AJ stiffened. “Yeah?”
He nodded. “I…” The confession shuddered out on a shaky exhale. “I slept with Darcy.”
Dead silence crashed over the cold room.
Silence that went on and on and on, until Reed released a frustrated expletive.
“Did you hear what I said?”
“I heard you.” AJ’s voice didn’t contain an ounce of emotion. Not even a twinge of anger.
Reed waited, knowing he should probably offer a more detailed explanation, feed his friend excuses, apologies, pleas, but his vocal cords refused to cooperate. He watched AJ’s face, trying to make sense of that shuttered expression, but he truly had no idea what his best friend was thinking.
And he certainly didn’t expect what AJ said next.
“Are you two dating now?”
Discomfort constricted his chest. “Ah…no. Not really. I mean, I…I wanted to talk to you first. “
AJ nodded, then picked up the case of Bud Light he’d set on the floor. He heaved it on the counter and proceeded to pull longnecks out of the crate. Keeping his back to Reed the entire time. “I can’t say I’m very surprised.”
Well, that made one of them. Because Reed was downright shocked.
“That’s it? You’re not going to kick my ass to next week?” He let out an incredulous curse. “I slept with your ex-girlfriend, man. We both know I deserve a beating for that.”
AJ glanced over with a wry look. “We both know you’ve wanted to do it for months. I guess I should commend you for at least waiting until we were broken up before you made a move.”
Bile coated his throat. He choked it down, wondering if the suffocating guilt would ever go away. His friend’s impassive tone was like a knife to the heart. He would have preferred anger or accusations or a deadly right hook to the jaw. He wanted to shout at AJ to put down those damn bottles and come at him. God knew he’d deserve it.
“Jesus, Reed. Stop looking like your dog just died. Darcy and I are over. There’s no reason why the two of you can’t go out.” AJ’s light remark was too confusing to fathom.
And totally misguided, because Darcy didn’t want to go out with him. She wanted a fling and nothing more, which she’d reiterated to him when they’d parted ways at the school earlier.
Reed was no stranger to flings. He knew all about them, knew exactly how to maintain an appropriate distance, how to stop himself from revealing too much to the woman in his bed, how to keep her from thinking they could have something more than good old-fashioned fucking.
But he wasn’t sure he could do any of that with Darcy. Not when he’d been infatuated with her from the moment he’d laid eyes on her.
“I don’t understand why you’re not mad,” he said quietly.
For the first time since Reed had dropped his bomb, AJ conveyed some genuine emotion: annoyance.
“First off, would it make a difference if I was? Won’t change the fact that you slept with her, or that you’re planning on doing it again. So really, all I can do is accept the news like a grown-up.”
He swallowed a lump of self-loathing. “You’re a better man than me, then.”
AJ put down the beer bottle in his hand and shot Reed a resigned look. “Besides, you and Darcy make a lot more sense than she and I did.”
He blinked in surprise. “We do?”
“Yeah.” AJ shrugged. “A woman like her might be good for you. Someone sweet but strong, someone who won’t let you get away with any bullshit.”
Reed was absolutely floored. He’d always known AJ was the greatest person on the planet, but this went beyond that. This was…selflessness personified.
“I honestly don’t know what to say,” he said roughly.
“You don’t have to say anything.” In the next beat, AJ’s eyes took on an ominous light. “But you do need to know something else.”
Reed gulped.
“I still consider Darcy a good friend of mine. She’s an amazing woman, and she deserves a lot more than what you usually give women,” AJ said in a grave tone. “She’s not someone you can fuck and then discard.”
The indictment hurt. Reed couldn’t deny he’d played the field, but Christ, he’d never discarded anyone. The women he’d been with usually shared his mindset. They’d wanted no-strings sex, a temporary arrangement that gave both sides what they wanted before they parted ways.
When AJ noticed Reed’s upset expression, he cursed softly. “Sorry, that came out wrong. I know you’re not like that.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter, anyway,” he muttered. “She’s not interested in anything serious with me. Just a fling.”
AJ wrinkled his brow. “She told you that?”
“Loud and clear.”
“That’s weird. Darcy’s not a fling girl. I wonder why—”
“You know why,” Reed interrupted bitterly. “Because she thinks I’m a screw-up. I’m just a guy to pass the time with between the sheets, not someone she’d actually have a relationship with.” When AJ didn’t answer, Reed couldn’t help but bristle. “I guess you agree with her, then.”
“No. Not entirely. But you can’t deny that you don’t exactly have a good track record with relationships. Or with acting responsibly.”
Familiar feelings of remorse and inadequacy washed over him, triggering another jolt of bitterness. “You know, for someone who keeps saying how much I’ve changed, I’m not sure you really believe it.”
His friend met his hard gaze head on. “No, I’m not sure you believe it. You’re not the same man you were a few years ago—I can totally see it. But I don’t think you see it. Or maybe it’s that you don’t trust it. I don’t know. I’m not going to psychoanalyze you, Reed.” AJ sighed. “If you want more than a fling with Darcy, then prove to her that you’re not the screw-up she thinks you are. Either way, if you’re going to get involved with her, you need to treat her right. She deserves to be treated like a goddamn princess. She deserves… Everything.”
Hell, just when he thought things couldn’t get any more uncomfortable. Hearing AJ talk about Darcy like that only set off another bout of guilt.
“I won’t see her again. Just say the word.” Utter conviction rang in his voice. He meant what he’d said. He would gladly step aside if AJ asked him to.
But his friend shook his head. “I’m not saying I’m the one who wants to give her everything. Darcy and I are over.”
Reed groaned. “This is fucking ridiculous. We shouldn’t be standing around talking about this. Talking about her like she’s some kind of commodity to be traded between us.” He ran a hand through his hair, feeling like tearing it out by the roots. “I won’t see her again.”
Sighing, AJ went back to the counter. “I’m cool with it, okay? I’m not one of those assholes who subscribe to the whole ‘if I can’t have her, no one else can.’ Like I said, treat her right, and we won’t have a problem.”
Reed was torn. A part of him wanted to be a good friend and promise AJ he wouldn’t start something up with Darcy, but past experience proved that he had no willpower when it came to the woman.