Page 123 of Twist of Fate
“I would have told you,” he argues. “Eventually.”
“You sought me out, Theo. Pretended to be my friend and lied to me. How could you do that? After everything we’ve been through.” I shake my head in disbelief. “I think Finn was right. I think it’s time for you to go.”
“Ash, please—they’re going to find out. It’s been months, and I keep making excuses why you haven’t come to visit, but I think they know I’m lying.”
“Yeah.” I nod. I’m sure he could try to play it off and say he was dumped, but he’s probably already thought of that, and if that were an option, he wouldn’t be here, begging me to help him out. “And you’ll have to face that.”
“I could lose my job,” he chokes out.
I feel it—the guilt churning in the pit of my stomach from standing by his side for six years and knowing how much this career means to him. But it’s no longer my problem.
“You’ll figure it out.”
He finally steps onto the elevator, and as the doors close, I take my first deep breath in what feels like forever.
Finn pulls me into his arms, his face burrowing into my neck as he inhales. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” I say softly. “I am.”
I mean it, too. Watching him walk away feels liberating. I always thought I had the closure I needed with Theo when I walked away from our wedding. But this feels like the ink is finally drying on the last chapter of our story.
He is finally where he belongs—in my past.
“You were right, Finn.”
“About what?”
“Rugby players are significantly better than soccer players.”
And that earns me a laugh.
THIRTY-THREE
Finn
PAST
I don’t want this day to end.
It’s mid-afternoon, and Ash and I have spent the entire day canvasing Dublin. When I texted her last night after our final group dinner, asking what she wanted to do, her only request was that she wanted me completely “off-duty.”
I warned her that a request like that would basically rule out nearly everything in Dublin, but she just sent back a happy face emoji and said, “That’s fine.”
So, after officially ending my tour guide duties, saying goodbye to everyone at breakfast, and overseeing a few airport transfers, Ash and I took to the streets.
And that’s what we’ve been doing ever since.
Just walking.
Walking and talking.Kissing.
For hours.
It’s a fucking delight. I’ve been dying to spend time with this girl for an entire week, and now I have her undivided attention, and she has mine. We’ve talked about everything from mundane things like our favorite color to heavier topics like our childhoods and her breakup with Theo.
I still haven’t told her my real name—or my full name, rather.
I should. But I’ve essentially been lying to her for a week now. How do I even broach that subject?Hey, Ash. So, I know you think I’m just some random tour guide, but actually, I’m going to be running this whole operation someday…if my da ever forgives me for being a worthless shite.
