Page 49 of Lie to Me

Marco places an omelet in front of me with a cup of coffee before sitting opposite me, taking a drink from his own cup.

“You’re not eating?” I ask and he shakes his head.

“Already ate,” he murmurs.

I dig into the omelet and can’t help but moan as I taste it.

“Good?” he asks, and I nod.

“Are you working today?”

I raise a brow. “Are we really going to pretend you don’t already know my schedule?”

He sighs. “Alright. So I knew you were off this weekend. It’s how I knew you’d be home last night and it’s why I came here as soon as the weather started getting bad. What I really meant to ask is, do you have plans today?”

I chew my mouthful slowly, giving myself time to answer. Do I really want to spend the day with my ex? Is that really a good idea? Does he think things can suddenly go back to the way they were before? What does he expect to happen with us?

“I can see you thinking, Sloane. And we’ll take things at your pace, however fast or slow you want to go, we can. I just really want to get to know you again.”

I let out a breath before nodding slowly. “What were you thinking?”

“I want to take you somewhere. Dress comfortably and wrap up,” he says with a smirk, and I sigh.

What the hell have I gotten myself into?

This was not what I was expecting.

I expected him to take me to his apartment or to go out for lunch or something.

I did not expect him to bring me to the spot I took him to all those years ago. The spot I used to come to with my mom. The spot where we had our first kiss. The spot where he asked me out on our first date.

Or was us coming here technically our first date? I don’t know.

We sit side by side, staring out over the city. We passed a few people out hiking on our way up here since it’s a Sunday, but luckily, the bench was vacant.

“When was the last time you came up here?” Marco asks after a long silence.

“The morning I left the city. I came up here as a way to say goodbye. I know that probably doesn’t make any sense, but…” I trail off and Marco’s hand lands on my thigh, giving me a squeeze.

“It makes sense to me,” he murmurs, never taking his eyes off the view.

“What happened after that night?”

I don’t have to ask which night he’s referring to; I know exactly what he means.

“My aunt took me home once I was cleared from the hospital. I was just numb. I didn’t cry, or scream, or freak out. I wasn’t angry or upset. I just didn’t feel anything anymore. It’s probably weird, being hit so hard by losing someone I didn’t even know I had, but I fell into a deep depression. My aunt had a huge garden at her home. She had a memorial bench made with a plaque soI could sit there and talk my feelings out. Her friend, who was a therapist, thought it might help me. It did help, and my aunt’s friend recommended a specific therapist to me. I eventually made it out of the worst part of the grief, and when I did, I couldn’t stop thinking about the nurse who was there with me that night. She changed my life.”

“That’s why you went into nursing?” Marco asks.

“Uh huh,” I say with a nod. “I wanted to help people the way she helped me.”

“What made you finally come home?”

It’s a question I should have been expecting since the moment we bumped into each other at the hospital. Thinking of the reason of why I’m home brings tears to my eyes.

“My aunt died last year,” I whisper and wipe my eyes. “She had cancer, and it all happened really quickly. I stayed for a while after she passed, until Finn finally persuaded me to come back.”

“I’m sorry, baby,” Marco murmurs as he wraps an arm around my shoulders and tugs me into his side. “You’re so fucking strong.” He presses a kiss into my hair and takes a deep breath.

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