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Anthony sighs. “Kali-”

“Oh, god.” I swallow the urge to vomit and wipe my eyes.

“No, no, stop panicking,” Anthony assures me. He pushes my hair behind my ear and touches my cheek. “All I ever wanted was for you to give us a chance. To admit to yourself, maybe you do like this guy. But I would never push you into something you’re not ready for.”

Relief floods through my veins. “I know you wouldn’t. None of this had anything to do with you. Turns out I’ve got some serious shit I need to work on.” I take a deep breath. “I’m going back to therapy.”

Anthony tilts his head, a small smile peeking out at the corners of his mouth. “It was for a commissioned piece.”

I blink a few times, unsure if I’ve heard him correctly. “I’m sorry?”

“The money. A guy from work paid me in cash to create an art piece for his mum’s birthday.”

Embarrassment and shame course through my veins. “Shit.”

“And for the record, I knew you were crazy the moment I laid eyes on you,” Anthony smirks.

“Hey, you’re no saint in this you know,” I argue, pointing my finger at him. “You lied to me.”

Anthony’s mouth twists. “I omitted some truths.”

“How about you start with what happened with Nathan?”

Anthony shakes his head. “Patty and I agreed you don’t need to worry about that.”

“So, Patrizio is involved?”

Anthony smirks. “Whoops. Anyway, don’t get all high and mighty, you’re a liar too.”

“No, I’m not!”

“Oh, really? So, all that shit about not caring about me and this being a fling? That was the truth?” Anthony steps closer, leaning down so we’re inches apart. “Are you telling me you’re not my girlfriend?”

My heart thunders in my chest. My initial instinct is to rage. To blow up. To shout expletives at him and tell him he doesn’t know anything about me.

But that’s not what I want to do. It’s not how I want to react or feel. That’s what I revert to because of past trauma, because of who I thought I wanted to be.

That’s not me anymore.

“Are you saying you’ll still have me as your girlfriend?” I ask quietly.

Anthony’s face breaks with his cheeky smile and his arms encircle me, pulling me flush to him.

I lean into his chest and sigh, inhaling his crisp scent. “This might be insane. We argue a lot.”

Anthony tips my chin back to get a better look at me. “We bicker.”

“Wefight.It’s not healthy.”

Anthony shrugs. “Says who?”

“Says people. Says society. Fighting all the time isn’t healthy.”

Anthony shakes his head. “Where are you getting these rules from?”

I step back from him. “Why do I have to love someone who makes me want to strangle him at every waking minute?Why?”

It’s not until the silence hits me that I realise what I said.