Page 158 of Meet Me In The Dark

“Because fighting with you is easier than dealing with everything else.”

When she turns, the anger in her eyes has softened into wary confusion.

Fuck.

It’s a crack, just a slight bend in my armor, and she notices it.

“What’s ‘everything else’?”

Stepping away from her, I return to my desk and feel the weight of the past week dragging me down as I brace my hands on the wood. “Nothing you need to worry about.”

“Don’t do that. Don’t shut me out.”

“Leave it alone, Celeste.”

She closes the distance again. “Why? Afraid you might have to admit you feel something?”

“I have work to do.” My tone goes cold. “And so do you.”

“You’re sending me away?”

“You’re a busy woman, aren’t you?”

For a moment, she just stares at me, disbelief quickly shifting back to defiance. “You know what?” she says, eyes flashing. “Iama busy woman.”

She grabs her bag from the floor, and just as satisfaction threatens to twist in my gut, she surprises the hell out of me. Instead of storming toward the door, she pulls her laptop from her bag and takes a seat in one of the chairs across from me.

“Celeste.” I’m barely holding on to patience as she opens the laptop and starts typing furiously. “Leave.”

“No.”

I grind my jaw. “Leave, Celeste. I mean it.”

“You should get comfortable with me here because I’m staying.”

“Why the hell are you doing this?”

“Because you want me to leave,” she says, eyes still fixed on her screen, “and I’m done giving you what you want.”

I stare at her, stunned and furious and fucking helpless.

“You can stop glaring at me now. I’m not leaving, but if you could order me a coffee, that would begreat.”

“Why won’t you just fucking go?”

“Because,” she snaps, finally lifting her eyes to mine, “something is going on in that head of yours, and you might have fooled everyone else, but I see you. Right fucking through you. Push me away all you want, but I’ll push back harder. You taught me how, remember?”

She’s right.

There’s a violent storm raging inside me. It’s grief mixed with guilt, and I don’t trust myself around her when my defenses are this stripped away.

With a sigh, I lean back into my chair.

Fine.

She wants to stay? I’ll give her exactly what she asked for.

My eyes remain fixed on her as I pick up my phone and dial Avery’s extension.