Page 50 of The Dragon's Captured Heart
“I don’t know, bro. Not like Noa and me, I guess. She and I were great. It was easy, and everything just worked. Maddie is different.”
“In a good way or a bad?”
“Different,”Cal said emphatically.“It’s just hard to pinpoint, but she’s not Noa, but she’s also fun and attractive—”
“I’ll say,” Baz teased.
There was the sound of laughter and flesh-on-flesh contact, most likely from Cal smacking his brother.
“I’m serious,”Cal said.
“Me, too—hey, whoa! I’m just kidding,” Baz cried through laughter.“I’m just making sure my big bro is happy.”
“Appreciate it. I’m more confused than anything,”Cal said.“I feel like I should be more into her. But she’s not Noa either.”
Silence followed.
“What?” Cal asked snippily.
Baz must have been giving him a look.
“Of course, she’s not Noa. Noa died. You’ve got to move on, Cal. It’s been two years.”
“How am I supposed to move on if I’m always comparing everything Maddie’s doing to how Noa would’ve done it?”
“Maybe stop?”
“Stop comparing?”Cal asked.
“Stop everything. Noa is in your past. You have to start leaving her there.”
I wanted to leave. Not just from my window perch, but from the house, the party, everything. I should have.
I didn’t. I stayed. I listened.
“It’s hard when Maddie reminds me so much of her. They’re very alike in a lot of ways. Strong-willed. Smart. Driven. It’s nice having someone like that around.”
Cal didn’t have to say the “again” at the end. I was certain he was thinking it. Baz didn’t say anything, though. Maybe I was imagining it? Creating scenarios that didn’t matter? After all, everything Cal had said about me was positive.
That was why I was not good at relationships. They were confusing. It was impossible to tell what was what or who was thinking anything.
And it waswaytoo easy to overthink things. Especially a conversation I wasn’t meant to hear.
Finally gathering myself up, I left the window before I could listen in on any more.
Cal wasn’t the only one with hesitations, now, was he? So, how could I judge him when I was still trying to figure out what the heck was going on between us and why I couldn’t seem to say no to him?
I would have to come up with some answers soon, though. Otherwise, things would get very complicated indeed.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Callum
“Can I ask you something?”
Taking Maddie by the arm, I directed her out of the middle of the hallway so we could talk.
“Of course,” she said, looking up at me with the dark brown eyes that fit her olive skin so well.
