Page 32 of Splintered Hearts

“Kept you a secret because he was afraid of being seen with a guy, then fucking hit you when someone caught you both kissing.” I smile, not at the memory but at the bigger, brighter shiner Mark gave him in return.

“I think I—”

“Jun, Santi, Levi, Matt. I could go on and you know it. Each time I try to warn you, you never listen. Never. I’m not trying to prevent you from being with a guy, it’s just... no offense... your taste is shit. You ignore red flags because you want to believe these assholes so bad.”

“And Jamie’s just another asshole?”

“Jamie is...” Mark shakes his head, taking a sip of his coffee. He looks so tired and I shouldn’t be pushing. “He’s a lot of mental work and baggage you don’t need.”

Vague. Fine then. “This isn’t that big a deal. You’re mad about nothing.” Why can’t he see I don’t need him to fight my battles? Yes, all of those men before hurt me in ways that lingered. I’ll admit it. I should have asked more questions, noticed the red flags, and listened to my gut and best friend.

That was then, and this is now.

Jamie doesn’t raise any of those concerns. Whatever Mark is seeing, I just can’t. “I’m an adult. I will act accordingly.”

“Are you, though?”

“Fuck off.” I appreciate Mark’s intentions, but I’m still my own person and I can make my own mistakes if I want. “This isn’t a big deal. You’re mad about nothing.”

Mark’s jaw clenches so tight I’m shocked his teeth don’t crack. “You hook up with someone, expect more, and then get surprised when they have a wife and three kids at home.”

“Jamie doesn’t have a wife and three kids. One point for him.”Well, not that I know of.

“Can you be serious?”

“When I was on my knees, it wasn’t a ring I was giving him. Relax.”

Mark’s teeth clench again. “Since Hunter isn’t here to bitch at me, I’ll tell you this.” Finally, something with facts to back it up because all I saw last night was a hot man who was shy—maybe a bit of a loner. I didn’t mind sitting with him and talking, looking through his sketchbook.

Butterflies. Absolute butterflies.

“All ears, babe.” I sip my coffee.

Mark runs his hand through his messy blond hair. “Our entire relationship, Jamie has been trying to break us up. Every time I’d go over there he’d yell at us, or say nasty shit to me. One time, I accidentally left my bag out in the living room and he chucked it outside in the fucking rain. Dude’s a psycho. All my shit got soaked. I had gaming equipment in there too. One time, he toldHunter to quit bringing his fuck buddy over. Hunter didn’t even correct him.

That seems like a Hunter issue, but okay...

Looking away, his eyes shine, and okay, I feel a little bad now. I hate to think this way, but I want to hear Jamie’s side too. I love Mark more than anyone, but I also know him too well. Mark can be impulsive and abrasive a lot of the time. I’m not saying he’s lying or deserves the things Jamie’s done, but I think maybe there’s a median they could both come to. If not for my sake, then for Hunter’s. “I’ve always had the feeling he was jealous of me. That he wants Hunter.”

“Wants him?” Now I have to call bullshit. If last night was anything to go by, Jamie barely glanced in Hunter’s direction.

That’s because he was fixed on me.

Unwavering and soft. Dark brown eyes with little gold flecks in them. It would take a while to get the broken yet beautiful way Jamie’s face looked as he came out of my head. Fuck, just thinking about it is making my dick hard. I’ve hooked up with plenty of guys, but last night was different. I couldn’t have been the only one to feel it. “Do you think that maybe you two just need to get along? Maybe you’ve done shit to piss him off too. Maybe for Hunter, you can—”

“Stop trying to make me like him so you can bang him without feeling guilty.” Okay... ouch. “What happened the last time I warned you against someone?”

That . . . was low.

“Throwing that in my face. Not cute.” That situation was different, and using it against me? Anger bubbles in my throat. “You know that’s not the same.”

“You don’t fucking know him! Why are you trying so hard to push this?” Because no matter how much Mark says he hates him for his petty reasons, I can’t fit that version with the version of Jamie I saw last night.

College, yeah, college was different. Back then, Mark had been skeptical of most of my flings. I couldn’t even call them relationships. They were brief flings that I had hoped would turn into something. They all crashed and burned.

Then . . . then there had been Derrick.

Yes, I should have listened to him. I should have. And if Mark hadn’t saved me, I could have...

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