Cupid's Guide to Murder

Chapter 12: Broken Hearts

I immediately backed away, swallowing. "Nat —"

"What the hell?" Her watery eyes looked directly into mine, and I could see the accusation and confusion on her face. She turned from me to Griffin, lip curling.

"I can't believe I was going to sleep with you tonight. You're so disgusting."

Griffin looked at me with a pained expression, and I shook my head, my stomach sinking, realizing what had happened.

Would the two of them be together now if I hadn't come with him?

"And you?" She turned to me, laughing cruelly. "You're a cheating slut."

I stared at her, stunned, and she shook her head, laughing drily.

"You act like this amazing do-gooder, but you're just a lying bitch."

My mouth dropped open. Natasha had never talked to me that way — no one had.

Griffin stepped forward, his voice low. "Natasha, stop. Don't talk to her that way." Even though he defended me, I didn't want him to say anything. He was making it worse. She turned around and ran out, practically tripping over the carpet. It only made her cry more.

"I have to go make sure she's okay," I said. Before I could go, Griffin grabbed my arm.

"Haven, I'm sorry —"

"Let me go." My voice came out so sharply that he immediately dropped my arm from his grasp, looking at me desperately. As much as I hated to admit it, I was angry that I had hurt Natasha, but I was also mad that Griffin hadn't felt anything real for me. If I hadn't come here in time, the two of them might've been already hooking up. Which meant I had been nothing but a distraction, a pawn.

"What?" I snapped. "You're sorry that you were going to hook up with her and just invited me here because you didn't know if she'd come? You haven't changed at all, Griffin."

His face hardened. "That's not true. I didn't know Natasha felt that way about me, and I didn't call you here with those intentions. Everything I said to you, I meant."

"Okay, well, I'm sorry, but we have no way to prove that, right? I almost cheated on my boyfriend, who loves me, who's probably waiting downstairs for me right now. And I might lose my best friend because of a stupid guy!" I was angry at him and myself now.

"A stupid guy." Griffin was laughing, but he wasn't, really. A storm of emotions raced behind his intense, dark eyes. "So, our friendship means nothing to you, and I'm just some stupid guy. That's great, Haven."

I was messing up with everyone. I crossed my arms across my chest, taking a deep breath. "You mean nothing to me, Griffin, so why don't you leave me the hell alone?" As soon as the words were out, I wished I could take them back.

"If I mean nothing to you, then why'd you come here in the first place?" His voice was so low that I almost missed what he said. "You know, I thought you were different — you saw past what people acted like. But you're the type of person I stay away from for a reason."

"You have no right to tell me who I am." I met his gaze, swallowing past the lump in my throat even though I had just done the same thing to him.

How did the night get so bad?

"Get out of my room, Haven."

I swallowed, the fight in me draining away. It wasn't his fault, not really. I had been just as guilty in almost kissing him, and I didn't mean when I said I didn't care about him.

Natasha was right; I was a liar.

Because part of me hated Griffin Keely.

And the other part of me knew it wasn't hate.