Page 65 of Loving the Liar

“Tell me it was you.”

I can feel my eyebrows lift so high I might have to catch them.

“Me?”

“In that room, after the initiations. It felt like the way you would…play. But I don’t know. He didn’t…” Her gaze darts to the side, and her cheeks blush as she hesitates to talk.

“He didn’t what?” I ask softly.

“Smell like you. Fuck, I’m stupid. My mind’s a mess after yesterday, and I don’t know what I’m saying anymore.”

My heart races, hope feeding my ever-growing infatuation.

“Are you upset because you wish I were the Shadow who kept you at the temple last night? Wondering if I’m mad about that since you know I told you not to let anyone else touch you?”

Her eyes narrow. “No,” she hisses. “You’re my ex, and I fucking hate you.”

She really has an inability to lie to me, and it’s kind of cute. It suits her.

Squaring her shoulders, she juts her chin. “Yesterday, and all it entails, is not going to hurt me because I decided so. Powerful men abusing women? Kinda used to that.”

“So what is it?”

Does she really think I’m going to let this go and not get to the bottom of why she was crying? I’ll dig to the center of the earth if I have to. Because what if someone hurt her?

“I got kicked off the cheer team. They elected a new captain and voted me out entirely.” She says it in a rush, like she wants to give me what I want and get it over with.

For a second. I have to pinch my lips not to smile. The woman was chased through a maze, but she decided that wouldn’t get to her. Cheerleading, however, is making her eyes shine with tears.

She went through a lot yesterday. And I have no doubt she’s currently projecting her anxiety onto something smaller than the reality of her situation. And even if she wasn’t, I don’t care. It’s important to her, so it’s important to me.

“I know what you’re thinking,” she grits out. “What’s cheerleading?”

“I’m not?—”

“Being captain of that team is the only thing I’ve ever achieved. It’s the only thing I worked hard for and that actually led me somewhere.” Her voice breaks when she adds, “And now it’s gone.”

I hate that she feels that way about herself. She’s so beautiful, smart, and talented. I would give anything for her to see herself the way I do. But she never listens when I try to change her mind about herself.

“What happened? Why did they vote you out?”

“Don’t you follow Hermes on the SFU app?” she sneers. “They posted about me again. Said I knew about my dad’s parties. Apparently, I’m not a good image for the team.”

Something twists in my stomach.

I do have that stupid, toxic account. How was I meant to keep an eye on her while I was away otherwise?

“Do you want me to talk to the new cheer captain? I’ll tell her she’s making a mistake. I can be very convincing.”

A short laugh bursts out of her. “Could you not act like a dad about to defend his kid from the high school bullies? It’s weird.”

“I act like a man who cares. I know you didn’t have a lot of that growing up, but it’s not as uncommon as you think. And you’re allowed to let it happen.”

Her eyes narrow, but she’s a queen who’s had to deal with people throwing jabs at her more often than not. “Find someone else to feed your pathological need to care.”

She must notice the way I lick my lips. I didn’t even realize I was doing it until her eyes dropped to my mouth.

“But, Sweets. My pathological need to care goes hand in hand with your daddy issues.”

---