Page 106 of Always You

He huffs. “You got that right.”

“Fuck you!”

“No, fuck you! You don’t want to own up to what you feel for her? Fine! Whatever rocks your boat, buddy. But you didn’t have to hurt her like that. Before all this bullshit, you once told me that she was your friend. That your friendship with her was the most important thing in your life.”

“It is!” I yell, ready to punch in his fucking face. Our friendship is the most important thing I have, and I still managed to fuck it up.

“Then fucking be her friend! Don’t treat her like a groupie! She deserves more than that.”

I shake my head, whispering, “She deserves the world.” I lift my misted gaze up at Jason. “But I can’t give her that.”

“Why not?” Jensen throws me a bored expression, running a hand through his wet hair.

Because girls like her don’t end up with guys like me?

“She lives in North Carolina, and now I live here. She wants a family with a white picket fence and a dog. Look at me.” I spread my arms. “That’s not me. I can’t give her what she wants. I need to let her go. It’s not fair to her.”

“That’s fucking bullshit,” Jason mumbles, and I close my eyes, ignoring him.

“So pursuing”—Jensen waves his hand in front of my face—“whatever it is that is going on between you two isn’t an option.”

“No.”

“Okay…” Jensen drawls. “So if you can’t give her what she wants, how about you just give her what sheneedsinstead?”

A deep frown creases on my forehead, painfully straining the muscles. “What do you mean?”

Jensen shrugs. “I don’t know her, but by the looks of it, J-man here is on your girl’s team more than yours.”No shit. “So clearly, you did fuck up bad…”

“Are you going to keep pointing out the obvious, Dumbledore?” I already have a fucking headache the equivalent of hitting a brick wall. I don’t need these two to get all cryptic about shit I already know.

“Just be her fucking friend, Hunt,” Jason chimes in, rolling his eyes. “It shouldn’t be so fucking hard, since that’s what you’ve been doing for a year.”

“She’s not gonna talk to me, J!” It’s easier for him to say. I called her ten times today, yet he’s the one telling me she got home safe. She doesn’t really want to talk to me.

“Not today, no,asshole.” Jensen snickers, then splashes more water in my face. “But you didn’t get your ass in a LA mansion pool because you’re quitter, right?”

My eyes narrow, colliding with the daring expression in his.

“Win her back,” he dares.

“How?”

A playboy smirk forms on his lips. “One day at a time.”

HUNTER: I fucked up.

HUNTER: I’m sorry.

HUNTER: Can you forgive me?

HUNTER: I’m an asshole.

***

HUNTER: Please talk to me.

HUNTER: I’m sorry, Charls.

---