Page 86 of The Fire

Brian’s voice came closer, and before I could move—though, like, where the fuck was I gonna go? And why should I have had to move anyway?—he stepped out of the kitchen and spotted me.

“Oh,” he said. Then he spotted my shirt, which was obviously Jamie’s shirt, and said again, more loudly, “Oh.”

“Fuck.” Jamie stopped in the doorway and hung his head, rubbing a hand over his forehead. With the other hand, he gestured between me and Brian. “Uh, Brian, this is Parker. Parker, Brian.”

“I know,” Brian and I said at the same time… which could have been funny, but wasn’t.

Not even a little.

“Well, isn't this cozy?” Brian said, folding his arms over his chest. “So many things are suddenly crystal clear. Like, why you suddenly broke up with me when things between us had never been better.”

“Brian,” Jamie said, shaking his head. “That’s just not true. None of it.”

Brian narrowed his eyes at Jamie. “You’re saying you didn’t have feelings for him while we were together?”

“I… no,” Jamie said, darting a glance at me. “No. This all started after we broke up.”

I snorted.Like, ten minutes after.

Jamie gave me a look that said I wasn’t helping. “Parker and I… We have history. You know this.”

“Of course I know about yourhistory,” Brian put his fingers up in air quotes. “The whole town knows about your history. Butyoutold me two years ago that you and Parker were done. That you’d been kids. That you didn’t love him anymore! Was that a lie?”

I turned to Jamie and tilted my head to the side.Tell him, I tried to tell Jamie telepathically.Tell him it’s always been me. Tell him.

“It wasn’t alie,” Jamie said instead, and I tried to tell myself I wasn’t disappointed. “I didn’t… I just… I was angry at Parker for a long time, and—”

“Angry?” Brian demanded. “Why, if you were done with him? If you were just kids?”

“Yeah, good question, Brian.” And one Jamie really hadn’t answered. “You wanted me to leave town. Youtoldme to go. For altruistic purposes,” I explained to Brian. “So I could befree.”

Brian rolled his eyes, and I nodded. He got me.

“Yeah, I did,” Jamie allowed. “But—”

“But?”

Jamie hesitated. “Forget it.”

“Forget it?” I exchanged an incredulous glance with Brian. “It’s like you don’t know me at all,” I told Jamie.

“Seriously,” Brian said. “When, in the history of forgetting things, has anyone ever told someone to forget something and had them forget it? How would that even work?”

“Thank you.” I pointed at Brian and nodded, then glared at Jamie. “Why the fuck were you angry at me?”

“I wasn’t angry.”

“You just said you were,” Brian pointed out.

“Damn it.” Jamie searched the ceiling for patience. “Angry’s not the right word. I was… upset. Because—”

“Yes?” I encouraged.

“Because—”

“We’re waiting,” Brian said.

“For fuck’s sake! I was upset because youwent,” Jamie finally exploded.