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Miles has the good sense to look ashamed as he drops his gaze down to the floor. “She never really spoke about it, but she was the same when I knew her. It took a lot for her to trust me, and we had to take things really slow at first. When we’d done something once, and she trusted me, then it became easier.

“We never got to a stage where I could ask her about it, but she promised to tell me one day, when the time was right, but that never happened. She left before she could.”

At the mention of her leaving, his voice breaks and his expression becomes closed off all over again. I reach over and hook my fingers under his chin, forcing him to lift his gaze to meet mine.

“Haven’t you been wondering why she’s back?” I ask, silently begging him to have this conversation with me.

I can tell by the way his bright-blue eyes sparkle, he wants to know, but he shifts his gaze to look anywhere except at me, as he lifts his chin stubbornly. “No,” he grunts.

I can’t help but chuckle at his fucking childish behaviour. “She came back looking for you, because she needs your help.”

Miles’ gaze snaps up to meet mine, and an array of emotions flash across his face. Even though I’m hopeful, I’m not surprised when he settles on anger. He pushes me with more force this time, and I stumble back, giving him the opening to walk away.

He’s not running from me this time,I think to myself as I quickly catch up to him.

I grab him by the arm and pull him around the side of the club, into the dark alley that runs around to the back. There’s a fence that cordons off the employee-only section that’s on the other side.

The alley is dark, entrenched in shadows and full of silence, since nobody is around. The queue to get in goes around the opposite side of the club, so other than the odd delivery driver, or lost drunk, nobody comes down here.

I slam Miles against the brick wall, but this time, I press my body against his to hold him in place. Before I can even get a word out, Miles lets his anger loose.

“I don’t fucking care why she’s back. She left. She has no fucking right to turn up here after seven bastard years and ask for my help. Not after the bloody pain she caused me,” he shouts, his face flushing with the force of his emotions.

At the mention of how much Indie hurt him, Miles seems to sag in my hold, looking more lost than I’ve ever seen him. He’s wearing a look of heartbreak that I’m all too familiar with, and my chest aches for him.

I reach up and place my hand on his cheek, lifting his head gently, so that he looks at me. My heart races when he leans into my palm, almost like he’s pulling strength from my touch.

I try to keep my voice soft and gentle, so I don’t ruin the moment. “I know she hurt you, and she probably has no right to ask for your help, but she is. It must have taken a lot for her to come back here, to face you, knowing what she did to you and how you’d feel. I’m guessing it’s something serious.”

His beautiful blue eyes search mine. He looks like he’s finally listening, considering what I’m saying.

“Why can’t you just help her?” he asks, sounding almost desperate.

I shrug my shoulders as I rub my thumb over his cheek. I’m not sure if the gesture is comforting for him or me. “I would, but she doesn’t trust me enough yet to tell me. That might change one day, but I don’t know if her issue is time-sensitive. So I thought I’d appeal to the guy who is always kind and caring to others. The guy who put his own feelings aside to help me when I needed it the most.”

His eyes widen before he squeezes them shut, almost as though he can’t bring himself to look at me when I say things like that. I’m suddenly very aware that my body is pressed against his, and my mind flashes back to the last time we were so close.

His body has changed; he’s more muscular now and just a little taller, but he’s still the same in so many ways. His skin is still soft and smooth, except for the slight stubble underneath my thumb, his lips are pink and perfectly kissable, and his bright-blue eyes still seem to see into my soul.

Miles takes a shuddered breath, pulling me out of the past. “It’s not the same,” he whispers.

I let out a sigh, dropping my hand from his cheek, as I take a step back. It’s too fucking painful to be this close to him and hear how much she meant to him.

“I know what happened between us isn’t the same,” I snap, sounding bitter. “I know you loved her, and you were in a proper relationship before she left. Obviously, she hurt you more, because of how much you loved her, but I still hoped you’d do the right thing.”

Miles’ gaze snaps up to meet mine, and he looks incredibly confused. “Do you think I said it’s different because I was in love with her when she hurt me, but I wasn’t with you?”

I shuffle uncomfortably under the weight of his stare, and even though I open my mouth several times, the right words just don’t seem to come out.What the hell am I supposed to say to that?

Miles lets out a humourless laugh, which has me glaring at him. “As much as I hate to admit this, Pretty Boy, I was stupidly in love with you long before that night at prom. We didn’t need to be in a relationship for me to feel that way. I may have been confused by my feelings, but I knew exactly how I felt.”

I stumble back, even without the help of Miles pushing me, feeling a little stunned. “You loved me? But…”

I remember the last time I asked him that, and he walked away without answering. I convinced myself that what happened between us was just our emotions running rampant, that there was no way he could ever love me. After all, I’d done nothing but hurt him, so why would he love me?

Now I’m here again, asking the same question, but this time, he’s not walking away. Miles keeps his blue gaze fixed on mine, but the sad smile he gives me makes my chest ache.

“You hurt me just as badly as she did. The difference is…you did it because you were scared. I know what your family is like, and the pressure they put on you. Being with me meant tackling your sexuality, and that was a lot to ask of a teenage boy. We were doomed to fail before we even started.