Page 2 of Deadly Sins: Envy

“I’ve heard a lot about you,” Blake said.

Willow held her tongue, stifling the words:Yeah? Well,I’ve never heard a thing about you.

Dean seemed to sense Willow’s slight irritation and said, “Blake’s my ... ahh, roommate. Well, just for a few more weeks. She’s moving to Texas next month.”

“What’s in Texas?” Willow asked.

“Jaxon, my fiancé,” Blake said. “We’re getting married.”

Willow breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, cool. Congratulations.”

Blake narrowed her eyes. “Hang on. Did you think that Dean and I ... that we’re a couple?”

“I ... no,” Willow said. “Well, maybe. I’m sorry. I wasn’t sure who you were.”

Blake socked Dean in the shoulder and tossed her head back, laughing. “How funny. He’s like a brother to me. We’re just rooming together for a bit, okay? Nothing more.”

Dean looked at Willow and said, “Do you want to come in?”

She nodded. “I wish I could stay for a while, but I can’t. We’re headed out at six in the morning.”

Once the words left her mouth, she wished she could have reeled them back in. Tonight was about making amends, not about her and her band.

“I understand,” he said. “I’ll take whatever time I can get.”

Blake excused herself and disappeared down the hallway. Willow followed Dean into the living room, and they sat down. It felt strange being there again. In some ways, it was familiar. In others, three months apart felt like a year. The abstract painting she’d given him still hung on the wall but was now surrounded by a few new pieces of artwork he’d acquired since she left.

“When did you decide to get a roommate?” Willow asked.

“About a month back. I got laid off at work and started bartending while I was looking for another job. I met Blake one night. We got to talking, and she said she needed a place to stay for a couple months, so I let her move in.”

“She seems nice,” Willow said.

“She is.”

“I was surprised to get your text message tonight.”

“I, ahh, worried you wouldn’t come.”

Willow leaned back on the sofa and turned toward him. “Dean, I want you to know how sorry I am.”

“For what?”

“I should have never walked out on you the way I did that night.”

“Why did you then?”

“At first, I was angry. When I stopped being angry, I became embarrassed about how I’d left things. The longer I waited to reach out, the harder it was to contact you. So, I kept putting it off. I was so down on myself about the way I behaved, I started to believe you deserved a lot better than me.”

Dean reached out, taking Willow’s hand in his. “I shouldn’t have pushed you like I did. It wasn’t right. I knew you weren’t ready. I was so focused on what I wanted, nothing else mattered.”

“It’s in the past now. It’s fine.”

“No, Willow. It isn’t.”

“Maybe we both could have handled it better. But I’m here now. There’s no place I’d rather be.”

“Are you ... dating anyone?”

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