Page 118 of Stay With Me

“I wasn’t, and I wasn’t planning to while I was seeing you—”

Her eyelashes flipped as little puzzle pieces began falling together. “You weren’t planning to,but.”

He looked at her nervously and hesitated. “But when the food critic was there, she kind of came onto me, and—”

Samantha scoffed indignantly. “Oh,shecame ontoyou.That’s convenient.”

He reached for her hand, but she jerked it away before he could make contact so he simply rubbed his fingertips over his forehead. “I’m not trying to excuse what I did, but that is how that sort of happened.”

She shook her head a few times, as more of the little puzzle pieces fell into place.

“Wait a minute. The food critic came the night before our camping trip.”

“Yeah.”

“And that whole day—that wholeweek—you were sending me all those flirty, sweet text messages.” She pointed an accusing finger at him. “And you turned right around and had sex with someone else.”

“Yes.”

She slumped backward into the couch, crossed her legs away from him, and stared at her purse.

“Sammie—”

“What?” she barked, not looking at him.

“I’m sorry. I can’t even tell you how sorry I am. I was just not a good person.” He placed a hand on her shoulder and she shrugged, not wanting him to touch her. Probably for the first time ever.

“Sammie, please say something.”

She flipped her eyelashes again. “What do you want me to say?”

“I don’t know. Anything.”

“Well, I don’t know what there is to say.”

She shrugged again, feeling a headache coming on as ten million thoughts raced through her mind.

Was she overreacting to this? They weren’t even together.And they definitely weren’t at that point. Did she have any right to be mad? Because she was definitely mad.

“I mean,” she went on, trying to verbally express the mess of emotions storming inside her. “I’d known you all of a few days at that point so it’s not like you cheated on me.”

She huffed quietly and flipped her fingers in the air.

“I don’t even know why you’re apologizing. It doesn’t matter—”

“It matters because it was an awful thing to do, and I’ve hurt you, and that’s the last thing I’d ever want to do.”

She kept her mouth shut while she clenched and released her jaw repeatedly.

“Sammie.”

Clench, release, clench, release, clench, release.

“Sammie, please—”

“Pleasewhat?”she hissed, finally turning to look at him and crossing her arms over her chest. “What do you want me to say you?”

His eyebrows lifted. “Just—”