least until I beat him at cards. You know he’s won five days straight?”
“Five days?” she croaks.
“Nearly had you on day three, though.” William chuckles at me and I tip my chin in agreement.
“You did.”
“You two have been meeting up for five days?”
“Jet brought your suitcase back from Magnus’s house for you. Couldn’t let him leave without beating him at a game first. We’ve had to have some re-matches, but I’ll get there. Don’t get complacent.” He winks at me.
“Never.” I nod.
“Were you the one who found him?”
It’s the first time she’s spoken to me in over a month with something other than contempt in her tone. And I want to fucking cling to it like a life buoy. Ask her to repeat it, just so I can record it and play it on a loop, hoping it’ll allow me to get to sleep at night. Because the nights are the worst. When I’m alone with my thoughts. My regrets.
“I was.”
An unreadable emotion passes across her face.
“Thank you,” she whispers, then she turns back to William and starts talking quietly, acting like I’m not here again.
I wish I wasn’t. I wish I hadn’t seen the hate in her eyes the moment she saw me. Because all I want to remember is the way she looked at me that night in Thailand. When I promised her she was safe and would never be alone again. When she still trusted me.
I pull my phone from my pocket, seeing a missed call from Hayden.
“I really should go.”
I stand at the exact moment the door opens and Zena walks through it carrying a cardboard tray with three cups inside.
“Jet.” She smiles as she sees me. “I didn’t know you were here. I’d have brought another coffee.”
“He’s leaving,” Ava says, her back still to me.
