And hearing him say that—it was as painful as when I’d said it to Mira. The verbalization of it made it so real. So final.
Celia seemed overjoyed with the news. “Am I supposed to be sad?”
“Why would I expect that? That was your intended outcome, after all.” He moved forward, out of my sightline. Then there was another creak of furniture. He’d sat in the chair across from her, I guessed.
I struggled with listening to them talk as I debated with myself—should I scurry to the other side of the doorframe? If he came back to the bar, I’d be better hidden. But if one of them went to the guest bathroom, then I’d be easily seen.
“No,” Celia said, “my intended outcome was that she’d go crazy after your break-up and end up back in her psycho obsession mode.”
I decided to stay put.
“Well, that’s not happening. She’s stronger than you thought.”
And yet, there I was, hiding in Hudson’s bedroom because I’d done exactly as predicted and gone stalker. It crushed me that he could believe otherwise—that he had no understanding of how much he could break me. Did he not get what he’d meant to me?
If he didn’t understand, Celia did. Perhaps it was a female thing. “Maybe. I’m not sure I agree. How long ago was this breakup?”
“A few days now.”
“Oh, give it time. She’ll be back. That girl was head over heels for you. She’s not walking away that easily. Not that type.”
I cringed at the accuracy with which she was describing me. It would fuel me to be strong, I decided. Otherwise, she’d win. Technically, she’d already won—I was here, after all. But if she didn’t know, then she couldn’t take it as a victory, right?
“Celia, stop it.” Hudson’s sharp command drew my attention.
“Are you still sticking to the story that you’re in love with her?”
Her question made my hair stand on end. He’d told her that he loved me…did that mean there’d really been some truth to it?
He didn’t answer her verbally, but his expression must have been in the affirmative because Celia scoffed. “That’s ridiculous, Hudson. You’ve never loved anyone. It’s not in your nature. You’re fascinated with her for some godforsaken reason. But it’s not love.”
“What do you know about love?” He’d never spoke so harshly in my presence.
She laughed again. “Everything you taught me—it’s a fleeting emotion that can be manipulated and fabricated. It’s not real. It’s never real.”
“It’s time you found another teacher. I no longer believe any of that.”
I drew my knees into my chest. He believed in love now—because of me? The discovery tugged at my heart, begging me to reexamine the status of our relationship. Oh, how I wanted to fasten myself to his love. Wanted to turn it into a chance for us to be together.
But I couldn’t. His deceit was too great. It didn’t matter that he fell in love. It was deserved. His just rewards. His karma.
“Maybe I should be the teacher for a while,” Celia suggested. “It’s time to change up the game anyway.”
There was a sound of ice rattling—Hudson shaking his glass, perhaps. Then a pause while he swallowed. “I don’t want to play anymore, Celia.”
“You said that before with Stacy. And you ended up coming around.”
“That was all your game. I gave you a make-out session. That’s all. And it wasn’t for you, it was for her. I don’t know the extent you played with her, but it was time you were done. I knew that the kiss would end it.”
“Are you trying to convince me you had feelings for Stacy too?”
“You were using my name to fuck with my sister’s assistant. It was going to come back and bite me in the ass eventually. And she was a nice girl. She didn’t deserve it.”
Their words had come fast, one statement on top of another.
Now they paused as Hudson perhaps took another swallow of his drink. Then he said, “Those are the only reasons I resorted to helping you with that.”
His words hung in the air. They sunk over me slowly. They pissed me off. I didn’t want to think of him as the hero of that situation, of any situation. So he’d participated in the scam to help Stacy. There were other ways he could have helped her. It wasn’t enough to redeem him.
I heard the creak of the couch—maybe just Celia leaning forward, but I tensed, afraid she was on the move again.
But there wasn’t any sound of footsteps, just her speaking, “And why did you agree to the Alayna game? Don’t tell me that was an excuse to be with her.”