Page 65 of Deadly Secrets

Every. Single. Time.

“I mean…if you want to apologize, I’m all ears.”

“And what exactly should I be apologizing for?” I knew what I did wasn’t right, but it wasn’t wrong either. Sienna and Noah weren’t exclusive, and although going for the girl my friend was interested in was a bit of a dick move, I really liked Sienna. And I met her first. But I never thought I’d see her again. Maybe if I could explain myself and he understood…

“OK. That was harsh. Listen, I won’t apologize for what happened in Rye.” The sound of the chair scraping against the floor made me jump. Noah was leaving the boat. “Hey, wait. Where are you going? I’m not done.”

“If you think I’m going to stay here to listen to you talk about what amazing sex you’re having with Sienna, you’re delusional,” he exclaimed.

“Noah. I’m not sleeping with Sienna.” Liar. “Wait, man. I haven’t finished my apology!” I shouted.

I’m not sure what made him stop. The fact that I said I wasn’t having sex with her or that I was going to apologize.

“If that was the start of an apology, it’s the worst one I’ve ever heard. You need to work on your skills, dude.” Shaking his head, he returned to the barstool and placed his left arm on the counter.

I ordered him another IPA before I resumed my apology.

“Look. Let me say what I want to say, and then you can shout at me as much as you like, but we need to move forward somehow, Noah. I hate that we’re not hanging out together and that you only talk to me when Ander is around.”

He stayed silent, so I proceeded with my case.

“You know how much I liked the girl I met in New York, even before finding out that the girl was Sienna. And when I saw her at The Cave…shit, Noah, I knew that I couldn’t throw away the chance to be with her again. I know that I’m selfish and an unreasonable bastard, but I’m obsessed with her. I can’t stop thinking about her. But you’re also my friend, and I don’t want to lose you. I know I was a dick in Rye, that I didn’t think of your feelings. Please tell me what to do, but don’t tell me to stop chasing her because I won’t promise you that. If she wants me, she can have me. All of me.” I’ve never been a man of grand speeches, so this was a first. Since the moment I saw Sienna on Noah’s birthday, I couldn’t stop it. The feelings, the need to make her mine.

“Shit, Zayn. I knew you liked Sienna, but I never thought you felt that way about her. You’ve always been a player, so I assumed you were just thriving on the challenge.”

Noah wasn’t wrong. I’d always been a player, and Zayn, the player, was who Sienna met in Manhattan. However, to my surprise, I really enjoyed her company that night, the conversation, the jokes, her laugh, and the sex. Fuck. She was addictive. I don’t know how many times I’d fucked my hand the past week just thinking about her tight pussy.

“I know, man. I don’t know. I can’t imagine how pissed you probably were when you found us in the kitchen.” I hope he didn’t see much because I would have seen red if it had been me. What a hypocrite…

Noah tittered and shook his head.

“Did I say something funny?” I was confused.

“If I tell you something, do you promise you won’t use it against me?” he asked, chuckling.

I nodded.

Noah took a sip from his beer and continued. “In fact, I wasn’t that pissed and that pissed me off.”

Did I say confused?

“You may think I only saw a bit of the performance, but the truth is that I was there from the very beginning.”

“WHAT?” I yelled. Almost everyone in the bar turned around to check where the shriek was coming from and why. I lowered my voice and asked him, “What do you mean you were there from the beginning?”

Noah sighed.

“I mean what I said. When I saw you two go at it…I just couldn’t stop watching. My feet were glued to the floor, and if I’m frank, my cock was hard. Really hard. Hard to the point that I considered putting my hand inside my pants and jerking off from the shadows like a fucking voyeur.”

I’d never seen Noah blush, but his pink cheeks gave him away. His beer was almost untouched.

“Let me get this straight. You’ve been mad at me this entire week when, in fact, seeing me and Sienna turned you on?”

“Yeah. Something like that. But I was pissed too. I’m still pissed. I also like Sienna a lot, and although I didn’t have a chance to talk to her about exclusivity, you went behind my back and fucked her when I was under the same roof. It’s not my fault that seeing you both turned me on. An unexpected side effect.”

I appreciated Noah’s honesty, but it was clear that we were unwilling to give up on Sienna.

“I guess we’ll wait and see what she decides. I propose a truce and a pact. Whoever she picks, the other one won’t get mad and blindside the chosen one. Deal?” I extended my hand.

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