Anger and annoyance made for a volatile cocktail. I glared at Xander. “In sixteen years, I haven’t told a bloody soul what happened that night. I’m not going to start now. I’ve been with Gemma since we were kids, and I’ve never told her. This isn’t about that night, Xander.”

He sat forward with a thunk of his chair. “I saw you Friday night, Lex. I watched you dance with her. Hell, you’re lucky I was the only one who saw you. Did you tell her about Gemma?”

The heat of shame pricked. I needed to tell her, but I needed to figure out what we were to each other first. “No need to. It was just a dance. She’s a friend, and that’s all. I’m not going to stay away from her just because you tell me to.”

Xander stood with his hands planted on his desk. “I’ve never seen you look like that. I caught the whole damn sex-dance on film, and I felt like I was intruding on a couple in love.”

Xander had it on film? It took sheer force of will not to ask to see the pictures from that night. “She’s a friend. That’s it.”

“You can’t have friends like that. You can’t have her as a friend.”

I stiffened. “What happened to grabbing my slice of happiness?”

“That was before I knew you were screwing one of my students.”

“What does it matter to you? I’m not backing off, and I would appreciate it if you’d fucking butt out of my life.”

Xander set his lips in a firm line. His eyes, a near mirror of my own, narrowed. The air around us crackled and vibrated with hostility. Then the obvious struck me. “You want her.”

Weary dread knotted in my belly as Xander folded his arms over his chest. “I’m not an idiot. I don’t date my students.”

“That wasn’t what I asked you.”

Xander shrugged. “I recall it was more of a statement.”

I wasn’t going to play games. I loved Xander, but I also wasn’t going to give up Abbie, or worse, if she didn’t want me, let Xander have her. “Xan, I don’t want to fight you over a girl.”

“Easy, then don’t. Stop seeing her.”

Could I really walk away from her? Just a brief taste, and I was already reeling. “I’m sorry. I can’t. I care about her. She won’t say what it is, but something haunts her.”

Xander was silent for a minute before he responded, “You can tell that from the photos she takes.”

“I can be her friend if that’s what she needs, Xander. Can you even offer her that?”

21

Abbie…

I tapped my foot up and down rapidly. Eventually Ilani reached over, put a hand on my knee, and mouthed. “Would you stop?”