Page 105 of Unraveled

I quickly put the ring away. Since I’d shown it to Izzy, I’d pulled it out a few times on my own, and I knew the effects if I kept it out too long.

I felt my sodding mobile go off again, pulling it out only in exasperation.What could she bloody want now?

“I don’t really know how to be any clearer with you.” I barely kept from barking at her.

Silence.

Bugger. Now, I’d gone and hurt her feelings on top of everything else.

“You answered.” Enzo’s voice on the other end was shocked but not as jarred as I was to hear it.

“Not on purpose,” I growled once my brain realized I had to respond. “Don’t worry. I won’t make the mistake again.”

“Wait!”

I paused, my thumb only hovering over the end button. Why, I wasn’t sure. Perhaps I was a glutton for torture. “Why, Enzo?” I grated. “What could you possibly have to say that I might actually give a rat’s ass about hearing?”

“I… Probably nothing, but shit, I’m sorry, mate. I messed up. I know it, but I still don’t want to lose you as a friend.”

“You should’ve lost hope of that when you decided to crawl intomybed withmygirl! You should’ve manned up and pulled away thesecondyou realized you had feelings for her!”

“You’re right. I know what I should have done.” Enzo’s voice was calm, pleading, even as mine was fueled with rage. But he just took the punches and kept his calm. “I should’ve let you two figure things out. I should have waited until things were over and done between you and told you what was going on before I let anything happen. But I didn’t. I betrayed your trust and ruined our friendship.”

“If you know this, then why are you calling?” I said through gritted teeth. My free hand clenched into a fist in the sand. What I’d give to have that bloody bottle back once this was through…

“Because I can’t give up trying to salvage it without knowing I gave it my best shot. Just tell me there’s something,anything, I can do.”

“You could try going to hell.”

A few seconds of silence passed.

“I’m sorry. I never wanted to hurt you. Neither of us did. We really–”

“You know what? Just piss off, Enzo.” I hung up and slammed my mobile down into the sand. “Like bloody hell you never wanted to hurt me.” My hands tore through my hair as that fateful night came flooding back.

“Enzo!” Anna cried out as she began to shudder through her release.

When Enzo grunted her name in return, my stunned mind suddenly shocked back to life. I slammed the tulips I’d just purchased against the wall as I raged toward them, bellowing in anger and hurt so deep it felt like a knife had just been plunged into my chest.

They sprang apart on the bed, shock and horror on their faces when they realized they weren’t alone. Enzo scrambled from the bed, grabbing the blanket and hastily wrapping it around his waist as he backed to the chest ofdrawers. Anna raised the bed sheet over her bare, gorgeous body in what I hoped was shame.

“What do you think you’re doing?” I roared as I reached my now ex-best friend. I kept my hands clenched in fists at my sides to keep from wrapping them around Enzo’s neck.

“I– I’m sorry, mate,” he stammered, his back pressing flush against the chest of drawers as I faced him, toe to toe, in utter rage.

“You’resorry?” My brow shot up, the whole thing almost impossible to believe. “You’resorry?! I come home early to surprisemywoman, findyouin bed with her, and you’resorry?!”

Enzo swallowed, nervous sweat joining his prior perspiration on his brow. “I’m in love with her.”

My fist raised and pulled back as fury scorched through every inch of me, and Enzo’s eyes flew wide as I readied to strike.

“Nicky, stop! Please! Don’t.” Anna pulled at my arm, the bedsheet barely managing to stay over her. I wanted to grab it and wrap it around her like a cocoon so Enzo couldn’t see even the remotest amount of her bare flesh.

My arm lowered as she held it, and I saw the desperation, thefear, for Enzo in her eyes.

“Why?” I narrowed my gaze. “Do you feel the same way?”

Tears began to slip from her long lashes, her grip slackening on my arm as her lower lip trembled.

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