Page 89 of On the Rocks

“What?” I said, shock settling over me like a cold wave, freezing me in place. I couldn’t possibly have heard him correctly.

He looked up at me, full-on, so there was no mistaking his words this time. “I said I think we should stop seeing each other.”

“Are you kidding me right now?”

“We can’t see each other,” he amended, frowning down at his clenched fists. “This…us…the relationship isn’t working.”

“Not working?” I said, incredulous. “Just like that?” Since when? Everything with Aiden had been wonderful until he’d started pulling away for whatever reason. What had happened—and why wouldn’t he talk to me about it? Why was he just giving up on us like this, out of the blue? “Would you like to tell me what exactly it is about our relationship that isn’t working for you?”

“Cora—”

“Because as far as I’m concerned, you haven’t said anything’s wrong or expressed any kind of issue with us. If there’s a problem, we can work through it, but you have to tell me what’s going on. Because right now, I have no idea where the hell this is coming from.” Just like the last time.

“It’s for the best,” Aiden said, hardly getting the words out before I snapped at him.

“I can’t believe you’re doing this to me.Again.” Part of me was stunned that this was happening. I felt like I was living through aGroundhog Day-type scenario. I’d told my mother this wouldn’t happen. We were both older and more mature. We’d grown up. Apparently, I’d been wrong, and Aiden hadn’t grown up at all. Not in the ways that really mattered.

Or maybe I was just the type of person people felt comfortable leaving. Maybe I was nothing but a placeholder until something better came along. Was that it? No! I wasn’t going to let him treat me like this again. I wasn’t going to let another relationship ending tear me apart, wondering why, why,why?

“I hope you can do better than ‘it’s for the best,’” I said, the words practically spit between my teeth. Anger surged through me. “Because I want an actual explanation this time.”

He opened his mouth, closed it, and gave his head a shake like he didn’t know what else to say.

“It’s the least I deserve,” I insisted.

“Being with you,” he started, licking his lips like they’d gone dry, “it makes me behave…irrationally.”

“Imake you irrational?” My lip curled back over my teeth even as my heart thumped painfully against my ribs. What theabsolute fuck? Was he talking about the way he’d treated Levi? Because, yes, I agreed that his reaction was over the top and inappropriate. But how was any of that my fault? It sounded like instead of dealing with his feelings, he was using me as a scapegoat.

“With you, I’m a version of myself I don’t want to be. I can’t let myself become that person,” he said to me. “I can’t behave the way I just did.”

I had no words. I’d just spent the last ten minutes telling Levi I was a better version of myself now, a version that knew my worth. And yet here Aiden was, telling me that for him, it was the exact opposite—that I made him into a person he didn’t like. Shock and hurt washed over me in waves. It was too all-consuming to fight against, too difficult to react to, and all I could do was gape at Aiden until he got up and walked away, leaving me standing there, alone.

26

AIDEN

Iwanted to get mind-numbingly, can’t-remember-my-own-name, out-of-this-world drunk. That was about the only coherent thought I had upon walking away from Cora, leaving her standing there, her black masquerade-style mask slipping down her face, her mouth hanging open in shock. I felt absolutely wretched.

What did I just do?

A hollow, familiar ache ebbed in the middle of my chest. I knew this feeling. I’d lived through it before, after our first breakup. Back then, I was too young to drown my sorrows with booze, but I’d gone on a bender of fast food and video games with my football buddies until the worst of the ache had faded. Then in college, when Steph had broken things off with me, I’d parked myself at a bar and didn’t come up for air until I’d spontaneously arrived at the idea of starting Elixir.

Breakups seemed to go better when I had somewhere else to direct my energy. When I had a distraction to mask the weight of my own feelings. But with the launch for Elixir Free windingdown, and no immediate plans to start another multi-million-dollar company, I had no idea how I was supposed to process this.

“Thanks for the invite,” someone said, thrusting their arm in my direction. I shook a man’s hand—no idea who he was—thanking him for coming. Was I even smiling? Or did I look as miserable as I felt on the inside?

Someone else clapped me on the shoulder as I made my way through the lingering crowd. We had the space until midnight, but right now I just wanted to disappear. It felt like I was floating. Not in a good way, though—in a horrible way that left me untethered. The few thoughts I did have outside of securing a drink spun between Cora and Levi and Elio.

That look of surprise as Dominic had grabbed Elio’s phone right out of his hand was frozen in my mind. Dominic had really saved my ass tonight. Had saved Elixir. I owed him a huge thank you. In fact, I owed Paul and Trent one too. I glanced around the space as I continued through the crowd, hoping to spot one of the guys. But everywhere I turned, the room seemed to be filled with strangers I had no interest in talking to.

That hollow ache in the middle of my chest started to burn.

I needed that drink.

And I needed it now.

I beelined for the closest bar, half expecting to find Dominic standing there, working his way through another whiskey and Coke now that he’d done his job and averted a certain PR nightmare for Elixir. But instead of Dom, I spotted my dad.

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