Heart of Stone

Chapter Sixteen: Gentleman's Agreement

Although the nature of the questions had changed, my answer still tied into sex, and this time I wasn't quite so willing to open up.

"I think I preferred the sex questions." I chuckled, rearranging the armchair cushion behind my back.

At the moment, despite the deception, I held the moral high ground. At least in my head I did. Talking about my biggest regret risked skewing the balance.

"Go on," he said. "I won't judge."

"Well, you should."

He cocked his head and offered me a lopsided grin. "Fine. If it makes you feel better, I will judge. Happy?"

"Fine." I took a deep breath. "It was about a year ago. Becca's sister's birthday. We went back to her hometown to celebrate. There was a guy there called Grant. Becca had liked him for years, but he was her sister's friend, a bit older, and he'd said nothing could ever happen between them. Anyway, seeing him there made Becca remember the way he'd never returned her feelings. She went home with her ex. I stayed on. I must have drunk a lot because I woke up the next morning in bed with Grant and with no memory of how I'd got there."

Teddy regarded me with a bemused expression, as if trying to connect the dots. I'd laid it out as simply as possible. Key points only. Keeping to facts. Yet he seemed to struggle.

"So you slept with a guy who—"

"I don't know if I slept with him."

"You woke up in bed together and it's your biggest regret. I'd hazard a guess that you at least suspect you slept together?"

"Well, yeah. Maybe I should have asked him, but I was so mortified that I left before he woke up."

"You think someone spiked your drink?"

"Um, no. Probably not. I'd had one-night stands before, so it wasn't anything new for me. Nothing out of character. I just wish it hadn't been with a guy that Becca liked."

Lines etched into his forehead, Teddy averted his gaze across the cabin with his eyes glazed over as he absorbed my words.

"Is that why you don't drink?" He faced me again.

That was his question? Not how could you do that to your best friend?

"Sort of. There are other reasons. But yeah. Not drinking means I'm always in control of my actions. Any stupid decisions are on me, not alcohol. But do you get why I was hesitant about this?" I gestured between the two of us.

"Sure. But I got it before, too. Now it just makes more sense, I guess. But look, the guy wasn't into Becca—"

"That's not the point, Teddy—"

"Ed."

"—The point is that she liked him, and I went there. What kind of friend does that? With you it's different because you didn't know each other. She thought she knew you, but she didn't really, did she?"