Page 75 of Perfect (mis)Match

“It was like I kicked through a dam. She just…unleashedright in front of me. Fell down to her knees. I ran over to try to comfort her, to just hug her through the pain, you know? She pushed me away.” Paul looked haunted by the memory of it. “And once she caught her breath, she started talking. She said she wasn’thappy, and she hasn’t been for months. That she felt like I didn’t take her concerns about the run-up to the wedding seriously enough. That I never carried my weight when things got rough.”

“Paul, come on,” I cut in. “How much more could you do? You got us all assembled Avengers-style for her a few times. I don’t get it, what more does she need?”

“She said there were a bunch of times when she felt like she was drowning, and I wasn’t there for her. But I’m not a mind reader! She’d have a flare-up when things got dicey—totally understandable—then she’d go back to business as usual. But she wasn’t being honest with how tough everything was for her. How is that fair? I can only help if I know help is needed!”

He drained his glass and thumped it on the patio table next to him. I immediately leaned over to refill it.

“It’s not fair,” I agreed. “She should’ve shared how she was really feeling.”

“Thankyou,” he said angrily.

“But,” I continued, “are you really telling me she’s that good of an actress that you couldn’t tell things were off? I mean, there were signs, right? She was a pendulum swinging from stable to inconsolable every other day—maybe that’s something you both needed to talk through.”

I reflected on my own feelings about how things had been going with Piper. I’d suspected that she wasn’t being honest with me about how she was feeling, yet I’d done nothing about it. And like what happened between Paul and Chloe, everything had exploded.

He shot me an angry look. “Are you suggesting I was ignoring how she felt?”

I didn’t answer him, and he looked down to pick at his nails.

“Okay, fine,” he finally admitted, deflating. “Yeah, I noticed things were still weird between us, but I was trying to focus on the good. What’s wrong with that?”

“Absolutely nothing, but you still need to give your partner the opportunity to open up.”

He crossed his arms and glared at me.

“Why do I feel like you’re blaming me for what happened, Vincent?”

“That’s not what I’m saying,” I replied. “Honestly, I don’t think it’s anyone’s fault. It sounds to me like Chloe was holding back. It’s not right that she expected you to read her mind when she was struggling. On the other hand, maybe you could’ve pushed a little more when things felt off. It’s just…” I shrugged. “Complicated.”

Relationships, love…they had this way of tangling everything up, making even the simplest problems feel like unsolvable puzzles.

And for what?

I tried not to focus on how closely Paul’s scenario matched my own. But then again, he and Chloe were the real deal, despite their current status. That didn’t apply to Piper and me. Surely, no relationship that started with a car crash and went from there to fake dating could actually end in real, lasting love. The idea was absurd.

At least that’s what I kept telling myself. The pain in my chest suggested otherwise.

We drank in silence under a moon that kept disappearing and reappearing behind clouds for I don’t know how long. But it was all we needed in the moment. Quiet, supportive companionship. The other Lost Boys were with us in spirit.

“It’s late, brother,” I finally said. “You want to stay over?”

Paul drained his glass again. “Yeah, that would be great. I think Chlo and I both need some time apart to cool off and figure out what comes next.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “That sounds ominous. Do I need to find you an attorney?”

He shook his head. “Oh, no way. Not even close. I’m not giving up on her. Onus. This is a bump in the road—I just have to figure out how to get over it. We love each other, that much I know for sure.”

I finally admitted it to myself. I envied Paul. That he could go through hell with Chloe and still know, deep down, that they were there for one another. He’d found something rare and special. Something I doubted was a possibility for me.

On the surface it looked likeIhad everything, but I’d never been lucky enough to have a connection like he and Chloe shared. The belief that no matter how dire things felt around you, you’d make it through as a team.

The closest I’d ever come was with Piper, and now that was over. I saw a flash of her anguished face before she walked away from me a few hours earlier. I’d hurt her. Unintentionally, but the damage was done.

Paul stood up slowly. “I’m cooked, man. I need sleep.”

“Same,” I agreed. “You can take that room.”

I pointed down the patio to my best guest room, the one that also had giant windows and balcony access.

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