apologized to her for anything. In all fairness, he wasn’t really to blame here. He’d already had a rotten surprise today and now he had to deal with her moody self. So snap out of it! she told herself.
She turned to face him. “You don’t have to apologize. I’m not mad at you, Cian. I’m sorry I rushed out like that.”
Cian felt a wave of relief wash over him. Thank god, she was at least speaking to him.
“I am sorry. I behaved like a jerk. I know how you feel… . about me, that you don’t like me at all. I shouldn’t have been so flippant like that.”
Skye felt remorse that she had made him feel like that. It wasn’t his fault that she wasn’t a sociable person. He shouldn’t have to pay for it.
“No.” She took a deep breath. “No. I don’t not like you. I’m sorry for giving you that impression. I don’t know how you managed it, with all our fights and my foul moods,” she accepted that wryly, “but I guess we are somewhat friends.”
He looked at her, shocked. Had she said what he’d thought she’d just said? Maybe he was dreaming. “Did hell just freeze over? Who are you and what did you do with the real Skye?”
She gave him a bland stare. “Very funny.”
“It’s just I don’t think I heard you right. Did you say you liked me, actually liked me and called me a friend ?”
“I said I don’t ‘not’ like you and we are ‘somewhat’ friends. I didn’t say I liked you nor did I call you a friend. Don’t let it go to your head, okay?”
He chuckled. He should have known. Everything with her was a contradiction. “There’s the Skye I know.” And love. He felt as if a weight had lifted off his chest, that he could breathe easier now. Maybe his love for her wasn’t such a lost cause.
“Okay, now that we’ve made up, let’s eat. I brought our share of the pizza.”
He had brought her food? “You didn’t have to do that.”
“Yes, I did. After all, you left because of me. And you don’t have to worry about us acting like a couple. Thank you for what you did for me back there. But we are not going to do it. Doesn’t matter what Vanessa and Alastor think. So don’t worry about it.”
Relief and guilt and disappointment warred inside of her. She should be doing cartwheels that he was letting her off the hook. So why wasn’t she happy? And what was that about feeling disappointment ? Why would she be disappointed? Skye frowned at her thoughts.
“It’s my fault they think we’re going out and we can’t give Vanessa and Alastor the satisfaction of having humiliated you. So I’ll just pretend to be your girlfriend. When you find a new one, you can just pretend-dump me.”
Cian goggled at her. She couldn’t be serious, could she? But from her earnest expression, he could see she was perfectly serious. Pretending to be his girlfriend when he wanted her as his actual girlfriend? Talk about pure torture.
“I don’t need a pretend girlfriend to irritate Vanessa and Alastor, okay? Subject closed. Now, let’s eat.”
Skye wouldn’t drop it though. “But you can’t do that!”
Okay, she was testing his patience. “I told you, you don’t have to do it. So just forget about it, okay?”
“But you can’t give in to Vanessa and Alastor! I told you I’d do it. It’s okay.”
Cian exploded. “No, it’s not okay! Do you even know what you’re talking about? As a pretend girlfriend, you’ll have to kiss me and hug me in public and go on dates and act all loving, especially to rub it in their faces.”
Skye froze. Kiss him? Hug him?
He gave her a shrewd look. “Didn’t think of that, did you?”
She gulped. “I can do it.”
He looked at her in disbelief. “You can’t even bear to touch me!”
“That’s not true.”
“I saw you wipe your hand after holding mine. You think I don’t know you can’t bear to touch me?”
That’s what he’d thought? Skye was shocked. “No, that’s not it. That’s not why I… .” She couldn’t tell
She turned to face him. “You don’t have to apologize. I’m not mad at you, Cian. I’m sorry I rushed out like that.”
Cian felt a wave of relief wash over him. Thank god, she was at least speaking to him.
“I am sorry. I behaved like a jerk. I know how you feel… . about me, that you don’t like me at all. I shouldn’t have been so flippant like that.”
Skye felt remorse that she had made him feel like that. It wasn’t his fault that she wasn’t a sociable person. He shouldn’t have to pay for it.
“No.” She took a deep breath. “No. I don’t not like you. I’m sorry for giving you that impression. I don’t know how you managed it, with all our fights and my foul moods,” she accepted that wryly, “but I guess we are somewhat friends.”
He looked at her, shocked. Had she said what he’d thought she’d just said? Maybe he was dreaming. “Did hell just freeze over? Who are you and what did you do with the real Skye?”
She gave him a bland stare. “Very funny.”
“It’s just I don’t think I heard you right. Did you say you liked me, actually liked me and called me a friend ?”
“I said I don’t ‘not’ like you and we are ‘somewhat’ friends. I didn’t say I liked you nor did I call you a friend. Don’t let it go to your head, okay?”
He chuckled. He should have known. Everything with her was a contradiction. “There’s the Skye I know.” And love. He felt as if a weight had lifted off his chest, that he could breathe easier now. Maybe his love for her wasn’t such a lost cause.
“Okay, now that we’ve made up, let’s eat. I brought our share of the pizza.”
He had brought her food? “You didn’t have to do that.”
“Yes, I did. After all, you left because of me. And you don’t have to worry about us acting like a couple. Thank you for what you did for me back there. But we are not going to do it. Doesn’t matter what Vanessa and Alastor think. So don’t worry about it.”
Relief and guilt and disappointment warred inside of her. She should be doing cartwheels that he was letting her off the hook. So why wasn’t she happy? And what was that about feeling disappointment ? Why would she be disappointed? Skye frowned at her thoughts.
“It’s my fault they think we’re going out and we can’t give Vanessa and Alastor the satisfaction of having humiliated you. So I’ll just pretend to be your girlfriend. When you find a new one, you can just pretend-dump me.”
Cian goggled at her. She couldn’t be serious, could she? But from her earnest expression, he could see she was perfectly serious. Pretending to be his girlfriend when he wanted her as his actual girlfriend? Talk about pure torture.
“I don’t need a pretend girlfriend to irritate Vanessa and Alastor, okay? Subject closed. Now, let’s eat.”
Skye wouldn’t drop it though. “But you can’t do that!”
Okay, she was testing his patience. “I told you, you don’t have to do it. So just forget about it, okay?”
“But you can’t give in to Vanessa and Alastor! I told you I’d do it. It’s okay.”
Cian exploded. “No, it’s not okay! Do you even know what you’re talking about? As a pretend girlfriend, you’ll have to kiss me and hug me in public and go on dates and act all loving, especially to rub it in their faces.”
Skye froze. Kiss him? Hug him?
He gave her a shrewd look. “Didn’t think of that, did you?”
She gulped. “I can do it.”
He looked at her in disbelief. “You can’t even bear to touch me!”
“That’s not true.”
“I saw you wipe your hand after holding mine. You think I don’t know you can’t bear to touch me?”
That’s what he’d thought? Skye was shocked. “No, that’s not it. That’s not why I… .” She couldn’t tell