His at Night (His #1)

Chapter 19 : Mr. Honest

AAAND I'M BACK WITH ANOTHER CHAPTER! Enjoy!

''Can I ask you a question?''

Braden nods, his expression careful. He didn't comment on my previous statement and an uncomfortable silence fell on us, but there are still things that have been bothering me for some time.

''Have you ever been in love?'' I hold my breath, waiting for his reaction.

He drops the fork on the plate with a loud thud and stares at me. ''This subject is not up for discussion.'' His tone is so dismissive that in any other situation I would drop it, but damn it, I hate when every time I ask him something, he doesn't answer truthfully.

I stare back at him. ''It was a simple question, Braden. A yes or no,'' I say sulkily, not liking his tone.

He sighs and looks completely lost for a moment. I wonder if I went too far with the question. I surely hope not, because it's a simple question. I can ask a guy this question when I'm sleeping with him, or not?

''Yes,'' he simply says and I exhale the breath I realise I've been holding the whole time. I guess his answer should make me happy that I know something more about him, that he chose to share that simple information. But it fills me with dread because Braden has loved someone before. And I damn hope that woman knew how lucky she was to be loved by a man like Braden.

I nod my head, but I don't look at him. I can't. There are so many emotions swirling inside me. ''Do you still love her?'' I ask quietly. Truthfully, I don't know what I'll do if he answers that positively. But I need to know the answer.

''Rory,'' Braden warns and by the roughness of his tone, I guess he's gritting his teeth together and his jaw is clenched. So my question brought anger out of him. What does that mean?

Shit. My eyes become watery. I lift them and Braden's expression immediately soften. ''Do you?'' I ask again. Please don't be in love with someone else ...

Braden stares at me for long seconds that seem like an eternity. But he finally exhales and a, ''No,'' comes under his breath, filling me with so much relief. ''I don't love anyone.''

''Oh.'' I stare at the table again. ''But you surely love your sister?''

His lips curl. ''Of course. But that's a different kind of love.'' He smiles that ruthless smile that makes my stomach roll. ''I'm not capable of loving anymore, Rory. I'm sure we discussed it before.'' He cocks his head to the side, his expression unreadable.

''Yes, you already told me that before. You don't have to remind me.'' There's a hurt in my voice, but what can I do? His words did hurt. I knew he wouldn't ever love me when we started this kind of arrangement, but hell, I don't need a reminder. I keep reminding myself that often enough.

''Have you ever been in love?'' Braden returns the question, making me freeze in my seat.

I gulp the unwanted saliva in my mouth. ''Uh ...'' I guess a few weeks ago, I would answer that question as a yes without any doubt. But now ... now that I know Braden – have I ever been truly in love? Not that I'm in love with Braden, but my feelings are running deep for him. I must've been blind and deaf if they didn't. ''I don't know,'' I answer, shrugging. I play with the food on my plate, thinking about my answer, feeling Braden's eyes burn into me. ''I guess in that moment I thought I was in love, but I guess it wasn't a true love. Not really.''

''You broke up with your boyfriend before you moved in with Brooke. Can I ask why?''

I lift my eyes, looking Braden straight into the eyes while I give him an answer, not missing a beat. ''He cheated on me.''