Page 11 of Don't Say You're Sorry

“Where did that come from?”

“I found it in the fridge. It’s Carter’s,” he replies as he hands me the plate. “Eat it.”

Shrugging, I sit on his bed and take a bite out of the chicken sandwich. My throat feels raw when I swallow, and I like it. I like the burn. I like the fact thathecaused it.

When I catch him watching me with his brows dipped, worrying his lip between his teeth, I grin at him stupidly.

“What?” he grumbles.

“You still care.”

He scoffs, shaking his head at me. “You still don’t look after yourself.”

“I do,” I protest. “I had to when…”When I didn’t have you to do it for me anymore.

I clear my sore throat and take another bite of the sandwich.

“You gagged a lot,” he says randomly, his gaze roaming over my face. “Did I hurt you?”

“Hurt me…?”

He gives me a look. “I hit you, remember?”

Oh. That.

“No, you didn’t hurt me,” I assure him. “It’s just been a while since I’ve done that.”

His eyes narrow as if the thought of me sucking dick angers him. “How long?”

Reaching for the water, I uncap the bottle and take a sip, hesitating, before I tell him, “Three years, seven months, and four days.”

His nostrils flare.

“That’s how long it’s been since we?—”

“I know how long it’s been,” he says.

Right.

In my peripheral, he drags a hand over the back of his neck. “What are you doing here, Adam?”

I place the water and the half-eaten sandwich on the nightstand.

I don’t know why I’m here or what I thought would happen when I got here. All I know is that it felt like I was drowning in London, and I couldn’t stay away anymore.

“I wanted to see you,” I finally admit.

“Why?” he asks, studying my face intently. “Did you come back for me?”

There’s a lie on the tip of my tongue, but what comes out is, “Yes.”

He closes his eyes for a couple beats. “You’re too late. I don’t love you anymore.”

I choke. “What?”

“I loved you, you idiot.” He lets out a bitter laugh, head tipping back as his hands brace the nape of his neck, eyes fixed on the ceiling like it might offer answers. “I couldn’t fucking breathe without you. I thought you felt the same way about me.”

“I did. Ido?—”