Page 46 of Love in Bloom

“Camille, I’ve already told you, I’m not the man you think I am. It's best just to part at the end of the tour.”

“Well, what else is there to know? Why won't you tell me?”

“Because this is the best way that I can protect you.”

“Protect me from what?” She crossed her arms. The romantic ride had gone downhill fast, and she didn’t like it one bit.

“I’m protecting you from me. I’m protecting you from us.”

“So there is an us.”

He sighed. “For the moment, because we’re pretending to be married.”

“No, Tristan, that’s not what I meant. I meant, is there an us?” She watched his face and body. It was clear from his clenched hands and his strangled expression that a battle raged within him. There was an us, but he didn’t want to admit it. “I’m a big girl. I’ve been on my own for a long time now. I can handle whatever is in your past.”

He sighed again. “You say that now, but when you learn about it, you’ll look at me differently, and I can’t bear that.”

“So you’re going to hurt us both to spare us future pain? That doesn't make any sense, Tristan.”

“I know, but it’s the way it has to be.” He wandered to the far rail. Camille turned to look over the water at the city of love. She wondered if she chucked Tristan over the rail and gave him a good shock of cold water, he’d start behaving properly again.

They spent the rest of the cruise in tense silence on different sides of the boat.

Camille had never felt so wretched in her life.

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