Page 58 of The Sweet Spot

Brooke follows, as I knew she would. She picked a good a time as any to have this conversation, because no one else is home. I wonder if she knew that.

“I don’t know what to think, Luca.” She’s quiet, her eyes wide, and this is how I know she’s full of shit. Brooke’s no pushover, and if she felt like I was doing her wrong, she’d be loud and indignant right now. “You went to the Morgans’ party without me on New Year’s Eve…God, you’ve barely spoken to me since the night you dropped that book off.”

“You mean the night I saw Logan coming out of your building?” I lean against the counter, arms folded.

Her cheeks go colorless. Sagging into a stool at the counter, she shakes her head. “It’s not like that, Luca. Please—”

“Funny, that’s exactly what he said when I accused him of fucking you,” I say, keeping my eyes on hers. “How long has it been going on, Brooke? Was it when I left last fall?”

Tears fill her eyes, and she shakes her head, looking down.

“Before? After?” I prod.

“Before,” she whispers, pressing her fingers to her eyes. “I don’t…I don’t know why it happened. It just did.”

“Original. You should’ve told me you wanted to call it quits.” I shake my head, disgusted. “We’re not in love with each other. You wouldn’t have broken my heart.”

“Maybe I am in love with you!” she cries. “That’s what hurts—that you don’t love me and never have. You never let me in. You never saw this going anywhere.”

“You never saw it going anywhere, either.” I almost laugh, though nothing about this is funny. “And how could you possibly love me and then sleepwith someone else? With mybest friend?”

“We were so drunk the first time,” she wails. “I didn’t think you wanted me. Not really.”

Drunk? Well, that makes sense, now doesn’t it. “When?”

“The night…” She pauses, taking a slow, uneven breath. “The night we went to that party in Berkeley.”

“What party?”

“That holiday party. At my friend’s house.”

Hazy memories begin flickering through my head. Party in Berkeley? That was in the very beginning, when Brooke and I reconnected. I’d just gotten back from São Paulo the first time, and I had wicked jet lag, so I went back to Walnut Creek to sleep it off. I frown at the floor, remembering. Brooke left with her friend, Kellan and Dallas…and Logan.

“Wait. That was before we even started dating—you’ve been sleeping with Logan even longer than you’ve been sleeping with me?” I push my hair back, blown away. “Are you serious right now, Brooke?”

A sob rips from her throat, and she nods. “I’m sorry, Luca. I’m so sorry.”

I stare at her incredulously. “Why did you even start up with me?”

“Because I liked you. A lot,” she says. “I’d liked you for a long time.”

“Come on.” That’s news to me. Before we got together, Brooke was notoriously hard to pin down.

Her eyes brim with fresh tears. “You know, it only happened with Logan a few times.”

“Like whenever I was away, or too busy, or what the fuck ever.” My stomach turns, and I push off from the counter. I can’t look at her anymore. “You’re unbelievable.”

“Luca,” she cries, her face contorted with pain.

Yeah, this fucking hurts me, too, but once I’m done with someone, I’m done. “Get out.”

“Will you just—”

“No, really. Get out. This is bullshit.” Returning to the front door, I swing it open and point. “You and Logan can have each other.”

Tears streaming down her face, Brooke rushes by. I slam the door, not bothering to watch her go. I was done before, but now I’m really done.

I’d rather be alone than waste my time.

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