The Reluctant Romantics Box Set (The Fall, The Mind, The Heart)

My spitfire was drunk and things were about to get nasty.

I reached for Dallas just as she lunged for Daisy.

“Daisy, we’re done,” I said simply, turning my head toward her as I held Dallas back, who was flailing her arms desperately trying to get her shot at Daisy.

Daisy looked at me incredulously. “You don’t mean that!”

“No, I do. We are done,” I said, turning away from her and wrapping Dallas in my embrace, trapping her arms around her and carrying her to the side of the house. Once she stopped fighting me, I cupped her red cheek and grinned at her.

“Okay, you want to explain what just happened back there?”

“No,” she said, looking up at me as I tried to gently thumb away the burn in her cheek. For the first time in months, I saw it, the longing. My chest cracked in recognition.

“Dean, why won’t you kiss me?” she asked as she leaned into my hand, her eyes raw and searching mine.

“Dally, you are my best friend,” I offered weakly.

“You don’t like me?”

“I love you, Dally,” I said without thinking. I gave her the truth.

“You do?” I saw the hope in her eyes and then saw it pass away with my next words.

“You are like family to me.”

“Oh.” After a beat, I saw a wave of pure determination cross her face as she eyed me with sudden disgust. “You know they call you the Spanish slut?” she said as she scorned me with her alcohol-filled honesty. “One girl could neeeever be enough for you.” Pain tore through my chest at that statement. She had done her job well. I was ashamed.

“But that doesn’t bother you, right?” she scoffed. I stood silently, letting her have her way. I deserved every bit of it. All I wanted to do was to rid her of the look of contempt and replace it with what I had grown used to. There was no sign of it. I was suddenly desperate for her laugh, her smile, anything but the look she was giving me. It was filled with so much resentment, and even more than that, defeat. I cringed physically as I took a step toward her. Doing the only thing I deemed safe, I pulled a Ricky Ricardo and started mumbling furiously in Spanish.

“Soís suficiente para mi, chiquilla loca. Si supieraís lo mucho que quisiera besarte ahora mismo. Si supieraís cuanto tiempo me la paso pensando en ti.”

Her eyes widened as she looked at me like I had grown another head.

“I don’t speak Spanish, Martin,” she snapped, irritated.

“And it’s a good damn thing,” I said, pretending my feet were made of solid rock as I kept them planted. Right or wrong, I wanted her, all of her. My anger at the situation rolled off me and landed on her. She gaped at me.

I had been a fool to think this would turn out differently. Masked feelings were dangerous and we were both at the end of our rope.

She waited for me to do anything, say anything, and I purposely failed.

“See you later…brother.” She dashed away from me and I went to follow her, but Daisy blocked my path with tears in her eyes. I felt guilty for the way I had treated her and tried to calm her. I couldn’t fucking win. Leaving Daisy with a group of friends, I searched the party for Dallas, but came up empty.

I circled the house and banged on every door, barging into every single room and was met with vicious protest. Still coming up empty, I began to panic. She was drunk, and she was angry.

After searching everywhere, I cornered Tina Walker, who was only too happy to inform me Dallas had left with Reiner.

“What the hell?” I said, dialing her cell.

“They’ve been dating for a month,” one of the girls at the counter piped up.

I swallowed hard.

Oh, fuck no.

She had been dating him for a month? How the hell had I missed that? I felt the bile rise up my throat. I was a hypocrite. I had no right to be acting that way. I was a man possessed as I questioned everyone in our circle and no one had a clue as to where they were. Reiner had left his own fucking party. I quickly drove Daisy home and spent the entire night searching for them in vain. I ended up waiting at Reiner’s house long after the party ended, alone and sitting on his porch as he pulled up.

It was no secret between us how I felt about her and deep down I knew he felt the same. She had been a silent tug-of-war between us this year and I knew he thought he had won. He got out of his truck, a smug smile on his face as he approached. That was all it took.