Page 80 of Dirty Little Mistake

"Do you trust me?" My gaze lifted, meeting his. "You know I'm not him, right?"

I slowly nodded, the truth settling like stones in my stomach. Owen wasn't Trystan—that had been the whole point, hadn't it? Owen was steady where Trystan was chaos, reliable where Trystan was wind. A blessing. A shelter from the storm.

So why did shelter feel so much like settling?

The more we sat here, the more the gaps became obvious. Where there should have been butterflies, there was only comfortable silence. Where there should have been fire, there was only warmth. My body didn't hum with awareness when he leaned closer. My skin didn't ache for his touch. The cosmic pull that had always yanked me toward Trystan like gravity was conspicuously absent.

Owen's hand rested on the table between us, steady and open. Everything Trystan's weren't. I should want to reach for it. Should feel something more than this hollow ache in my chest.

The thought crept in like poison: maybe Trystan had been right that night on the beach. Maybe he had ruined me for anyone else. Or maybe—I watched Owen's fingers drum once, twice against the wooden surface—I was just letting old ghosts haunt new memories.

My phone vibrated again. I flipped it open.

Trystan: He'll never be enough for you.

I stared blankly at the text for a long moment, realizing I was never going to be able to move on with him constantly in my head and on my phone.

"Cam..."

The sound of my nickname pulled me back like a rubber band snapping. Owen was leaning forward, his brow furrowed in that way that always made him look younger. "Did you hear me?"

My thumb jabbed the side button harder than necessary, the screen going dark on Trystan's words. "Uh yeah." I forced my hand to unclench from around the phone. "Of course, I trust you."

My phone vibrated again.

"Wow, Kaia is definitely a fast texter." He laughed.

I forced a soft smile, a hint of guilt wrapping around me. "Hey," I sighed. "Do you think you could take me back to my car?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "Is everything okay?"

"I'm just exhausted." That was the truth. I was physically and mentally exhausted, and I needed sleep to clear my head.

Chapter 38

Camryn

Isank into the soft couch, the fabric cool against my bare legs. My fingers dipped into the warm bowl on Kaia's lap, the buttery aroma of popcorn wafting up as I grabbed a handful.

My phone buzzed in my free hand, and the screen lit up.

It was Trystan. Again...

I didn't need to look at it to know what it said. I'd blocked his number, but he'd gotten a new one and hadn't stopped texting me since I walked away from him on the beach. He'd resorted to everything but getting on his knees and groveling.

I'd only responded once to tell him I was with Owen now, but he continued to inform me why we were meant to be or lyrics to songs—even telling me again how sorry he was. I stopped reading them because none of it mattered. I was with Owen.

I reached for another handful of popcorn, shaking my head in disbelief. "I still can't believe this is what you wanted to do for your bachelorette party."

Kaia rubbed her swollen belly, a wry smile playing on her lips. "I'm pregnant. What else would we do? Plus, I miss hangingout with you, and soon, our movie nights will be harder and harder to do."

"So, it's just us tonight?" I shifted, pulling my legs up on the couch with me.

"Yeah." She smiled. "Syn and Harlow had plans. I think they were going to go to Jax's bachelor party."

"I'm really glad you're so happy."

Kaia's hand dove into the popcorn bowl, her eyes never leaving my face. "What about you? Are you happy?"

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