‘Please.’ I matched his spiteful huff with one of my own. ‘Lily would have slept with Ian or, maybe even and, Monty, if she’d arrived for a date with you to find you were on a date with someone else already. You’re on shaky ground to throw accusations my way, Rowan.’ He looked genuinely taken aback and my kneejerk reaction was to fact-check what I’d said. But yes, Lily would have reacted much worse. Yes, he had behaved poorly. ‘I needed time.’

‘You could have told me that.’

‘I thought you’d infer it, on account of me ignoring you and all.’ I made to walk off. ‘It’s been a long day and I’m going home. Are you walking with me?’

He pushed himself away from the wall. ‘Sure.’ His tone was still flat and, even though it brought with it a stab of something like guilt, I thought back to Fred walking me home days before; the offer of walking her home next— ‘Can we talk, then?’ Rowan cut my thought off. ‘About what happened, I mean.’

It was easier doing this mid-walk, I decided. I didn’t have to look at his face. From experience, I knew it would break any resolve I thought I had. I pulled in a big breath. ‘Is there anything you want to say, about what happened the other night?’

‘I’m obviously sorry.’

‘But you haven’t said you’re sorry.’

‘Well, I am.’ He stopped and pulled me to face him. The shift in movement made me wince with feeling. It had always been the most hurtful thing in the world to see him hurt. And he did look hurt. But— ‘Edi, I am, I’m so, so sorry, because it shouldn’t have happened and I should have … Shouldn’t have. I don’t know. I should have been keeping better track of plans and priorities and … I just need to be better.’

I frowned. ‘Better at what?’

‘All of this.’ He gestured at nothing at all with one hand while he rubbed at the back of his neck with the other. ‘All of this juggling.’

‘Who was she?’

‘What?’

‘Who was she?’

‘The girl?’

Are you stalling? I narrowed my eyes. ‘Is it someone I know? Is that why you’re repeating everything back to me?’