Page 56 of Mine for a Moment

She hesitates, but I walk away before she can stop me, the doorfalling closed as I do. I know I shouldn’t have left her, but fuck, I can’t leave Serenity alone either, not like this, not when I know she’s hurting too.

I find my girlfriend standing in the kitchen, staring blankly ahead as she tries to breathe evenly, clearly on the verge of tears. “Serenity.”

She looks up, her eyes widening when she sees me. “Archer,” she says, straightening. “Is everything okay?”

I stop in front of her and reach for her, my heart breaking when she flinches and moves away just a touch. “I was just about to ask you the same thing.”

“Of course,” she murmurs, looking away. “I’m just…I’m just relieved that Tyra seems okay, and that she’s home safe and sound. I can’t imagine how happy you are to have her back.”

“Darling,” I murmur.

Her eyes snap up, her pain shining through. “Look, I understand this changes everything. We don’t need to talk about it, Archer.”

I reach for her and cup her face, my thumb brushing over her lips. “It changesnothing,” I tell her, my voice rough.

She places her hand over mine and draws a shaky breath, her eyes overflowing with heartache. “How could it not? We got her back when we didn’t think we ever would. Besides, you were only with me to get over her, and now you don’t need to anymore. This is everything you wanted, Archer. I won’t stand in the way of that. I’d never do that to you, or to her. Besides, she needs you. Didn’t you hear her? Her biggest fear was coming home to find you no longer wanted her. We can’t do that to her.I can’t.”

I sigh and let my hand fall away. “No, Serenity. I didn’t know what I needed until I kissed you, until I woke up with you in my arms for the very first time, your wild, unruly hair fucking everywhere.” I tuck one of her curls behind her ear, and her eyes flutter closed briefly,hiding the hint of hope I could’ve sworn I saw. “It took me a while to acknowledge it, but it was guilt that kept me from moving on, not love. I’m happy to have her back, but this changes nothing between us, Serenity. You’re still the only one I want.”

“You say that,” she whispers. “But we both know you’re about to walk back into that room, and the woman you’ll hold in your arms tonight won’t be me.”

Forty-Six

Serenity

“You can finish that tomorrow, Ser. You’ve been working late four days in a row now.”

I look up at Theo, a dull ache keeping me from smiling when all I want to do is put up a front and pretend I’m not breaking. “I know. I just need to write a report on the changes I’ve made to our design, and then I’ll go home.”

He leans against my desk, his eyes roaming over my face. “What’s wrong?”

My lips part, but I can’t find the right words to describe what the last few days have been like. Watching Archer cater to Tyra has slowly broken my heart, each kind action toward her creating another chasm, each smile wounding me further. I’m trying my best not to be jealous, to be understanding of her circumstances and needs, but I can’t help it. Each time she reaches for him, her arms wrapping around his waist, I fight the urge to stake my claim, to pull him away and tell him to look only at me. Every night, I lie in his bed, knowing he’s lying nextto her in my makeshift art studio. It’s tearing me apart, and there isn’t a single thing I can do about it.

“I’m fine,” I tell him, unable to meet his eyes. Work seems to be the only part of my life that hasn’t changed, and I’ve thrown myself into it. I’m craving some normalcy, and the office is the only place I can find it—and only because Archer hasn’t been coming in for more than an hour or so a day. He’s barely left Tyra’s side, and I’ve done my best not to think about it too much.

Theo places his finger underneath my chin and tips my face up, forcing me to look at him. “You’re not fine,” he says, a deep ache shining in his eyes. “Not even remotely.”

I watch as he reaches for my mouse and turns my computer off, before grabbing my purse.

“Come on,” he tells me. “Let’s go for a walk and get some ice cream. There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you anyway.”

He offers me his hand, and I stare at it for a moment before placing my palm in his. Theo grins at me and pulls me out of my chair, his arm wrapping around my shoulders as we walk to the exit.

“Serenity?”

My entire body tenses when we find Archer and Ezra standing in front of the elevators, my heart overflowing with longing at the sight of Archer dressed in my favorite navy three-piece suit. His expression hardens when Theo pulls me closer, pure possessiveness flickering through his eyes. My stomach tightens when his jaw locks, something passing between us. This is what I miss most—the intimacy, that look in his eyes reminding me that I’mhis.

“Where are you guys headed?” Ezra asks, his expression one I’m not familiar with. Intrigue, perhaps?

Theo turns his head to look at me, and all of a sudden, I realize how close his face is to mine. It’s something I’d gotten used to beforehe started dating Kristen, but for months now, we’ve kept our distance. “Taking Ser out for ice cream,” he says, grinning at me. “One way or another, I’m going to put a real smile on her face today because I have yet to see one.” He turns back to look at Ezra. “Don’t expect her home until I’ve accomplished my mission.”

Archer tenses and begins to tap his foot the moment we enter the elevator, but he doesn’t look at me. Instead, he just stares at the floor, his expression unreadable. There are no silent pleas not to go, no attempts to keep me from Theo.

Ezra glances at Archer and throws me a sweet smile. “All right. Have fun, then,” he says as the doors open.

I take one final look at Archer, unsure what exactly I’m looking for, and then I follow Theo out, my heart uneasy. He told me nothing would change between us, but everything has. How could it not?

“So what has it been like, living with Archer?” I look up in surprise, and Theo smiles ruefully. “Ezra told me. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me. It hurts how much we’ve grown apart in a matter of months, Ser.”

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