Page 64 of Almost
Thalia’s been quiet since getting a phone call at dinner. I asked if she was okay, but she brushed it off, bringing up a nearby ice cream parlor before we came back to the beach.
I’m afraid to ask again because I don’t think I want to know if it was Eric.
She shifts in my arms, and I tighten my hold on her as we watch the sun start to set over the horizon. “Why do people bother getting married?” Thalia asks softly, her words almost swept away in the breeze coming off the water.
A lump quickly forms in my throat that I attempt to swallow, but my failed engagement is a pretty big pill after my previous proposal went poorly. “I think it has something to do with love. I’m not quite sure, though. Clearly, I’m not very good at it,” I try to joke, but it falls flat. Probably because it wasn’t very funny to begin with.
“Sorry, I wasn’t talking about your situation—I meant in general. What happens to people to make them realize one day that they want to spend their lives with that person forever, and then one day, the love is just gone.”
Thalia sounds like a huge cynic right now, and I run my fingers up and down her arm lazily. “Well…I think it should be less about the person they want to spend forever with, and more about who they can’t live without. At least that’s what Chris told me anyway when he asked why I was marrying Kiera. I was an ass to him when I should have listened to him,” I admit quietly. I probably owe him an apology phone call.
“I’m sorry, I’m bringing the mood down, and this isn’t how today was supposed to end. I just don’t understand why some people are together for sixty years and others aren’t.”
“It’s fine, Lia. I wish I had an answer for you, but I don’t,” I say, wondering what could have happened on that phone call to trigger this switch in her.
“Chris is moving to Charlotte. Allie filed for divorce yesterday. That’s who called.”
Oh fuck. I definitely owe Chris an apology. “What are they going to do about Henry?”
“He doesn’t know. Chris is going to try to get full custody, but it could get really messy for him,” Thalia says tiredly, and I feel for the guy. This is his kid and his marriage. I know almost half of the marriages in our country fail, but I didn’t know things were that bad for them. “It seemed like things were getting better. At least that’s what Chris was telling me anyway. I guess I just don’t know if I see the point anymore.”
I don’t want her to give up on love. I don’t want to give up on love. “I think the point is that you have someone unconditionally there for you. There’s no doubt, only love.”
“Did you love Kiera unconditionally at one point?”
“I wish I could say I did, but I think the only person I’ve ever loved unconditionally—in a romantic sense anyway—was you, Thalia.” There’s no point in leaving things unsaid between us. Honesty is the best way to go. I’m not ashamed of that part at all. I’m ashamed of the way I treated Lia, but I’ll never be ashamed of loving her.
Thalia shifts to look back at me, the glow of the sun behind her head casts her in an ethereal light. “Do you mean that?”
“Have I ever lied to you?” I’ve withheld plenty of things, but never lied.
She shakes her head shortly before leaning up to press her lips gingerly against mine. I don’t dare move in case I spook her, but once she pulls away, I watch her face carefully to see what she’s thinking.
“What was that for?” I ask as Thalia pulls away from me to stand up. I follow her lead, wiping the sand off my legs.
She shrugs meekly. “Because I wanted to. Shit, I didn’t realize how late it had gotten.”
I pull my phone out to check the time, doing the math in my head. “There’s a hotel right across the street that we can stay in?” I suggest, and Thalia hesitates for a moment.
“We’ll leave first thing in the morning,” she says, mustering a smile.
Me and Thalia in a hotel room? Sounds like a recipe for disaster when it comes to our plan to be friends.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Thalia
I BLINK RAPIDLY, my mouth growing dry at the sight of a single king-size bed, as opposed to the two queen beds we were told would be here. I already kissed him on the beach; there’s no hope of me making it through the night in the same bed as Sebastian fucking Walker.
I should have insisted we drive back, but after an early morning, spending the day swimming, and the emotional turmoil I feel about Chris’s divorce, I’m tired. Hopefully that means I’m too tired to get myself into any kind of trouble.
“I’ll call down and see if they can switch us to a different room,” Sebastian says after a few moments of awkward silence. The last thing I want is to draw any more attention to Sebastian, so I shake my head.
“You don’t need to do that. It’s late; we’ll make it work. I’ll take the couch, and you can have the bed,” I offer because I’ll fit a lot easier on the couch than Sebastian will.
It doesn’t look uncomfortable, but Bash is appalled by my suggestion. “No. You’ll take the bed, and I’ll sleep on the couch.”
“That’s ridiculous. You’re huge; there’s no way you’ll fit.”