Chapter 46: : Chapter 46

“You can finish that tomorrow, Ser. You’ve been working late four days in a row now.”

I look up at Theo, a dull ache keeping me from smiling when all I want to do is put up a front and pretend I’m not breaking. “I know. I just need to write a report on the changes I’ve made to our design, and then I’ll go home.”

He leans against my desk, his eyes roaming over my face. “What’s wrong?”

My lips part, but I can’t find the right words to describe what the last few days have been like. Watching Archer cater to Tyra has slowly broken my heart, each kind action toward her creating another chasm, each smile wounding me further. I’m trying my best not to be jealous, to be understanding of her circumstances and needs, but I can’t help it. Each time she reaches for him, her arms wrapping around his waist, I fight the urge to stake my claim, to pull him away and tell him to look only at me. Every night, I lie in his bed, knowing he’s lying next to her in my makeshift art studio. It’s tearing me apart, and there isn’t a single thing I can do about it.

“I’m fine,” I tell him, unable to meet his eyes. Work seems to be the only part of my life that hasn’t changed, and I’ve thrown myself into it. I’m craving some normalcy, and the office is the only place I can find it—and only because Archer hasn’t been coming in for more than an hour or so a day. He’s barely left Tyra’s side, and I’ve done my best not to think about it too much.

Theo places his finger underneath my chin and tips my face up, forcing me to look at him. “You’re not fine,” he says, a deep ache shining in his eyes. “Not even remotely.”

I watch as he reaches for my mouse and turns my computer off, before grabbing my purse.

“Come on,” he tells me. “Let’s go for a walk and get some ice cream. There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you anyway.”

He offers me his hand, and I stare at it for a moment before placing my palm in his. Theo grins at me and pulls me out of my chair, his arm wrapping around my shoulders as we walk to the exit.

“Serenity?”

My entire body tenses when we find Archer and Ezra standing in front of the elevators, my heart overflowing with longing at the sight of Archer dressed in my favorite navy three-piece suit. His expression hardens when Theo pulls me closer, pure possessiveness flickering through his eyes. My stomach tightens when his jaw locks, something passing between us. This is what I miss most—the intimacy, that look in his eyes reminding me that I’m his.

“Where are you guys headed?” Ezra asks, his expression one I’m not familiar with. Intrigue, perhaps?

Theo turns his head to look at me, and all of a sudden, I realize how close his face is to mine. It’s something I’d gotten used to before he started dating Kristen, but for months now, we’ve kept our distance. “Taking Ser out for ice cream,” he says, grinning at me. “One way or another, I’m going to put a real smile on her face today because I have yet to see one.” He turns back to look at Ezra. “Don’t expect her home until I’ve accomplished my mission.”

Archer tenses and begins to tap his foot the moment we enter the elevator, but he doesn’t look at me. Instead, he just stares at the floor, his expression unreadable. There are no silent pleas not to go, no attempts to keep me from Theo.

Ezra glances at Archer and throws me a sweet smile. “All right. Have fun, then,” he says as the doors open.

I take one final look at Archer, unsure what exactly I’m looking for, and then I follow Theo out, my heart uneasy. He told me nothing would change between us, but everything has. How could it not?

“So what has it been like, living with Archer?” I look up in surprise, and Theo smiles ruefully. “Ezra told me. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me. It hurts how much we’ve grown apart in a matter of months, Ser.”

“I’m sorry,” I murmur as we walk into one of my favorite ice cream shops, the one Archer bought for me. I almost expected it to be closed, like it is every time Theo and I try to visit, but it’s open today. “I’ve just had a lot going on, and we haven’t really had a chance to properly catch up.” The burst pipe and us moving in with Archer barely registers in light of everything that’s going on with Tyra. There’s so much he doesn’t know, and I’m not sure where I’d even begin to explain.

He sighs and lets go of me as we sit down. “I can hardly blame you since I haven’t even told you that Kristen and I broke up three weeks ago. She moved out and went back home.”

I freeze and look up. “What?”

Theo nods, his gaze roaming over my face. “I’ve been meaning to tell you, but each time I tried to take you out to dinner, something came up and you canceled.”

I reach for him, my hands wrapping around his arms. “I’m so sorry, Theo. Are you okay?”

He looks into my eyes, and that expression…it’s one I’ve seen in Archer’s eyes often. It’s longing. “It wasn’t at all what it seemed. I tried, but she and I…we just weren’t meant to be.”

The server takes our order, and we both fall silent when she walks away. I’m not quite sure what to do or say. I don’t want to pry, and I’m not sure how to console him. “I’m really sorry it didn’t work out,” I tell him, my voice soft. “Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?”

“Yes,” he says, reaching for my hand. “There’s something I need to ask you, and I need you to answer me honestly.”

I nod, nerves buzzing through me. “What is it?”

“There’s something she said when we ended things, and it just got me thinking. Kristen told me she realized that what she wanted was a version of me that wouldn’t ever belong to anyone but you. She told me she fell for a part of me I’d never give her because she isn’t you, and it became clear to her that no one could ever take your place in my heart. She was tired of coming second to you when you weren’t even in the room.”

The words hit me hard, and my heart begins to ache when I realize I made Kristen feel the way Tyra is making me feel. The parallels feel like some kind of bad karma, and I smile humorlessly. I couldn’t maintain my friendship with Kristen after I found out she went after Theo despite knowing how I feel about him, so what does that mean for Tyra and me? If she finds out, I won’t just hurt her. I’ll lose her.

Theo squeezes my hand and sighs. “Before she left, there’s one thing she asked…Kristen asked me to really think about why I never fully gave her a chance and why you distanced yourself the moment we started dating, why it seemed like you didn’t want to be around us, almost like you didn’t want to see us together.”

My heart begins to beat a little faster, my stomach tightening nervously. “I…I distanced myself because I didn’t want to stand between you two, Theo. I didn’t want our friendship to affect your relationship.”

He places his free hand over our joined hands, pulling them to his chest, his eyes on mine. “Is that all it was, Serenity? Or were we both just too scared to face our feelings?”