Chapter 109: Trey: The Sociopath Evaluation

TREY

Lola raises her glass and gives the small amount left inside an offended look. "How much does this wine cost? The whole bottle, I mean. Not the tragic little amount you poured into my glass."

The question reminds me that this is still my apartment, even if she’s settled into my sofa like she pays rent and has me standing around waiting for my next instruction.

I cross the room and take the chair opposite her. "Can’t remember. If you like it that much, take the bottle."

A disbelieving laugh slips out of her. "Of course you can’t remember."

She tips the glass back and drains the rest, taking her time before fixing me with another look.

"Let’s try something you might remember. How much was Sadie making per hour at her last job?" Her head tilts. "You should know, shouldn’t you, Mr.... Mercer?"

The pause before my surname is deliberate enough to make my lips curl. "Fourteen dollars an hour."

"Bingo." She snaps her fingers, then holds the glass out to me.

The bottle is right beside her. She could refill it without even leaning forward, but I pick it up and pour. Whatever point she’s working toward, forcing me to refill her glass is clearly part of the setup. From the look on her face, I doubt I’m going to enjoy where it ends.

"Sadie was the most excited person alive when she got that job," she continues. "She wouldn’t stop talking about it, and she had every right to be proud. She spent weeks preparing for the interview. Read every single thing she could find about that student employment center."

Her voice loses some of its bite as she looks down at her hands.

"I can’t even imagine how she felt when she found out you pulled strings to get her hired, then turned around and got her fired."

The familiar gnawing returns to my chest, heavier than before. Even Trex whimpers and retreats, abandoning me to deal with the feeling by myself.

Lola studies me for a moment, then waves a hand.

"Relax. I’m not the emotional type, and I didn’t come here to give you a full recap of your bullshit." She takes another sip. "I’m here because I’d still take an obsessive sociopath over Ezra. Or psychopath. I haven’t decided which one you are yet."

No idea how that’s meant to make me feel better.

"And not to feed your ego, but so far, your crimes are limited to..." She pauses to count them off on her fingers. "Lying. Manipulation. Ignoring boundaries. Controlling her choices. Gross misuse of power. General rich-boy interference. A little stalking-adjacent behavior."

Her gaze returns to mine.

"Well, that’s a lot now that I’ve said it out loud." She considers me over the rim of her glass. "But I suppose you’re working on it, aren’t you?"

I find myself nodding, even though I’m still not sure what’s happening.

She pushes herself to her feet, tips back the glass to finish the wine, then sets it on the coffee table.

"Wow. That’s amazing wine."

The appreciation lasts all of two seconds. She steps closer until she’s standing over me, then leans down, bringing her face close enough that I can feel her breath against my skin.

"I know you want Sadie back. And I know you’re going to do something about it, because sitting on your ass clearly isn’t your thing." Her expression stays cold and composed. "So fix yourself. You have to, and you will be the kind of guy she deserves. Cool?"

For a moment, I only stare up at her. Then I stand, and she straightens with me before taking a step back.

With the height difference restored, she’s a little less intimidating. Not by much.

"I’m surprised you still want us together," I say. "Thought you’d be planning my death by now."

"I was this close." She holds her thumb and forefinger barely apart. "But Sadie doesn’t hate you, so I’ve decided not to either. For now. That means you’d better be good to her."

"You don’t have to tell me that."

"I think I do." Her hand drops to her side. "Sadie’s straightforward, Trey. Open-minded. She wears her heart on her sleeve. After Ezra, she couldn’t even let herself move on without feeling like she was betraying her own principles. You should know better than anyone that she deserves to be happy. To be respected and supported and told the fucking truth."

Every word feels tattooed on my skin. I do know Sadie, at least enough to understand what she likes and what she won’t stand for. She’s particular about falling in love, about what it means to her and what she’s willing to give the person she chooses.

Letting myself explore that because of her has been one of the best decisions I’ve made. Also one of the worst, because now I know exactly how badly I messed up and how little I deserve her.

Love is meant to be the good you do for someone because you care about them. I’ve done most of it wrong. Does what I feel still get to count?

"Thanks for..." I exhale, dragging a hand over my face. "Coming here and telling me all this."

"Just because I’m telling you doesn’t mean she’ll take you back," Lola says. "She’s not saying yes to you until you sort your shit out. If you don’t, I’ll personally find someone else for her."

My jaw tightens. "I hope we don’t get to that part."

She shrugs and heads toward Sadie’s room. After a few steps, she stops and slowly turns back to me.

"You know anything about Adrian?"

The name makes the itch beneath my skin worse.

"What about him?"

"I don’t know. I’d never really heard of him before, and he seems like the quiet type." She thinks for a moment. "He seems cool, but at this point, trusting any man feels like poor judgment."

I’m very aware that I helped her reach that conclusion.

"Is Sadie spending time with him?" I ask. "Is that what this is about?"

A small smile pulls at her lips.

"Look at you. Already jealous, and I haven’t even said anything." She folds her arms. "Focus on what’s important. Do you know anything about him or not?"

"Not yet, but I can get you everything you need before tomorrow. Good enough?"

"Yeah." She waits a beat, then adds, "I heard about the Quiz Bowl party. You coming? Adrian will be there, won’t he?"

She couldn’t be more obvious about trying to get under my skin, but it still works. Of course Adrian will be there. He joined Quiz Bowl. I’ll be there too because, unfortunately for everyone involved, I’m also a member. The difference is that Sadie only wants to speak to one of us right now, and it isn’t me.

"Don’t worry. I’ll be on my best behavior."

"You’d better be." Any trace of teasing disappears from her face. "If you ruin that night for Sadie, there’s no coming back for you."

"I’ll stay out of trouble."

She jerks her head toward Sadie’s room. "Come help me get some of her things."