Page 206 of Challenge Me

“Swoon,” Tilian said, feigning a dramatic fall with his hand on his forehead. Brooks caught him with a laugh, as if a blast from my past hadn’t come in to maybe admit to having a crush on me before he stole my fiancé’s car and swiped a loaded gun from under my nose.

Happy engagement day to me, I guess.

Chapter 58

Remi

Yet still among the ruins, a pulse continues its beat;

No hope, no faith, just a stubborn ember.

Its light leads me home from every defeat,

A promise that the dark can’t quite remember.

Tommy: Nothing yet.

Me: Bro, I thought you were a professional.

Self-proclaimed professional.

Tommy: Things take time.

Me: Three days is time.

Tommy: Not enough.

Me: It was enough for the son of god. Allegedly.

You’re fired.

Tommy: You the one paying me? Didn’t think so.

And I was back to hating him.

I glanced over at Mal and Avery, who were in their usual seats at Fenway Park. The former hadn’t spoken to me once. When I woke up at Amir’s house my first day back, they were all there, and Avery had been more welcoming than I deserved after I’d disrupted their family so much. Mal, on the other hand, was cold.

“Are you almost done with it?” I asked as she wrote in her notebook.

Ignored.

With a sigh, I kicked my feet up on the back of the empty seat ahead of me. “So, we’re back to this. Can’t say I’m surprised. I did you dirty. Not just once. Twice.” Tipping my head back, I let out another, bigger sigh. “I know it doesn’t help, but I thought about you every day.”

Her pen paused on the paper, only for a fraction of a second. Looking past her, I saw Avery watching us. She lifted her brows, but the smile on her face pointed to it being playful, maybe even encouraging.

“I bet I can write a better book than you.”

This time, I didn’t get any response.

Tapping my fingers thoughtfully, I watched the action on the field. Amir wasn’t out there, so I didn’t care one bit.

“I’m sorry, Mal. Truly. It’s unforgivable, and I think you should hold it over my head until the end of time. Every night, I’ll make an offering to my gods and ask them to give me courage so I don’t ever hurt you again.”

She grunted, which made me look at her. Even though she was no longer writing, she didn’t turn to me.

“It must be impossible to trust me,” I went on, trying to stay casual. I could tell Avery was locked on to the encounter, but she didn’t make it obvious. “You don’t have to talk to me. But I’m here again if you want me to be.”

Suddenly, she held the notebook out to me with the pen resting on a blank page. “Show me.”