Which was just as bad.
“Did you come here to gloat?” he snapped before she could say a word. He tipped the tequila bottle in a mock toast. “Well, come in, Lex, let’s hear it.”
She looked stricken as she followed him into the living room. “You’re drinking. You never drink.”
“I’m not drinking—yet.” To punctuate the comment, he lifted the bottle to his lips and took a long swallow. The alcohol burned its way down to his gut.
“Nate,” she started, awkwardly leaning against the arm of the couch. “I’m sorry about the email. I was considering not forwarding it to you, but…I figured you needed to know.”
Lexie was just a regular old Nancy Drew, wasn’t she? The irony of all this didn’t escape him. Six months ago, Lexie had been the one to clue him in about Evelyn, and now she’d done it again, revealing that Charlotte too had played him for a fool.
“You’re not sorry,” he said with a harsh laugh. “This is what you wanted from the start.”
“That’s not true—”
“Yes, it is. You were trying to find a way to get rid of Charlotte from the second she got back to town.” He chugged some more tequila. “Well, you did it. Charlotte is gone. Me and her are through. You have me all to yourself now, baby.”
Shock filled her delicate features. “I was just trying to look out for you,” she protested.
“Yeah, fucking right. You were jealous that Charlotte had taken some of my attention away from you.” His fingers curled over the neck of the bottle, squeezing the glass tight. “But you know, Lex, you didn’t need to be jealous. I’m still your friend. I’ll always be your friend. And I would have stayed your friend even if I was with Charlotte.”
“How is this about me?” she sputtered. “She’s the one who was plotting your demise.”
The reminder made his stomach clench. “Yep, she was, and I ended it. So, yay, we’re all winners, aren’t we?”
A strained silence stretched between them. He knew he was taking out his hurt and anger on Lexie, but a part of him blamed her for this entire mess. She’d sat there in his backyard, listening to him lay his feelings on the line—something he never did. He’d told her how he felt about Charlotte, and instead of supporting him as a friend should, Lexie had sprinted off, looking for a way to destroy his happiness. Then again, if she hadn’t forwarded him the email, he would have never known what Charlotte was up to. Although, right about now, he kinda wished he were still in the dark. Anything beat this heart-wrenching pain assaulting every inch of his body.
“I actually thought we had a second chance,” he found himself mumbling. Another sip of tequila, this one searing his throat. “I thought we had a future.”
“Nate…” She moved closer and cupped his chin with her hands. “I really am sorry.”
“Yeah, me too.” He swallowed. “I was happy again, Lex. When Charlotte left town all those years ago, she took a part of me with her. The things I said to her… Christ, you can’t imagine how badly I ended it. I just…wanted her to live her dreams, y’know? But even though I knew it was the right thing to do, I was still empty.”
He shrugged Lexie’s hands off him and lost himself in some more tequila. When he met his friend’s eyes, he saw the sympathy and remorse flickering there. “I don’t think I’ll ever love anyone else,” he said roughly. “And now she’s gone again, and I’m pretty sure I’m going to be alone for the rest of my life. I know I can’t be with her after the way she lied to me, but I can’t live without her either. How fucked up is that?”
Lexie didn’t say anything. Instead, she just sighed and grabbed the bottle from his hands, taking a long swallow of her own. She winced afterward then handed it back to him. “Maybe…” Her voice wobbled. “Maybe we’re just destined to be alone.”
“Yeah, maybe,” he muttered. Biting the inside of his cheek, he met her eyes and exhaled a heavy breath. “Now, if you don’t mind, I want to get started on that. The being alone thing.”
With a sad nod, Lexie leaned up on her tiptoes and brushed her lips over his cheek. Then she let out a breath of her own and walked out of the room.
Lexie’s heart ached like crazy as she killed the engine of her BMW and stared at the dark, sprawling house up ahead. The irony of the location didn’t escape her. Her house sat proudly on the former land of the woman she’d always considered an enemy. The woman who’d purposefully come to town with the intention of hurting Lexie’s best friend.