“I might.” Wide-eyed and chest heaving, he watched me warily, waiting for my reaction. Waiting for my rejection, I quickly realized. “That’s not going to happen.” With my eyes locked on his, and my heart hammering wildly in my chest, I forced myself not to flinch. Not to turn away at the sight of his bruised face, or the dark circles under his eyes, as I whispered, "Because you're not him." Joey stiffened. "You don’t know that, Molloy. You don’t know me. I break everything I care about. That’s what I do. I fuck it all up.” My heart skipped about three dozen beats.
