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I covered my face, and cussed the hot tears as they ran down my temples and into an had asked me if I’d ever been in love with two men I didn’t know at the time that I already was Two men who couldn’t be more different, and yet were so alike Both lovable, and insufferable, but for co with me, I climbed from the bed and walked around TJ’s tidy town house It looked staged, as if no one really lived there I suppose for the most part, no one did A few silver square fra room wall They contained black-and-white photos of TJ as a child, with his siblings, his parents, and one of hi my first visit

The television was black, the reht on an end table I wondered if he even had cable He’d rarely have enough downti Stone sat on top of the glass coffee table, spread apart like a hand of cards I picked one up and flipped through it, suddenly feeling restless and bored Why had I come? To prove to myself that I loved TJ? Or that I didn’t?

The couch barely gave when I sat down It was light gray, tweed, with brown leather piping The fabric felt itchy against my back The space had a completely different feel to it compared to the last ti The view froical; TJ’s brand of perfection wasn’t as ed all of that Suddenly it was okay to want messy, and flaws, and uncertainty, soI saw in ht I didn’t like Because even if ere struggling, we had goals It didn’t matter that eren’t there yet What mattered is that we both experienced setbacks, and full-blown failures, but we got up, brushed ourselves off, and kept going--and werethe best of it Trenton didn’t justthere fun Instead of feeling ashaoing, and ould overco s, looking down at the street below Trenton had found out what I was up to, raced to the airport, and begged me to stay If I was the one on the other side of the security ropes, would I forgive hi rejected and alone on his drive ho my eyes As I stood in the perfect place owned by the perfect hter aroundtattoo artist I’d left behind

I had spentmy first day of freedohteen years, wishes were spent on tomorrow But for the first tio back in time

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

I SAID I WAS SORRY," T J SAID, STARING AT ME FROM UNDER his brow

"I’m not upset"

"You’re a little upset"

"No I’ a piece of my Marinated Steak Salad around on my plate

"You don’t like the salad?"

"No, I do," I said, acutely aware of my facial expressions and everyto prove I wasn’t pouting TJ didn’t get hoht thirty, and he didn’t text or call the entire time Not even when he was on his way home

"Want to try so his Alaskan Sea Bass, but pushed his plate forward I shooks, and it had nothing to do with TJ

We were at a corner table, against the far wall of TJ’s favorite neighborhood restaurant, Brooklyn Girl The gray walls and simple but modern décor looked a lot like his apart

TJ sighed and sat back against his chair "This isn’t going hoanted at all" He leaned forward, putting his elbows on the table "I work fifty hours a week, Camille I just don’t have tieworthy sentence for hi I barely see ?"

"It’s looking nment moves forward"

I offered a small s hours I kneouldn’t see youacross the table forevery time you decide you want to seeFor whatever reason, he was aain to poke at my salad with the fork "He came to the airport"

"Trenton?"

I nodded