Page 199 of Strange Seduction
“I know.”
Mantis sipped her drink, then spoke through the straw. “So what now?”
“I don’t know.” I paused, then said it out loud, soft and flat. “I think we broke up.”
Another round of silence.
Izzy was the one who filled it, voice gentler than before. “I’m sorry, Carm.”
“Yeah,” I whispered. “Me too.”
“Does that mean…” Alyssa choked out, “…we can’t be friends anymore?”
My voice caught in my throat. “Lyssa. I would never make you choose between me and your brother.”
At that moment, I realized why Theo tried to stay out of other people’s relationships. I felt so sorry for Alyssa. “The breakup is not confirmed yet, but I’d understand if you want to stand by your brother. But you and I will never have bad blood.”
Her words became shaky. “But we wouldn’t be sisters anymore.”
“Alyssa,” I dragged.
“Alyssa, stop all that whining!” Jayda cut through our moment.
“You know she’s extra,” Mantis chuckled. “Lyssa, no one wants you to cut Carmen off because of your brother, just like no one wanted me to cut Jay off because of Tyler. These things happen sometimes, and we’re all still friends.”
“Yes,” I agreed, though my throat thickened at the reality that my time with Theo might actually be over. “Speaking of, Jay. How are you doing with your breakup?”
Jayda stared at her screen, chewing the inside of her cheek. “I’ve been over here losing my mind, too. Tyler moved the bitch in after I left.”
My head snapped up. “What?”
“Yeah, he really is a piece of shit.”
Mantis let out a sound between a sigh and a growl. “I never liked him,” she lied.
“I’m sorry,” I said, and I meant it. Jayda was never the kind of girl who fell easily into love. If she gave her heart, she meant it, so to see Tyler take it for granted pissed me off.
“We’re just a hot mess today,” Izzy muttered.
“Speak for yourself,” Mantis said, raising her coffee cup.
We laughed, just for a second. It didn’t fix anything, but it lightened the air.
Then Alyssa spoke up again. “Carm… about my brother.”
I held my breath.
“I’m gonna be honest. He doesn’t let people in easily. And when he does? It’s usually messy. He panics when too much is happening too fast, and it’s worse when he feels like it’s out of his control. It doesn’t make what he did okay, but… he’s not a monster.”
“I know, Alyssa, ” I said quietly. “I know all of that. I’ve been with him for years and I know how he operates. He really is a good guy. He didn’t try to hurt me. He just…didn’t trust me to choose him on my own.”
Izzy gave a small nod. “And you needed him to trust you to leave and come back.”
“Exactly. I always knew I was gonna marry him. That was never the issue. But he wants too much, too fast, and I just can’t put my life on hold like that right now. I just can’t.”
“I get it,” Mantis added. “You worked hard for where you are, Carmen. You’re only twenty-five. You shouldn’t be expected to give it up now.”
“Oh, Carm. Don’t cry,” Alyssa cooed. Only then did I realize that my tears had overtaken me. “I overstepped and ran my big ass mouth. It’s your relationship after all, so it’s your decision. I just didn’t want you to end things so quickly without thinking it through.”
