“I’m an asshole. I didn’t mean to upset you. I’ve been thinking about how to talk to you about this for a while now because I didn’t want to fuck it up.” “You didn’t,” I said, fighting back a wave of tears. “It’s fine.” Somehow, I felt bad that he felt bad. Which only compounded my overall distress. A complicated mix of shame, sadness, regret, and fear swirled within me. And maybe, just maybe, a tiny bit of relief. “James.” Chase angled himself to face me. He took my hands in his, which were warm, slightly callused, and comforting. “I’m not judging you. I promise.” I looked at our hands,
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